Public Information Files Channel 20 Calendar Code of Ordinances Deed Documents Deed History GIS On-Line Land Transfer Search Land Transfers Approved Maps On-Line On-Line Payment Services Permits - Building Permits - Environmental Health Purchasing Shoreline History Subdivisions Tax\Property by Address Tax\Property by Owner Tax\Property by Parcel Tax\Property by PIN Tax\Property Street Names Tax Bills Tax Certification Tax Files for Download Tax Rates Taxing Services Trash Schedule Transportation Use Codes Webcams

Text Menu

Departments Adult Services Airport Animal Shelter Board Of Elections Buildings And Grounds Business Personal Taxes CAMA Clerk of Court Clerk to the Commissioners Communication Cooperative Extension* County Attorney County Commissioners County Engineer County Manager Dance Detention Center Emergency Management EMS Environmental Health FEMA Finance Fire Marshal Fleet Maintenance Food & Beverage Tax Friends Of Youth Health Department Human Resources Information Technology Land Transfer Tax Library Mosquito Control Motor Vehicle Occupancy Tax Oregon Inlet & Waterways Parks And Recreation Planning Public Relations Public Works Recycling Register Of Deeds Rubble Transfer Transport Sanitation Sheriff's Office Shoreline Management Social Services* Soil and Water Spanish Tax Appraisal Tax Collections Tax Listings Tax Mapping Transportation System Turf Maintenance Veteran's Office Wastewater Treatment Water Department

 Environmental Health Links: Home / Onsite Wastewater

Food and Lodging        Restaurants / Lodging / Pools / Links/State Rules

The purpose of the Food and Lodging section is to educate and protect the public's health and well being. Health Inspectors visit food and lodging establishments to enforce state and local government regulations. It is the responsibility of this unit to inform establishments about state regulations and motivate them to meet set standards in the interest of public health.

The food and lodging section administers eighteen State regulated programs: restaurants, food stands, push carts, school lunchrooms, limited food stands, lodging, summer camps, bed and breakfast homes, bed and breakfast inns, meat markets, nursing homes, child day care, school buildings, local confinements, elderly nutrition site, residential facility, swimming pools and tattoo parlors. On a local level, this department regulates seafood markets.

Inspections of these establishments range from once a year to once a quarter, whichever the State requirement is. Any establishment that prepares food or provides sleeping facilities receives a grade card after the inspection has been completed. The card will show a numerical grade along with the corresponding letter. This grade card should be visible upon entering the establishment and is to remain in public view at all times.

Before any establishment can be permitted, an application and plans have to be submitted to this section. The environmental health specialist conducts a "plan review" then makes suggestions to the applicant on concerns and recommendations. There is a *fee charged for this service, please check with the health department for the current rate.

Environmental Health works closely with the on-site wastewater section concerning the sewage capacity of the proposed establishment. The establishment must have an approved source of water, whether it is a well or city/county hook up.

Environmental Health Specialists work in conjunction with clinical nurses from the Dare County Department of Public Health to reduce and prevent cases of lead poisoning in private homes. The specialists respond to cases that involve children with low elevated blood lead levels. Environmental case histories of the homes and families are taken to identify possible sources of exposures to lead. The families are also educated about the lead prevention. The specialists, along with the Regional Lead Specialist, also respond to cases that involve high elevated blood lead levels. A detailed environmental investigation that includes the testing of paints, floors, walls, dishes, and the ground outside of the homes is preformed to identify lead sources.

Restaurants

When inspecting a restaurant, an Environmental Health specialist looks closely at many details. Restaurants are required to follow and meet many guidelines in the interest of making dining out safer and more enjoyable. All food must come from an approved source. It must be handled properly from the time it leaves the delivery vehicle to the time it is served. Food must be kept at proper temperatures during receiving, storage, preparation, and cooking. It must never be reserved.

The kitchen, dining area, and lavatories must be in good repair. The kitchen, including utensils such as pots, silverware, plates, and cutting boards, must be clean and sanitized properly. Water must come from an approved and pressurized source. Required temperatures must be met.

Personnel must practice good hygiene, including proper hand washing habits and clean clothing. They should not work while ill.

Owners and managers of restaurants in North Carolina are encouraged to take an approved food safety course. The Dare County Health Department offers ServSafe one to two times per year. For more information, click here: ServSafe

Lodging Establishments

Lodging establishments are inspected one time per year. The premises must be clean and in good repair. Special attention is paid to water temperatures, laundry rooms, and ice machines. Hotels and motels may serve prepackaged food, such as donuts and bagels. To serve other meals they must obtain the proper permit. Bed & Breakfast Inns, which sleep between nine and twenty-three persons, and Bed & breakfast Homes which sleep eight persons or less, are permitted to serve breakfasts only.

Swimming Pools

There is an annual *fee to operate a public swimming pool, spa, or wading pool. A State application and a Dare County application must be filed in the Environmental Health Section Office along with the fee before an operation permit is issued. The permit has to be renewed each year.

*Fee: Please check with the Health Department for current fee.

There are two classifications of pools..... year round and seasonal.

Year round pools are permitted from January 1 through December 31 each year. Year round pools require two inspections per year by an environmental health specialist. are permitted from January 1 through December 31 each year. Year round pools require two inspections per year by an environmental health specialist.

Seasonal pools are permitted from April 1 through October 31. Seasonal pools require one inspection during the operation season by an environmental health specialist.