Restaurant Rodent Violations in Shelby County: Rules and Inspections

Who inspects restaurants in Memphis

Tennessee splits food inspections between the state Department of Health and a few local health departments. The state describes Shelby County as a contract county, meaning the county health department handles inspections, invoicing, permitting and enforcement locally. The Department of Health lists 901-222-9190 for Shelby County food questions.

Shelby County's own FAQ says permits for all food facilities are issued and approved by the Shelby County Health Department, and that anyone starting a food business should contact its Food Inspection Program first. Restaurant permit fees are set by state law and based on seating: $210 a year for 50 or fewer seats and $360 a year for 51 or more, on a July 1 to June 30 permit year.

Restaurant scores are public. The county links to the statewide inspection site at inspections.myhealthdepartment.com, where anyone can look up a restaurant's recent reports. Local TV stations also publish weekly roundups of the highest and lowest Shelby County scores.

What Tennessee's food rules say about rodents

Tennessee's food service establishment rules are in chapter 1200-23-01. Rule 1200-23-01-.06, on physical facilities, carries the main pest provisions:

• Outer openings must be protected against insects and rodents by filling or closing holes and gaps along floors, walls and ceilings, and by using closed windows and solid, self-closing, tight-fitting doors
• The premises must be maintained free of insects, rodents and other pests
• Pests must be controlled by routinely inspecting incoming shipments, routinely inspecting the premises, using trapping devices or other means of pest control if pests are found, and eliminating harborage conditions
• Dead or trapped rodents must be removed from control devices and the premises often enough to prevent accumulation, decomposition or attracting more pests
• The premises must be free of items that are not needed for operation or maintenance, and of litter

Those last two lines matter more than people expect. A storage room full of broken equipment, or a trap holding a dead mouse for a week, can count against you.

Rules on bait and pesticides

Rule 1200-23-01-.07, on poisonous or toxic materials, limits what can be used in a food business:

• Rodent bait must be placed outside and contained in a covered, tamper-resistant bait station
• Tracking powder pesticides may not be used, except nontoxic powders like talc or flour that do not contaminate food
• Only pesticides registered with the EPA and the state may be used, following the law and the label
• Applications must not create a hazard to employees or others, or contaminate food, equipment or utensils
• General and restricted use pesticides must be applied only by a certified applicator

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture also requires licensed supervision for pesticide applications inside restaurants. A chartered pest control company with a General Pest and Rodent Control licensee is the baseline. See the license guide.

Correction timelines

Tennessee Code section 68-14-716 says a completed inspection report must specify a reasonable period of time for correcting the violations found. The same section covers what happens if violations are not corrected, including orders to stop operating, hearings and the steps to reopen.

The details of scoring and follow-up are handled by the health department. If your restaurant gets a rodent-related violation, read the report carefully for the correction date, and ask the inspector what they will look for at the follow-up.

Why Memphis kitchens see rodent pressure

Memphis's food scene is concentrated in some of its oldest buildings. Beale Street, South Main and the rest of downtown have restaurants in brick buildings a century old or more, with basements, shared walls and alleys of dumpsters and grease bins. Overton Square and Cooper-Young pack restaurants into older blocks too. Rodents trapped out of one kitchen can move through a wall chase to the next.

Newer restaurants along Poplar Avenue, Germantown Parkway and in the suburbs have tighter buildings, but share dumpster corrals, and the rear doors stay open during deliveries.

The Mississippi riverfront and creek corridors hold Norway rats close to some commercial areas. Exterior stations and tight doors matter year-round here.

What inspectors tend to find

Rodent findings usually come from what an inspector can see in a few minutes: droppings on shelves or along wall bases in dry storage, gnawed packaging, gaps under back doors, holes around pipes under sinks, dead rodents in traps, or bait inside the building. Each one points to a rule above.

Droppings size tells you what you are dealing with. Mouse droppings are about an eighth to a quarter inch. Rat droppings are about half an inch to three quarters. See rat droppings identification.

Daily and weekly habits that prevent write-ups

Most rodent findings are preventable with routine. The state rule itself names inspection of incoming shipments and the premises as control steps, so build them into the job.

Daily:

• Check deliveries for gnawed boxes and droppings before stocking shelves
• Keep back doors closed and make sure self-closers work
• Sweep under and behind cooking equipment at close
• Close dumpster and grease bin lids and keep the pad clean

Weekly:

• Pull stock away from walls in dry storage and check the wall base
• Check door sweeps and pipe gaps under sinks and behind the dish machine
• Clear broken or unused equipment from storage areas
• Check ceiling tiles in storage for stains or droppings

Log what you find with dates, and share it with your provider at each visit.

Working with your provider and your landlord

Most Memphis restaurants lease their space, and rodent control often crosses the line between tenant and landlord. Before a problem starts, check the lease for who handles pest control inside the space, who handles the building exterior and roof, and who maintains the dumpster area. In older downtown and Midtown buildings, ask whether the landlord has a building-wide pest contract that covers basements and shared areas.

When you hire a provider, ask for:

• Their Tennessee charter number and the GRC licensee on it
• A device map showing interior traps and exterior stations
• A visit schedule, with extra visits during active problems
• A written report at each visit, kept on site
• Clear notes on sealing work they did and work that needs another trade, like door repairs or roof flashing

Share your own logs with the provider at each visit: where staff found droppings, which deliveries had damage, which doors were left propped open. That helps them place devices where the activity is.

If neighboring businesses share walls or a dumpster corral, talk with them. A rodent problem in one kitchen in an old building often involves the units next door, and coordinated service costs less than each tenant fighting the same rats.

How to fix a rodent violation fast

When an inspector writes up rodent evidence, move quickly:

1. Clean and sanitize affected areas the same day and discard contaminated food and packaging.
2. Call a pest control provider for an inspection, trapping inside and exterior bait stations if appropriate.
3. Seal gaps under doors, around pipes and along wall bases.
4. Repair door closers and sweeps so back doors close on their own.
5. Clear clutter and unused equipment from storage and back areas.
6. Keep the provider's service log on site for the follow-up inspection.

See restaurant rodent control for what an ongoing plan includes.