The most common violations Chicago inspectors find

Chicago's inspection checklist contains around 70 individual items, each with its own violation number. But the same handful of those items show up on the majority of inspection reports. Here are the heavy hitters and what they actually mean.

The "found everywhere" group

These are the violations that get cited so often that an inspection without at least one of them feels unusual.

**Violation 38: insects, rodents, and animals not present** This is a catch-all for any pest evidence — mouse droppings, fruit flies, dead roaches, you name it. It's the most-cited violation in Chicago, and it covers everything from "one fly in the back" to "active rodent infestation."

**Violation 22: proper cold holding temperatures** Cold food has to be at 41°F or below. This violation gets cited any time the inspector finds something out of compliance — even by a few degrees. Walk-in coolers struggling to hold temp, prep coolers loaded too full, food left out during prep — they all land here.

**Violation 23: proper hot holding temperatures** Same idea, opposite direction. Hot foods need to be at 135°F or above. Steam tables on too-low a setting, soup not reheated quickly enough, holding cabinets propped open — all violation 23.

**Violation 33: proper cooling methods** This is about how food is brought *down* from hot to cold. Putting a 6-gallon stockpot of soup straight into the walk-in won't cool it fast enough; bacteria get a happy hour in the middle of that pot for hours. The proper method is shallow pans, ice baths, or blast chillers. Shortcuts here get cited a lot.

The "infrastructure" group

These violations point at facilities or equipment problems.

**Violation 47: food contact surfaces clean** Cutting boards, slicer blades, prep tables — anything that touches food directly. Inspectors check for residue, grease buildup, or visible contamination.

**Violation 51: plumbing** Leaks, backflow risks, drains in disrepair. Plumbing issues lead to pests and contamination, so they get treated seriously.

**Violation 55: physical facilities maintained** Walls, floors, ceilings, doors, lighting. Holes in drywall (pest entry), cracked tiles (where bacteria collects), broken light shields above prep — all live here.

**Violation 41: wiping cloths properly used and stored** Sounds minor. Isn't. Wiping cloths sitting wet on a counter without sanitizer become bacteria bombs. They have to be in a sanitizer bucket between uses.

The "personal hygiene" group

**Violation 5: hands washed and clean** Self-explanatory. Inspectors watch the line for hand-washing technique, frequency, and timing.

**Violation 6: no bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food** Garnishes, sandwich fillings, pastries — anything that won't be cooked again before serving. Has to be handled with gloves, tongs, or paper.

**Violation 2: management awareness** The "person in charge" has to know food safety basics. If the inspector asks the manager what temperature chicken should be cooked to and they shrug, that's violation 2.

What the numbers mean

Violations are roughly grouped by severity: - **1–28** — Priority items, the highest-risk stuff (cooking, holding, cross-contamination, employee health). - **29–48** — Priority foundation items (the systems and practices that prevent priority violations). - **49+** — Core items (general operational and structural items).

A restaurant can rack up a long list of core violations and still pass with conditions. But a single priority violation — like raw chicken stored above ready-to-eat food — can take a place straight to a Conditional or even a Fail.

How to use this when reading reports

When you pull up an inspection on our site, glance at the violation numbers. A spread of items in the 30s and 50s is normal kitchen wear-and-tear. A cluster in the single digits or 20s is more concerning. The text comments tell the rest of the story.