The Blue Ridge Health District inspects Charlottesville restaurants and posts reports online. Virginia gives no letter grades; read the report itself.
Last checked Oct. 18, 2026. Facts on this page come from the Blue Ridge Health District’s environmental health page and inspection types page, and from the Virginia Department of Health’s inspection portal, queried Oct. 18.
Restaurants in Charlottesville are inspected by the Blue Ridge Health District, part of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), and the reports are public on VDH’s online inspection portal. The district’s food team permits and inspects more than 900 food establishments across the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson counties, including restaurants, food trucks, school cafeterias, day care centers, nursing homes and hospital kitchens.
Who to call
- Charlottesville/Albemarle Health Department, environmental health: 434-972-6219, CAHDEH@vdh.virginia.gov, 1138 Rose Hill Drive
- Report a foodborne illness: use the district’s foodborne illness complaint form (PDF)
- Complain about a restaurant or hotel: the food or lodging facility complaint form (PDF)
How to look up a restaurant
- Open the VDH inspection portal.
- Search by the restaurant’s name, or filter by city and date.
- Open an inspection to read the inspector’s findings, the type of inspection and any comments.
Search by name, not by city alone. The portal’s city field is the mailing city, and many places in Albemarle County, such as those in the 22911 ZIP code, have a Charlottesville mailing address even though they are outside the city limits.
What the reports show, and what they do not
There are no letter grades or scores in Virginia. Reports on the portal display no score. Each one records what the environmental health specialist observed on that visit and whether problems were fixed on the spot or need a follow-up. A single report is a snapshot of one day; a report that lists violations does not mean a restaurant is unsafe today, and a clean report does not guarantee future visits. Read the full report, and look at several inspections over time, before drawing conclusions. We do not rank restaurants or publish “worst inspection” lists.
Types of inspection
The district lists these types:
- Routine: a full, unannounced inspection of foodborne illness risk factors, public health interventions and good retail practices.
- Risk factor assessment: an unannounced inspection focused on the risk factors and the critical and non-critical sections of the rules.
- Follow-up: a return visit to recheck items that were out of compliance.
- Foodborne illness complaint or investigation: a visit after a report of possible food poisoning, always with a risk factor assessment.
- Pre-opening: for new establishments, before a permit to operate is issued.
Recent activity
The state portal lists 105 inspections with a Charlottesville mailing address from July 1 to Sept. 30, 2026: 23 in July, 37 in August and 45 in September. Of those, 85 were routine inspections, 11 were pre-opening inspections of new places and six were follow-ups. Full service restaurants accounted for 47 and fast food restaurants for 20. Because of the mailing-address issue above, the count includes some establishments in Albemarle County.
Opening a food business
New restaurants, food trucks and caterers apply for a permit to operate through the district, which reviews plans and does a pre-opening inspection. See the district’s foodservice permit page. Packaged food producers are licensed by the Virginia Department of Agriculture instead. Our new businesses roundup lists recent openings.
What this means for you
- Check a restaurant by name on the state portal; ignore the city filter’s mailing-address mix.
- Expect no grade card in the window; Virginia does not use them.
- Sick after a meal? Call 434-972-6219 so the district can investigate.
Related guides: who to call at City Hall and things to do this month.
Frequently asked questions
How do I look up a restaurant inspection in Charlottesville?
Search the Virginia Department of Health’s inspection portal at inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/virginia by restaurant name or city. The Blue Ridge Health District links to it as the official source of its foodservice inspection reports.
Do Charlottesville restaurants get letter grades?
No. Virginia does not grade restaurants with letters, and the reports on the state portal show no score. Each report lists what the inspector found and any items corrected or still to be fixed.
Who inspects restaurants in Charlottesville?
Environmental health specialists from the Blue Ridge Health District, part of the Virginia Department of Health. The Charlottesville/Albemarle office is at 1138 Rose Hill Drive, 434-972-6219.
How do I report food poisoning or a dirty restaurant in Charlottesville?
Call the Charlottesville/Albemarle Health Department environmental health office at 434-972-6219, email CAHDEH@vdh.virginia.gov, or use the district’s complaint forms for foodborne illness or for a food or lodging facility.
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