10C — Inadequate lighting
You can't spot dirt, pests, or spoiled food in a dim kitchen, so NYC requires adequate light in work areas — roughly 50 foot-candles at food-prep and food-contact surfaces and about 20 foot-candles inside walk-ins and storage. It's a General violation (2-5 points). The inspector judges it largely by eye, so a room that simply looks dark to them can be cited even before anyone pulls out a meter.
What the inspector looks for
Look up at every bulb in the prep, storage, dish, and restroom areas. Any dead or missing bulb fails — and so does any room where you can't comfortably read the print on a food container at counter level. Dim corners over a prep table or inside a walk-in are what get cited.
Points & grade impact
Cited at 2 points — 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 across condition I-IV. NYC adds every cited violation’s points into one inspection score: 0–13 = A, 14–27 = B, 28+ = C.
How to fix it
Replace every burned-out lamp in the prep, walk-in, dish, and restroom areas. If a room still looks dim, add fixtures — inspectors cite low light they can judge by eye.
How to prevent it
Walk prep and storage with a light meter or a phone lux app monthly: aim for about 50 foot-candles at counter level and 20 foot-candles inside walk-ins. Replace bulbs before they burn out, keep a spare stock, and wipe dust off fixtures so they put out full light.
- ✓Replace burned-out bulbs the moment you notice them and keep a stock of spares for each fixture type.
- ✓Spot-check light levels with a phone lux app: aim for ~50 foot-candles at prep counters, ~20 inside walk-ins.
- ✓Use shatter-resistant bulbs or shields over food areas so a broken bulb can't drop glass into food.
- ✓Wipe dust and grease off fixtures and diffusers — a dirty cover can cut output by half.
Reference: Health Code §81.19(a)
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