Public Health pilot program to announce inspections at select Washoe County businesses
WASHOE COUNTY, Nev. (KOLO) – In 2026, Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH) – Environmental Health Services will introduce a pilot program that will have announced annual inspections in select Washoe County businesses rather than unannounced, according to an agency news release.
“Announced annual inspections will not apply to all NNPH permit holders,” the news release said. “Unannounced inspections will still occur for re-inspections, complaint investigations, suspected health hazards and other circumstances where immediate response is necessary to protect the community.”
The pilot project will apply to some restaurants/food businesses that do more complex cooking/handling processes; public pools and spas; tattoo and body piercing establishments; hotels/motels, and other to-be-determined facilities.
The program is in the planning stages.
An independent evaluation of NNPH’s Environmental Health Services division recommended announced inspections as a best practice to improve consistency, foster collaboration and promote effective public health interventions, the release said.
“Announced inspections are about improving how we prevent problems before they happen,” said Dr. Chad Kingsley, NNPH’s district health officer. “This pilot program is about listening and working together. By doing announced inspections, we can create a more collaborative environment while maintaining our top priority and commitment to the community, which is keeping the public safe.”
The announced inspections allow operators to:
- ensure trained staff are present, critical records are available, and food safety systems are operating as designed;
- let inspectors assess if the food establishment has the capability and capacity to properly practice safe food handling;
- provide a more thorough, consistent, and educational inspection process that strengthens prevention of foodborne illness and other health risks by emphasizing long-term, system-based controls rather than one-time corrections
Evaluation research found announced inspections can encourage active managerial control by reducing a “gotcha” mentality and shifting inspections toward prevention and improvement.
The health department plans to share the program’s results.
For the most recent inspection information for permitted Washoe County food establishments, download the Washoe Eats app.
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