05A — Sewage or liquid waste not disposed of properly
Sewage backup means raw waste and its bacteria are in the same space as food — there is no safe way to keep cooking around it. A plumber has to fix the cause and the Health Department must verify the fix, so this is one of the conditions that gets a restaurant closed the same day rather than just scored. It is cited at 10 points and rises to 28 if not corrected.
What the inspector looks for
Look at the floor by the mop sink, floor drains, and under prep tables for standing wastewater or sewage backing up, and check that liquid waste is draining away — not pooling. Sewage or dirty waste water on a food-area floor is a stop-everything finding.
Points & grade impact
Cited at 10 points — Cited at 10 (condition IV); uncorrected PHH → 28. NYC adds every cited violation’s points into one inspection score: 0–13 = A, 14–27 = B, 28+ = C.
How to fix it
Stop the discharge; clean and sanitize affected areas; discard contaminated food; call a plumber to restore approved waste disposal.
How to prevent it
Maintain the sewage and drainage system; service grease traps; repair leaks and backups immediately.
- ✓Know where your floor drains and clean-outs are and keep the number of an emergency plumber posted.
- ✓Snake and clean floor drains on a schedule, and service the grease trap before grease fills 25% of it, so waste cannot back up.
- ✓If waste water reaches a food area, stop work there, discard exposed food, and clean and sanitize before reopening the station.
- ✓Repair any leak or slow drain the day you notice it — small backups become closures.
Reference: Health Code §81.20(b)
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