Mock health inspection scoring sheet (free template)

A self-inspection asks "is everything in order?" A mock inspection asks "what would an inspector write down if they walked in right now?" That takes someone playing the inspector, an unannounced visit, and the inspector's form.

This post lays that form out as a scoring sheet: the FDA's model Food Establishment Inspection Report (Form 3-A in Annex 7 of the Food Code), which many health departments use or adapt. If you want a walk-through organized by Food Code chapter instead, use our monthly self-inspection checklist. If you're in Florida, the health inspection prep guide has DBPR's own violation categories. Run the mock inspection once a quarter, and after any big change in staff or menu.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your health department may use its own form and its own scoring, and your inspector has the final word.

How the real form is marked

Section numbers and item names here are from the 2022 FDA Food Code. The FDA has since published a 2026 edition; we compared the form and the rules quoted here, and the differences are noted below.

The FDA's marking instructions (Guide 3-B in Annex 7) give each of the first 29 items one of four marks: "'IN' which means that the item is in compliance; 'OUT' which means that the item is not in compliance; 'N.O.' which means that the item was not observed during the inspection; or 'N.A.' which means that the item is not applicable for the facility."

Two more boxes go next to an OUT:

COS (corrected on site). "Marking COS indicates that all violations cited under that particular item number have been corrected and verified before completing the inspection." Fixing half of an item doesn't earn the box.
R (repeat). "Marking R indicates that the same violation under a particular item number was cited on the last inspection report."

Items 1 to 29 are the foodborne illness risk factors and public health interventions, the practices most often behind outbreaks; items 30 to 56 are good retail practices, basic sanitation and upkeep. The header counts the OUTs and repeats in items 1 to 29, and "A score is optional for this form."

The Food Code also sorts every provision into three levels (§1-201.10). A priority item is one "whose application contributes directly to the elimination, prevention or reduction to an acceptable level, hazards associated with foodborne illness or injury", like cooking, cooling and handwashing. A priority foundation item "supports, facilitates or enables one or more PRIORITY ITEMS", like training, equipment and records. A core item is everything else, mostly sanitation and maintenance.

Running the mock inspection

Pick an inspector who doesn't work the shift: a manager from another location, a partner or a consultant. Don't announce it, and come during service.
Start with the person in charge. Real inspections often open with a conversation. The FDA's guide says the inspector "should assess this item by asking open-ended questions" about the operation. Ask the person in charge what your cold-holding temperature is, how a cook cools a batch of soup, which symptoms keep an employee home, and where the vomit clean-up kit is.
Carry the tools: a probe thermometer, sanitizer test strips, a flashlight and your last real inspection report, so you can mark R honestly.
Write down every temperature you probe, in range or not.

The scoring sheet: risk factors and interventions (items 1 to 29)

Mark IN, OUT, N.O. or N.A., then tick COS or R for any OUT. "What to look for" is our shorthand, not the FDA's wording.

#	Item	What to look for
1	PIC present, demonstrates knowledge, and performs duties	Someone in charge who can answer food safety questions
2	Certified Food Protection Manager	A current certificate on file for at least one manager
3	Management and food employee knowledge, and conditional employee; responsibilities and reporting	Staff know what illnesses and symptoms they must report
4	Proper use of restriction and exclusion	Sick staff kept off food, or home
5	Clean-up of vomiting and diarrheal events	Written procedure and a kit on site
6	Proper eating, tasting, drinking, or tobacco products use	Drinks covered, no eating at the prep table
7	No discharge from eyes, nose, and mouth	No one working food with a runny nose or cough
8	Hands clean and properly washed	Washing at the right moments, for long enough
9	No bare hand contact with RTE foods or a pre-approved alternate properly followed	Gloves, tongs or tissue on ready-to-eat food
10	Adequate handwashing sinks, properly supplied and accessible	Soap, towels, sign, nothing stored in the sink
11	Food obtained from sources that comply with Law	Invoices from licensed suppliers, nothing homemade
12	Food received at proper temperature	Receiving log with temperatures
13	Food in good condition, safe and unadulterated	No dented, swollen or spoiled product
14	Required records available: molluscan shellfish identification, parasite destruction	Shellfish tags kept, fish records if you serve it raw
15	Food separated and protected	Raw below ready-to-eat, everything covered
16	Food-contact surfaces: cleaned and sanitized	Sanitizer at label strength, boards and slicers clean
17	Proper disposition of returned, previously served, reconditioned, and unsafe food	Returned food thrown out, not re-served
18	Proper cooking time and temperatures	Probe a cooked item and record it
19	Proper reheating procedures for hot holding	Reheated food hits its temperature fast enough
20	Proper cooling time and temperatures	Cooling log, and a probe of anything cooling now
21	Proper hot holding temperatures	135°F or above
22	Proper cold holding temperatures	41°F or below
23	Proper date marking and disposition	Dated, Day 1 counted, nothing past 7 days
24	Time as a Public Health Control: procedures and records	Written procedure and time marks, if you use it
25	Consumer advisory provided for raw or undercooked food	Menu notice for undercooked items
26	Pasteurized foods used; prohibited foods not offered	Applies to highly susceptible populations
27	Food additives: approved and properly used	No unapproved additives
28	Toxic substances properly identified, stored, and used; held for retail sale, properly stored	Labeled bottles, chemicals below and away from food
29	Compliance with variance, specialized process, reduced oxygen packaging criteria or HACCP plan	If you vacuum-pack, cure or sous-vide

