A health inspection is not only about the kitchen. When an inspector walks your dining room, they check your walls too. They look for the grade card, the handwashing signs, the no smoking postings. Miss one and you can get cited for paperwork you forgot to hang, not for how you actually handle food.

This checklist covers the signs a restaurant in Los Angeles has to post. Health code postings, smoking rules, and the parking and valet signage that keeps your lot calm during a dinner rush.

Health Inspection Grade Card

Los Angeles County Environmental Health grades every routine inspection under County Ordinance No. 97-0071. Each inspection starts at 100 points, and the inspector takes points off for violations. You get an A card for 90 to 100, a B card for 80 to 89, and a C card for 70 to 79. Below 70 you get a numeric score card instead of a letter. Restaurants inside the City of Los Angeles are graded by the County under this same ordinance.

The card has to be posted where the public can see it, in a spot the inspector approves. It stays up until your next routine inspection replaces it. You also have to keep your most recent inspection report on hand for anyone who asks to see it.

This is the one sign you cannot buy from us. The County issues it. We list it here because a missing or outdated grade card is one of the easiest posting violations to avoid, and it says nothing about how clean your kitchen is.

Employees Must Wash Hands Signage

California Health and Safety Code §113953.5 requires a handwashing sign at every handwashing sink used by food employees, placed where they can clearly see it. It is one of the most common write ups during a routine inspection, and one of the easiest to solve for good. A single durable sign beats a taped printout that curls off the wall in a month.

No Smoking Signage, Indoor Dining

California Labor Code §6404.5(c)(1) requires a No Smoking sign at each entrance of an enclosed workplace where smoking is banned. Your indoor dining room counts as an enclosed workplace, so this applies by default.

No Smoking Signage, Outdoor Dining

The City of Los Angeles goes further than the state. LAMC §41.50.B.1.c bans smoking in outdoor dining areas, and §41.50.C.1.a requires you to post No Smoking signs there. The wording is set by code. The sign must read “No Smoking in this Outdoor Dining Area or within 10 feet of this Outdoor Dining Area” in size 14 font or larger, posted so it is clearly visible to anyone seated in the area or passing within 10 feet of it. If you have a patio or sidewalk seating, this is on you, even though the outdoor ban is a City of LA rule and not a statewide one.

Browse the No Smoking signs category for indoor and outdoor rated options.

Restroom Notice, If It Applies

California Health and Safety Code §114276(f)(1) covers older buildings. If your food facility was built before January 1, 2004, has been in continuous operation since then, and serves food for eating on site, you have two choices. Provide clean public restrooms, or post a sign inside the facility, in a public area, stating that toilet facilities are not provided. Most newer restaurants never hit this, but it is worth a check if you are in an older or converted space.

Parking Lot and Valet Signage

If your restaurant has its own lot, the same rules that apply to any commercial property in LA apply to you. Under CVC §22658 you cannot legally tow an unauthorized car from your lot without compliant signage, and Los Angeles adds its own sign specs under LAMC §80.71.4. We break the whole thing down in our full guide to California Vehicle Code 22658.

Valet signage is different. Clear directional and reserved space signs are not a legal requirement, but they keep your valet stand from turning into a pile of customer complaints and blocked fire lanes on a busy night. Browse our A-Frame parking and valet signs and our dedicated valet signage.

If your lot has a marked fire lane, common for a standalone building with drive access, CVC §22500.1 says it has to be signed or curb marked before anyone can enforce it. A fire lane sign has to use letters at least one inch high, or the curb has to be painted red with FIRE LANE marked in a contrasting color. Shop Fire Lane No Parking signs.

What to Do Next

Walk your restaurant and confirm:

• Your current grade or score card is posted where patrons can see it
• Handwashing signs are up at every handwashing sink, per HSC §113953.5
• No Smoking signs are at every entrance of your indoor dining area, per Labor Code §6404.5(c)(1)
• If you have a patio, the outdoor No Smoking sign is posted with the exact wording, per LAMC §41.50.C.1.a
• If it applies, your restroom notice is posted, per HSC §114276(f)(1)
• Your tow signage meets both CVC §22658 and LAMC §80.71.4
• Any marked fire lane meets current CVC §22500.1 language
• Your valet and directional signs are legible and not faded from the sun

Shop property signs

Shop A-Frame and valet signs

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Legal Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It reflects general California and Los Angeles legal codes as of the date of publication and does not account for the specific facts of your property, business, or local jurisdiction. Please consult a licensed attorney before making enforcement or compliance decisions.