More than a year ago we began publishing restaurant inspections from the health departments across the region that visit local restaurants, schools and senior centers to make sure they are complying with state and local health requirements.
We obtain the reports through Freedom of Information Act requests to the three health departments that serve Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties. The reports aren’t free, although the fees vary from agency to agency, which is typical of public records requests in this area and elsewhere in Michigan.
We publish lists each week, twice a month for Ingham County because of the number of restaurants, and once a month each for Eaton and Clinton counties. We publish only the most serious violations, typically referred to by health departments as priority violations and priority foundation violations…