The Commercial Kitchen Standard

California Jurisdiction

Nevada County commercial kitchen compliance

California's 36th-largest county by commercial kitchen population. Nevada County Environmental Health Department is the authority. Here's the methodology, the thresholds, and the fire code overlay.

Authority chain

Nevada County → Nevada County Environmental Health Department → California Retail Food Code

Nevada County is a smaller California jurisdiction. Inspection volume is lower than the metro counties, but the statutory framework — California Retail Food Code — is identical. Grass Valley Fire: (530) 274-4430. Nevada City Fire: (530) 265-4421.

Standard 01

Food Safety

Authority

Nevada County Environmental Health Department

Phone
(530) 265-1222, Option 3
Scoring type
None
Grading type
None

Methodology

Nevada County (CA) enforces the California Retail Food Code (CalCode, Health & Safety Code Division 104, Part 7, Chapter 1 et seq.) without a local placard, letter-grade, or numeric scoring overlay. The Nevada County Environmental Health Department conducts plan checks and inspections under CalCode and references the "California Retail Food Facilities Codes Reference Sheet" on its food facilities page. Inspection results are recorded in narrative reports; the County does not publish a score, grade, or color-coded placard for food facilities. No local County Code chapter specific to food facility grading or placarding was located. The department operates a two-office model: Grass Valley (main, 500 Crown Point Circle Suite 110) covering the Sierra foothills and Highway 49 corridor, and Truckee (satellite, 10075 Levon Avenue Suite 202) covering the Tahoe basin and Donner Pass / I-80 corridor. All three incorporated municipalities (Grass Valley, Nevada City, Truckee) are under county EH jurisdiction with no city-EHD carve-outs. Approximately 700 retail food facilities are permitted countywide.

Primary source

https://www.nevadacountyca.gov/2131/Food-Facilities

Last verified by JIE: May 21, 2026

Published inspection data for Nevada County is mirrored on ScoreTable, direct from the agency.

Standard 02

Fire Safety

Authority having jurisdiction

Unknown - specific fire authority not identified for Nevada County commercial kitchen inspections

Phone
(530) 265-1581
Fire code edition
2025 CFC
NFPA 96 edition
2024
Hood cleaning default
Quarterly
Permit type
Operational Fire Permit — annual renewal, pass/fail

Hood cleaning frequencies

Frequencies enforced by Unknown - specific fire authority not identified for Nevada County commercial kitchen inspections per NFPA 96 (2024).

Cooking volume / typeFrequency
Solid-fuel cookingMonthly
High-volume / 24-hour / charbroil / wokQuarterly
Moderate-volumeSemiannually
Low-volume / seasonal / place of worshipAnnually

Local amendments adopted

CAL FIRE contract. City of Grass Valley Fire Dept and Nevada City Fire Dept are separate AHJs within city limits.

Hood cleaning enforcement

MODERATE

Reference

Frequently asked

Who inspects commercial kitchens in Nevada County?
Nevada County Environmental Health Department is the food safety authority for Nevada County. Reach them at (530) 265-1222, Option 3. California Retail Food Code (CRFC) provides the statutory base; the agency conducts inspections, scores them per local methodology, and posts results to the public.
How are inspection results communicated in Nevada County?
Nevada County Environmental Health Department documents inspections per none methodology. Results are available to the public through the agency's published portals.
Who enforces fire and hood-cleaning rules in Nevada County?
Unknown - specific fire authority not identified for Nevada County commercial kitchen inspections is the fire authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). They enforce 2025 CFC and NFPA 96 (2024 edition) for commercial kitchen exhaust. Hood cleaning default frequency: quarterly.
What fire code edition applies in Nevada County?
2025 CFC is the adopted edition. NFPA 96 (2024) governs commercial kitchen exhaust systems. Local amendments: yes.
Where can I verify Nevada County inspection records?
Primary source: https://www.nevadacountyca.gov/1470/Environmental-Health. EvidLY ScoreTable mirrors the latest jurisdiction-published results at https://www.getevidly.com/scoretable/california/nevada.
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