Food Service Pest Reference · Free tool

Inspection Report Decoder

Pick the county's label from your report, or paste the inspector's words, and get the plain-English meaning, the Food Code section behind it, what a correction looks like, who fixes it, and which record proves it.

Prepared by Trenton S. Frazer, M.S., BCE #B3413 · Version 1.0, November 3, 2026 · Not legal advice

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How to use this document

Find the pest line on your Salt Lake County report. Choose its label (the PHR column) from the list, or paste the inspector's observation into the box and press Decode. Each card shows how often the county cited that label in the two years ending November 2, 2026, and how often it was critical, from this site's aggregate analysis of public records (no restaurant is identified). The county's own definitions are on the county regulation page; the Food Code text is on the Food Code page. Not legal advice; the inspector decides what a correction is.

Choose the label from your report

Choose the label from your report Or paste the inspector's observation

4.6.15 Outer Openings-Protected

Food Code: 6-202.15 · Critical: Non-critical on nearly every report.
What it means: An opening a pest can use: a gap under or around a door, a door propped or left open, a missing or torn screen, a hole or gap along a floor, wall or ceiling. This is the most common pest-related line in the county. It is not a finding that pests are present.
What a correction looks like: Close the opening. A door sweep and weatherstripping for the gap; a self-closer so the door cannot be left open; a 16-mesh screen or an air curtain where a door or window must stay open; sealant, copper mesh, sheet metal or escutcheon plates at holes and pipe penetrations. A rule for the delivery door: open for the delivery, closed after.
Who fixes it: Maintenance for sweeps, closers, screens and sealing; the landlord if the lease puts exterior doors and penetrations on the landlord; staff for the propped-door habit.
Which record proves it: A dated line in the corrective-action log with a photo of the fix; the receipt or work order; the written notice to the landlord if it is a landlord item.
In the county: “Outer Openings-Protected”: 766 routine inspections carried this label, 0% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)

4.6.50 Controlling Pests

Food Code: 6-501.111 · Critical: Critical (**) when the inspector saw a pest; a non-critical form is used for the inspect-deliveries, inspect-premises and harborage sub-items.
What it means: The inspector saw a pest or evidence of one: flies, a live cockroach, droppings, gnawing, ants. Counted by code, it is the second most common pest-related code and the most common critical one. The rule also asks for four things: inspect deliveries, inspect the premises, use control methods if pests are found, and eliminate harborage.
What a correction looks like: Identify the pest (a photo or a specimen), call your pest company the same day with the location, and correct what the pest is using: the fermenting source for fruit flies, the drain film for drain flies, the door for house flies, harborage and food for cockroaches, entry points and food for rodents. Then monitors, so the next visit can show the count fell.
Who fixes it: Your pest company for treatment, monitors and identification; staff for sanitation and the sightings log; maintenance for harborage and openings.
Which record proves it: The sighting log entry, the service report (product, EPA number, amount, target site, applicator license number), the monitor counts before and after.
In the county: “Controlling Pests**”: 135 routine inspections carried this label, 100% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)“Controlling Pests- (Non Critical)”: 37 routine inspections carried this label, 0% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)

4.6.51 Removing Dead or Trapped Birds, Insects, Rodents and Other Pests

Food Code: 6-501.112 · Critical: Non-critical on nearly every report.
What it means: Dead insects, a full glue board, a mouse in a trap, left in place. This is its own requirement, separate from controlling pests. A bait treatment that is working leaves exactly what this line cites.
What a correction looks like: Remove them now (vacuum or sweep, bag, trash outside, wipe the surface, gloves), check every device, and set a daily sweep of the treated areas while a treatment is active. Tell the inspector a treatment is under way and show the service report.
Who fixes it: Staff, every shift; your pest company for the devices on its schedule.
Which record proves it: A corrective-action entry per sweep (date, where, what was removed, by whom); the device log with counts.
In the county: “Removing Dead or Trapped Birds, Insects, Rodents and Other Pests”: 103 routine inspections carried this label, 0% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)

