Arlington County's Environmental Health Program inspects restaurants and posts reports online. Virginia gives no letter grades. Questions: 703-228-7444.
Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. Facts on this page come from Arlington County’s Environmental Health page and its restaurant inspection reports portal. Counts were taken from the portal on Oct. 19.
Restaurants in Arlington are inspected by Arlington County’s Environmental Health Program, which licenses and inspects restaurants, food trucks and other food businesses and posts its reports online. To report a problem or ask about a report, call 703-228-7444, option 4.
Who to call
- Environmental Health Program: 703-228-7444, option 4; 2110 Washington Blvd., Suite 350
- Restaurant, food truck and pool permits (Permit Arlington Center): 703-228-7400
- Look up a report: Arlington inspection portal
How to look up a restaurant
- Open the county’s inspection portal.
- Type the restaurant’s name, or a street name, in the search box.
- Check the address. Chains and restaurants with similar names appear more than once.
- Open an inspection to read the report: the date, the type of inspection and the inspector’s notes on what was found and corrected.
How to read a report
- No grade, no single score. Virginia publishes the inspector’s report, not a letter grade or a number. A report lists what the inspector observed on that visit.
- One visit, one moment. A report shows conditions during that inspection only. A restaurant with several violations on one visit may have none at the next, and the reverse.
- Many items are fixed on the spot. Reports often note that a problem was corrected during the inspection.
- The inspection type matters. A pre-opening inspection checks a new business before it opens; a follow-up checks that earlier problems were fixed.
We describe inspection results in neutral terms because they carry legal weight. We do not rank restaurants by inspection results, and a report is not a finding that anyone got sick.
The last few weeks
The county’s portal listed 151 food inspections at 146 businesses from Sept. 21 to Oct. 12, 2026. Most were risk-factor inspections, which focus on the practices most often linked to foodborne illness, such as cooling, hot and cold holding and handwashing.
| Inspection type | Count |
|---|---|
| Risk factor | 112 |
| Routine | 31 |
| Pre-opening | 5 |
| Follow-up | 2 |
| Other | 1 |
New rules for 2026
Arlington County raised two health fees on July 1, 2026, according to its Environmental Health page:
- Late license renewal: $50, up from $25.
- Re-inspection before opening: $100 for each extra inspection when a food business does not pass its pre-opening inspection.
Opening a food business
New restaurants, food trucks and caterers need a health permit and pass a pre-opening inspection before they serve the public. Construction and remodeling plans go through the county’s permit process. Start at the Environmental Health page and our building permits guide. Farmers market vendors have their own food safety rules.
Other things Environmental Health handles
The same office inspects hotels and motels and pools and other water recreation facilities, and it answers questions about rodents, insects, lead, mold and radon. It offers free rodent inspections.
Related guides: new businesses in Arlington, farmers markets and who to call at the county government.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see restaurant inspections in Arlington, Virginia?
On Arlington County’s public inspection portal at inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/va-arlington. Search by restaurant name or street and open a report to read what the inspector recorded.
Do Arlington restaurants get letter grades?
No. Virginia does not give inspection grades or a single score. Each report lists what the inspector observed on that visit and how it was corrected.
How many restaurant inspections does Arlington County do?
The portal listed 151 food inspections from Sept. 21 to Oct. 12, 2026: 112 risk-factor inspections, 31 routine, five pre-opening, two follow-ups and one other.
How do I report a food safety problem at an Arlington restaurant?
Call Arlington County’s Environmental Health Program at 703-228-7444, option 4. Its office is at 2110 Washington Blvd., Suite 350.
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