Fresno · Fire and Food Safety
Fresno Commercial Kitchen Compliance
A commercial kitchen in Fresno answers to three different agencies: the Fresno Fire Department for fire safety, Fresno County Environmental Health for food safety, and the City of Fresno Department of Public Utilities for grease. Here is who does what, and what each one expects to see.
Who Enforces Fire Code in Fresno
Inside city limits, fire code is enforced by the Fresno Fire Department, which runs its own fire prevention inspectors across 20 stations. It is a city department, not the county's, so the county fire district's rules and contacts do not apply to a kitchen inside Fresno.
The city adopts the California Fire Code through Chapter 10, Article 5 of the Fresno Municipal Code. The 2025 California Fire Code has been in effect statewide since January 1, 2026, and it is the path by which NFPA 96, the standard for commercial kitchen exhaust systems, applies to your hood, ducts and fan, in the edition California has adopted.
In practice, that means a Fresno fire inspector can ask for proof that your exhaust system is cleaned on the frequency your cooking calls for, and that your suppression system has been serviced on schedule. The record is what answers that question, not the memory of the last visit.
Who Inspects Food Safety in Fresno
Food safety in Fresno is inspected by the Fresno County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Division, not by the city. The same county inspectors cover kitchens in and outside city limits.
Fresno County does not post letter grades. Each inspection records major and minor violations. A major violation is one that poses an imminent risk to public health; it can mean immediate correction or closure, and usually a reinspection. Minor violations still need correcting but may not trigger a return visit. Reports are published online, so a customer, landlord or insurer can read yours.
What's Local: Grease
Fresno runs its own Fats, Oils and Grease Control Program through the Department of Public Utilities, under Fresno Municipal Code §6-321.1. Food service establishments must install, operate and maintain an approved, adequately sized grease interceptor, with the kitchen's grease-producing fixtures connected to it.
An existing kitchen that receives a notice from the Director to install an interceptor has 180 days to do it. Grease haulers serving Fresno kitchens need discharge permits from the state, the county and the city, so the hauler's paperwork is part of your record too.
Fresno Follows Fresno County's Framework
For how Fresno County scores and publishes inspections, and how it compares with the rest of California, see the Fresno County page.