4.6.13 Insect Control Devices-Design and Installation

Food Code: 6-202.13 · Critical: Non-critical on nearly every report.
What it means: A fly strip, fly light, sticky trap or zapper placed over food, a prep area, clean equipment or utensils, or a device that can throw insect parts onto them. The device is allowed; the place is not.
What a correction looks like: Take it down or move it to a wall away from food and prep, where fragments cannot fall on anything. This is one of the few pest lines an inspector will record as corrected on site if you do it while they are there.
Who fixes it: Staff.
Which record proves it: A corrective-action entry with a photo of the new location.
In the county: “Insect Control Devices-Design and Installation”: 78 routine inspections carried this label, 0% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)

4.6.40 Repairing-Physical Facilities

Food Code: 6-501.11 · Critical: Non-critical.
What it means: A hole in a wall, a gap around a pipe, damaged coving, a broken tile: a repair item that is also a pest harborage or entry. Counted by printed label, it is the second most common county label on pest-related lines.
What a correction looks like: Repair it so the surface is smooth and sealed: patch and paint, sealant at the pipe, replace the tile or coving. The point is to leave no void a cockroach or a mouse can use.
Who fixes it: Maintenance; the landlord if the lease assigns structure to the landlord.
Which record proves it: A corrective-action entry with before and after photos; the work order or receipt.
In the county: “Repairing-Physical Facilities”: 138 routine inspections carried this label, 0% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)

4.6.1 Surface Characteristics-Indoor Areas

Food Code: 6-101.11 (and related) · Critical: Non-critical.
What it means: An indoor surface that is not smooth, durable and cleanable where it should be: unsealed wood, rough concrete, exposed insulation, an unfinished wall. On pest-related lines it is usually a surface that harbors pests or cannot be cleaned.
What a correction looks like: Seal, finish or replace the surface so it can be cleaned and does not hold harborage.
Who fixes it: Maintenance; the landlord for structure.
Which record proves it: A corrective-action entry with photos; the work order.
In the county: “Surface Characteristics-Indoor Areas”: 38 routine inspections carried this label, 0% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)

4.7.4 Restriction-Poisonous or Toxic Materials

Food Code: 7-202.11 · Critical: Critical (**) on every report that carries it.
What it means: A poisonous or toxic material in the building that is not required for operating it. On pest lines this is a store-bought insecticide, a home-use aerosol or a product not labeled for a food establishment.
What a correction looks like: Take it out of the building today. Nothing is applied in the kitchen except by a licensed applicator with a product labeled for food establishments. Train staff to report, not spray.
Who fixes it: Staff and the manager, immediately.
Which record proves it: A corrective-action entry (product removed, date, by whom); the staff-training sign-off.
In the county: “Restriction-Poisonous or Toxic Materials**”: 51 routine inspections carried this label, 100% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)

4.7.5 Conditions of Use-Poisonous or Toxic Materials

Food Code: 7-202.12 · Critical: Critical (*) on every report that carries it.
What it means: A pesticide used contrary to law, to its label, or without the certification the label requires; or applied so that it could contaminate food, equipment or utensils. A home-use product sprayed in a kitchen is cited here as well as under 4.7.4.
What a correction looks like: Stop the use, remove the product, clean and sanitize any surface it touched. Put all pesticide use with a licensed applicator whose products are labeled for food establishments and who covers or removes food and equipment before treating.
Who fixes it: Staff for removal and cleaning; your pest company for anything applied from now on.
Which record proves it: A corrective-action entry; the applicator's service report for every application thereafter.
In the county: “Conditions of Use-Poisonous or Toxic Materials*”: 80 routine inspections carried this label, 100% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)

4.7.13 Restricted Use Pesticides-Criteria

Food Code: 7-206.11 · Critical: Critical (*).
What it means: A restricted use pesticide on site, or one applied by someone who is not a certified applicator or under one's direct supervision.
What a correction looks like: Remove it. Ask your pest company why a restricted use product was used in a restaurant at all; there is rarely a reason.
Who fixes it: Your pest company; the manager for removal.
Which record proves it: The service report naming the product and the applicator's license; the corrective-action entry.
In the county: “Restricted Use Pesticides-Criteria*”: 19 routine inspections carried this label, 100% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)

