Look up a state / MA
Restaurant inspections in Massachusetts
Who inspects, where the record lives, what the public actually sees, and whether it has to be posted on the door. Every line below links to the government source it came from.
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01
Who inspects
Delegated to local boards of health under Massachusetts General Law Ch. 111, s. 127A; the Department of Public Health's Food Protection Program writes and maintains 105 CMR 590 Agency page
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02
What the public sees
A narrative violation list, pass/fail style; there is no statewide letter grade or numeric score, and format varies by locality. Source
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03
Posting the result
Posting rule varies locally. Needham requires the establishment to be able to provide a copy of its last inspection report on request, rather than posting a grade. Rule
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04
Food code in force
2013 FDA Food Code. The FDA Food Code is a model, not a federal mandate — each state decides which edition to adopt and how far to amend it.
| Where to search | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Boston Mayor's Food Court | City |
| Town of Needham Public Health Inspection Reports | City |
- City of Boston Food Establishment Inspections Last updated 2026-06-07
If you run the restaurant
The record is public either way. The useful move is to read it before a customer does.
Pull your own record
Search yourself in the lookup above and read every line of the last three reports. Repeat violations are what escalate.
Work the ten risk factors
Most citations trace back to the same ten practices the FDA measures nationally. Run the ten-minute self-check.
Fix, document, re-inspect
Dated photos and a written correction log are what a re-inspection rewards. What to do after a bad inspection.
Other states
Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska — or see all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Improved a bad record in Massachusetts?
Our recognition program is for recovery, not for perfection. Nominations for the inaugural class are open.