In the 2026 edition: item 5 is now Illness Documentation, which checks for a written employee health policy as well as the vomit and diarrhea procedure, and item 16 adds "and disinfected". Use the edition your health department enforces.

The scoring sheet: good retail practices (items 30 to 56)

The FDA's form doesn't split these into IN, OUT, N.O. and N.A. (items 30, 32 and 33 aside): an item is marked only when something under it is out, with COS and R as above. Walk the building with this list:

#	Item	Mark
30–35	Pasteurized eggs where required; water and ice from an approved source; variance for special processes; cooling methods and equipment; plant food cooked for hot holding; approved thawing
36	Thermometers provided and accurate
37	Food properly labeled; original container
38	Insects, rodents and animals not present
39	Contamination prevented during food preparation, storage and display
40–46	Personal cleanliness; wiping cloths; washing produce; in-use utensils; storage of utensils, equipment and linens; single-use articles; gloves
47–49	Food and non-food-contact surfaces built and used properly; warewashing facilities and test strips; non-food-contact surfaces clean
50–54	Hot and cold water; plumbing and backflow; sewage; toilet facilities; garbage
55–56	Physical facilities maintained and clean; ventilation, lighting and designated areas

A house score

The FDA form doesn't require a score, so use a simple one of your own that tells you what to do next. This is our suggestion, not an official grade:

Result	What it means	Next step
0 OUT in items 1 to 29, 3 or fewer OUT in 30 to 56	Ready	Fix the retail items this week
1 or 2 OUT in items 1 to 29, all COS	Close	Retrain on those items at the next pre-shift
Any OUT in 1 to 29 without COS, or any R	Not ready	Fix it today and re-run the mock inspection in two weeks

Close out every OUT

The Food Code gives the regulatory authority, not you, these outer limits for corrections. Under §8-405.11, a permit holder "shall at the time of inspection correct a violation of a PRIORITY ITEM or PRIORITY FOUNDATION ITEM". The authority may allow longer, "not to exceed: (1) 72 hours after the inspection, for the permit holder to correct violations of a priority item; or (2) 10 calendar days after the inspection, for the permit holder to correct violations of a priority foundation item". Core items are due by an agreed date, "no later than 90 calendar days after the inspection" (§8-406.11). The 2026 edition keeps the same limits.

Treat those as ceilings, not targets.

Item #	What we found	Fixed on site?	Who fixes the rest	By when
22	Sandwich cooler at 44°F	Product moved to the walk-in	Owner calls for service	Today
10	Back sink blocked by a sanitizer bucket	Yes	—	Done

Daily temperatures belong in your line check and temperature logs, which items 20 and 22 lean on.

Where Mays fits

Build the sheet once as a checklist template and start it when you choose, so the timing stays a surprise:

Go to Tasks → Templates, create a template named Mock inspection, and add one task group per block of the sheet.
Make each item a Multiple Choice task with the options IN, OUT, N.O. and N.A., and add Number tasks for the temperatures you probe.
On the Settings tab, set Frequency to Custom, so it doesn't run on a fixed day.
When it's time, go to Tasks → Create Task → From Template and give it to the person playing the inspector.
Fixes become tasks. For each OUT that needs someone else, create a one-off task under Tasks → Create Task → Custom Task, with a Photo answer as proof. A manager can reject it with a reason if it isn't right.
Item 2 on file. Turn on Labor law compliance in Settings → Organization, then add each manager's food protection manager certificate on their Certificates tab, with its dates and a photo of the card (the image at the top of this post). Mays reminds them and their managers before it expires.

Two limits to know: Mays doesn't count OUT answers or compute a score, so tally the sheet yourself; and a Custom template only runs when someone starts it.

Practice the inspection, not just the cleaning

An inspector's form rewards habits, not a scrub the night before. Run the sheet and close every OUT.

Start your free trial: 30 days, every module, no card needed. Or book a walkthrough and we'll build your mock inspection template with you.