4.7.14 Rodent Bait Stations

Food Code: 7-206.12 · Critical: Critical (*) on every report that carries it.
What it means: Rodent bait that is not in a covered, tamper-resistant station: loose bait blocks, an open tray, a station without a lid or lock, a station with no label. Sometimes a snap or glue trap placed where it should not be is written here.
What a correction looks like: Remove loose bait at once. Every station locked, labeled with the product and the company's name and license number, and placed where food cannot be contaminated. If your technician's stations are not like that, that is the first question for them.
Who fixes it: Your pest company; the manager for immediate removal of loose bait.
Which record proves it: The station map and station log; the service report.
In the county: “Rodent Bait Stations*”: 28 routine inspections carried this label, 100% critical (two years to 2026-11-02)

4.7.15 Tracking Powders-Pest Control and Monitoring

Food Code: 7-206.13 · Critical: Critical (*).
What it means: A tracking-powder pesticide used in the establishment. Not allowed in a food establishment at all; only a nontoxic powder such as talc or flour, kept off food and equipment, is permitted.
What a correction looks like: Remove it and clean the area. Ask your pest company what was used and why.
Who fixes it: Your pest company; staff for cleanup.
Which record proves it: The service report; the corrective-action entry.
In the county: fewer than 10 inspections in the window; figure not published

4.3.45 Miscellaneous Sources of Contamination

Food Code: 3-305.14 (and related) · Critical: Critical when marked.
What it means: Food exposed to a source of contamination the other sections do not name. On pest lines it is usually a pest or pest evidence in or on food, or an insect light shedding fragments over food.
What a correction looks like: Discard the affected food, correct the source, and record both.
Who fixes it: Staff and the manager.
Which record proves it: The corrective-action entry naming what was discarded and why.
In the county: fewer than 10 inspections in the window; figure not published

4.4.61 / 4.4.62 Fixed Equipment-Spacing or Sealing / Elevation or Sealing

Food Code: 4-402.11 / 4-402.12 · Critical: Non-critical.
What it means: Equipment installed against a wall or floor without being sealed to it or spaced away from it, leaving a gap that cannot be cleaned and that harbors pests.
What a correction looks like: Seal the equipment to the wall or floor, or move it out far enough to clean behind and under it, or put it on legs or casters.
Who fixes it: Maintenance.
Which record proves it: A corrective-action entry with photos.
In the county: fewer than 10 inspections in the window; figure not published

4.6.41 Cleaning-Frequency and Restrictions

Food Code: 6-501.12 · Critical: Non-critical.
What it means: Floors, walls or ceilings not cleaned as often as needed. On pest lines it is usually droppings, grease or debris under or behind equipment that is feeding pests.
What a correction looks like: Clean it, then put it on the schedule: under and behind the line, the reach-ins and the dish machine, weekly at least.
Who fixes it: Staff.
Which record proves it: The cleaning schedule with sign-offs; the corrective-action entry.
In the county: fewer than 10 inspections in the window; figure not published

7.4.4 Summary Permit Suspension - Imminent Health Hazard

Food Code: (county regulation § 7.4.4; Food Code 8-404) · Critical: Critical; an enforcement action, not a report line.
What it means: The permit was suspended on the spot because the Department found an imminent health hazard. The county's penalty schedule lists rodent or pest infestation among its examples. Operations must stop until a reinspection confirms the hazard is gone.
What a correction looks like: Stop operating. Read the notice: it names the person to whom a written request for reinspection is made, and you have five days to request a conference or hearing. Call your pest company and counsel the same day; attend the enforcement meeting; request reinspection in writing when the conditions are gone.
Who fixes it: The owner, with counsel and the pest company.
Which record proves it: Everything: the notice, the service reports, the corrective-action log, photos, the written request for reinspection.
In the county: fewer than 10 inspections in the window; figure not published

Not sure what it is? Text a photo to (801) 477-0223 and I'll identify it the same day. — Trenton S. Frazer, M.S., BCE #B3413