Plano rules and resources · Updated November 4, 2026

Restaurant rodent violations and inspections in Plano

Plano restaurants follow the Texas Food Establishment Rules, which adopt the 2017 FDA Food Code. City health inspectors score establishments on a 100-point system with one to four routine inspections a year. Rodent droppings or dead rodents are violations that can bring a follow-up inspection, a closure or a revoked permit.

A single dropping on a prep table can cost a restaurant points, a follow-up visit or worse. Plano's inspectors work from the Texas Food Establishment Rules, and their findings are public. Local news outlets regularly publish roundups of Plano inspections, and rodent findings show up in them.

This guide explains the rules, how Plano's inspections work and what a manager can do to stay ahead. It's general information. Check the current rules and your inspector's guidance for your establishment.

The rules: Texas Food Establishment Rules

Food businesses in Texas operate under the Texas Food Establishment Rules, Chapter 228 of Title 25 of the Texas Administrative Code. The current version took effect August 8, 2021. Section 228.1 adopts the 2017 FDA Food Code and its supplement by reference, and says that where Texas law and the chapter conflict with the Food Code, Texas law and the chapter prevail.

The Food Code sorts requirements into three tiers: priority items, priority foundation items and a third tier for general sanitation and upkeep. Section 228.244 of the Texas rules uses those tiers for risk-based inspection: an establishment's record on priority and priority foundation items, and many or repeated violations in the third tier, are factors in how often it should be inspected. In plain terms, a kitchen that keeps getting written up gets inspected more.

What the pest rules cover

The earlier 2015 edition of the Texas rules spelled out the pest provisions under these headings, and the Food Code the 2021 rules adopt covers the same ground:

• Outer openings protected against insects and rodents
• Insect control devices, design and installation
• Controlling pests
• Removing dead or trapped birds, insects, rodents and other pests
• Rodent bait stations
• Tracking powders used for pest control and monitoring
• Storage and conditions of use for poisonous or toxic materials

How Plano inspects

Plano's environmental health department issues food permits and inspects food establishments. Its inspection search lets anyone browse inspections by date range, inspection type and other filters.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram coverage of Plano's inspection reports describes the scoring this way: restaurants are scored on a 100-point system, with 100 considered perfect and 70 considered extremely poor, and each establishment receives between one and four routine inspections per year. That coverage has reported dead rodents and rodent droppings in food-service areas at a gas station, which led to a revoked permit, and rodent droppings on a restaurant's cook line in early 2026. Other establishments in those reports were closed temporarily pending a follow-up inspection.

What gets a restaurant written up

Based on the rule topics above, these are the rodent findings to worry about:

• Droppings in dry storage, under equipment or on the line
• Gnawed packaging or food
• A dead rodent in a trap that nobody checked
• Gaps under exterior doors or around pipes and conduit
• Back doors propped open
• Rodent bait used in a way the rules don't allow

Temporary events and food trucks

Plano hosts markets, festivals and food truck events. The Texas rules have a section for temporary food establishments. Section 228.222(k) says their outer openings must be protected against the entry of insects and rodents by 16-mesh screens, properly designed and installed air curtains or other effective means. Screening isn't required if flying insects and other pests are absent because of the location or other limiting conditions.

Vendors should keep food and supplies off the ground in sealed bins, break down boxes and trash at the end of each day, and store equipment between events somewhere rodents can't nest. A trailer or truck parked for weeks between events needs the same attention as a kitchen: check it for droppings before you load food.

Who should do the pest work

Hire a licensed company. The Texas Department of Agriculture licenses structural pest control, and its pest control category covers inspecting and controlling pests such as rodents in and around homes, businesses and industries. Ask for the company's TDA business license number and check it. The licensing guide shows how.

A good restaurant program includes exterior stations around the building, traps inside kept away from food, sealing at doors and utility penetrations, and a written log of every visit. Restaurant rodent control describes what to ask for.

Records to keep on file

Inspectors and landlords both ask what you're doing about pests, and paperwork is the easiest way to show it. Keep these somewhere the manager on duty can find them:

• The pest provider's service agreement and visit schedule
• Every visit report, with findings and actions
• A map or list of exterior stations and interior traps
• Your own sighting log with dates, times and locations
• Receipts for repairs: door sweeps, sealed pipe gaps, replaced ceiling tiles
• The provider's TDA business license number

Shared buildings and landlords

Most Plano restaurants lease space in a strip center or a mixed-use building. Rodents don't respect the lease line. A gap at the roofline over the nail salon next door, a shared dumpster corral or a vacant suite with an open back door can feed rats into your kitchen no matter how clean you keep it.

Read your lease to see who handles the roof, the exterior walls and the common areas. Send your landlord written notice of building gaps your provider finds, and keep a copy. If several tenants share a problem, it often makes sense for the landlord to bring in one provider for the whole building.

A manager's checklist

Inspectors find what staff miss. Build these into opening and closing routines:

• Check dry storage, under the line and behind equipment for droppings every morning
• Write down every sighting with date, time and location
• Keep the dumpster lid closed and the pad clean
• Break down cardboard and get it out nightly
• Store food off the floor on shelving
• Close the back door between deliveries
• Fix leaks under sinks and around ice machines
• Keep the pest provider's visit log on site

After a violation

If an inspector finds rodent evidence, call your provider the same day and ask for an extra visit. Fix the specific items the inspector listed, document the fixes with photos and the provider's report, and be ready for the follow-up inspection. If the building itself has gaps, check your lease; the landlord may be responsible for the roof and walls. The Plano reporting guide covers how other food concerns reach the city.

Related reading

• How to report rats or mice in Plano, and what happens next
• Hiring a licensed rodent control company in Plano
• Plano trash, yard and property rules that affect rodents

Related services: Restaurant Rodent Control, Business and Commercial, Norway Rat Control