Go For Green - Placarding Program for Food Facilities
The Go For Green Placard Program was implemented by Marin County Environmental Health Services on January 1, 2015.
The goals of this program are the following:
- Reduce food-borne illness
- Increase compliance with food safety laws
- Convey inspection results in a manner that is easy to interpret
Food establishments in the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Marin County are required to post a placard once it has been issued by Environmental Health Services. This includes all restaurants, bars, coffee houses, bakeries, schools and markets.
Placard Criteria
The same criteria are used for all types of food establishments.
PASS. A Green Pass Placard is issued when no more than one major violation is observed. The major violation must be corrected or mitigated at the time of inspection. Minor violations must be corrected within the
time frame indicated on the inspection report. A reinspection may be conducted if any of the violations are not permanently corrected in a timely manner.
CONDITIONAL PASS. A Yellow Conditional Pass Placard is issued when two or more major violations are observed. These violations must be corrected or mitigated at the time of inspection. A reinspection will
conducted within 24-72 hours to ensure all major violations remain corrected. Minor violations are required to be corrected within the time frame indicated on the inspection report. If all major violations remain
corrected during the reinspection, a Green PASS placard will be issued at the reinspection.
CLOSED. A Red Closed Placard is issued when an imminent threat to health and safety is observed. Examples of imminent health hazards include: surfacing sewage, no hot and/or cold running water,
rodent/insect infestation, or severe unsanitary conditions. The Red CLOSED placard must remain posted and facility closed until a reinspection is conducted to confirm that the imminent health hazard no longer exists.
A new placard will be issued at the reinspection.
Reference Information
For accessibility assistance with any of these documents, please contact Marin County Environmental Health Services at (415) 473-6907 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays.