Georgia adopts Rule 511-6-1—better known as the Georgia Food Code—to safeguard public
health in every restaurant, food truck, school cafeteria, and grocery deli across the state.
This guide translates the 300-page legal text into practical tasks. Click the Quick-Nav bar to
jump between sections or scroll for a full walkthrough. Use it to brief new managers,
prep for health inspections, and create SOPs that match 2025 requirements.
Key Definitions You’ll Hear in Every Inspection
- TCS Food: Foods that “love bacteria” and must stay ≤ 41 °F or ≥ 135 °F—
think cut melons, cooked rice, meats, milk.
- Water Activity (aw): How much usable water a food holds. ≤ 0.85 means shelf-stable.
- Comminuted: Ground, chopped, or mixed so finely you can’t see the original form
(e.g. burgers, sausage)—higher pathogen risk.
- Person-in-Charge (PIC): On-site supervisor who answers inspector questions and
demonstrates active managerial control.
- Priority Violation: Highest-risk issue (e.g., 70 °F chicken salad) requiring immediate fix.
- Variance: Written permission to use a non-standard method (like curing meats) under HACCP.
- Clean vs. Sanitize: Remove visible soil then kill germs with a verified chemical ppm.
- Time as Public Health Control (TPHC): Using a 4-hour room-temp window instead of hot/cold holding.
- Core Item: Low-risk housekeeping issues—peeling paint, dusty vents—fixed within 90 days.
- Food Contact Surface (FCS): Any surface that touches food or drinks—cutting boards, ice scoops.
Memory aid: if food would spoil sitting on a picnic table, it’s probably TCS.
Critical Temperature Cheat-Sheet (Georgia & FDA)
- Cold-holding ≤ 41 °F / 5 °C
- Hot-holding ≥ 135 °F / 57 °C
- Poultry cook ≥ 165 °F / 74 °C for 15 sec
- Ground meats ≥ 155 °F / 68 °C for 17 sec
- Seafood, steaks ≥ 145 °F / 63 °C for 15 sec
- Cooling: 135 °F → 70 °F in 2 h, then 70 °F → 41 °F in 4 h
- Reheat for hot-holding ≥ 165 °F within 2 h
Management & Personnel
- Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) must be on duty whenever
Risk-3 or Risk-4 foods are served.
- PIC must explain allergy plan, illness policy, and sanitizer verification.
- Employees with vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice are excluded for ≥ 24 h.
- Written cleanup procedure for vomit/diarrhea required on-site (new 2025).
- Annual review of employee health policy; signatures kept for 2 years.
Pro-Tip: Start each shift with a 60-sec “temperature huddle” where cooks
call out fridge, hot-box, and sanitizer readings—inspectors love it.
Georgia Deviation: Rule 511-6-1 now mandates hands-free hand sinks
in new or renovated facilities—Model Code only recommends them.
Food: From Receiving to Service
- Receiving: Reject deliveries above 41 °F or with dented cans.
- Storage: Raw poultry bottom shelf; ready-to-eat (RTE) foods top shelf.
- Prep: No bare-hand contact with RTE foods—use gloves, tongs, or
compliant “no-touch” techniques.
- Cooking: Follow the cheat-sheet temps; fish with fins 145 °F 15 sec.
- Holding: Document TCS temps at least every 4 h or every 2 h
if discarding out-of-range items.
- Cooling & Reheat: Use ice-wands, shallow pans, blast chillers.
- Service: Tongs stored in running water ≥ 135 °F or on a clean
surface ≤ 70 °F (replaced every 4 h).
Pro-Tip: Keep a laminated “probe calibration” card next to each
thermometer—inspectors often test your knowledge by asking for calibration steps.
Priority Violations (Immediate Fix Required)
- Pink chicken or burgers below 155 °F
- Hand sink blocked or without soap/paper towels
- TCS foods held between 42 °F–134 °F > 4 h
- Sick employee handling food
- No sanitizer or test strips available
Equipment & Utensils
- Buy NSF-listed gear or equivalent for all FCS items.
- Label any CIP equipment parts and
keep diagrams on file.
- Georgia allows commercial sous-vide machines with 1-second
operator-safety cycle.
- Maintain dish-machine final rinse ≥ 160 °F (plate temp) or 50 ppm chlorine.
- Use color-coded cutting boards and knives to prevent cross-contamination.
Pro-Tip: Tape your last three dish-machine test strips beside the unit—
it proves ongoing verification without digging for logs.
Water & Plumbing
- Water must come from an approved public supply or tested well
(keep lab reports ≥ 5 years).
- Hand sinks: ≥ 100 °F mixed water, ≥ 20 psi flow for 15 sec.
- Install backflow prevention on mop sinks, soda machines, ice bins.
- Mobile units need 5-gal/employee potable water + ≥ 7-gal
waste tank.
Pro-Tip: Mount small pressure gauges under each hand sink—instant pass
when inspectors confirm adequate flow.
Georgia Deviation: New builds after 2023 must install
hands-free faucet activation; FDA Model Code suggests but doesn’t require.
Physical Facilities
- Floor, wall, ceiling surfaces must be smooth, durable, easily cleanable.
- Lighting: 50 ft-candles at prep areas; 20 ft-candles in dish rooms.
- Pest control logs retained 12 months; glue boards dated and replaced
when ⅓ full.
- Keg rooms count as “food storage” and must be cleanable—no raw paint cans.
Pro-Tip: Add weekly self-audits; if you flag issues before the
inspector does, most become Core instead of Priority Foundation.
Georgia-Specific Differences vs. FDA Model
- Hands-free sinks for new construction
- Vomit/diarrhea cleanup SOP on-site at all times
- HACCP records kept ≥ 180 days (Model = 90 days)
- Single-service condiment containers required for self-serve bars
Compliance & Enforcement
- Violations categorized as Priority, Priority Foundation, or Core.
- Score ≥ 90 = Grade A, 80-89 Grade B, 70-79 Grade C, < 70 fails.
- Priority items must be corrected on-site or within 72 h.
- Scores < 70 trigger reinspection within 10 days; two failures may prompt
permit suspension.
- Variance applications reviewed by GDPH; processing time ≈ 30 days.
Pro-Tip: Keep a “corrective-action diary”—a simple notebook showing
what you fixed and when. Inspectors weigh recent diligence heavily.
Georgia vs FDA Food Code At-a-Glance
Topic |
FDA Model 2022 |
Georgia 2025 |
Effect on Operators |
Hot water at hand sinks |
≥ 100 °F |
Same + hands-free faucet on new builds |
Budget for sensor faucets during remodel |
HACCP record retention |
90 days |
180 days |
Keep logbooks twice as long |
Bare-hand contact with RTE food |
Allowed with written plan |
Not allowed—gloves or utensils only |
Train servers on glove change protocol |
Self-service condiment bars |
Dispensers or bulk OK |
Single-service packets only |
Order packets before buffet season |
Cooling log requirement |
Recommended |
Required for Risk-4 |
Adopt a cooling log template today |
Variance approval time |
Varies |
≈ 30 days |
Apply at least a month before menu launch |
Cleanup SOP for body fluids |
Advisory |
Mandatory |
Lamination & training required |
Inspection grace period |
Depends on item |
Priority = 72 h |
Schedule fixes immediately post-inspection |
Top 10 Daily Compliance Checks
[ ] 1. Verify walk-in ≤ 41 °F
[ ] 2. Record sanitizer ppm (3-comp sink)
[ ] 3. Calibrate probe thermometers
[ ] 4. Log cook temps for proteins
[ ] 5. Check hand sinks stocked
[ ] 6. Date & label all prepped TCS foods
[ ] 7. Swap serving utensils (4 h)
[ ] 8. Inspect pest traps, record findings
[ ] 9. Review employee illness log
[ ]10. Sign off cooling log before close
Frequently Asked Questions
Georgia adopts revisions every 4–5 years, usually following major FDA Model updates. However, local health departments can implement interim guidance at any time. Check annually for bulletins and adjust SOPs immediately when Rule 511-6-1 is amended.
Cottage-food operations fall under a separate statute (§26-2-21) and are exempt from many commercial requirements—but only if products are non-TCS and sold direct to consumer within Georgia. Once you ship interstate or add TCS items, full code applies.
Georgia mandates a potable tank with at least 5 gallons per food employee and a wastewater tank 15 percent larger than the fresh supply. Tanks must be sloped and fitted with labeled “Potable Water Only” connections.
Yes. Any ANSI-CFP accredited Food Protection Manager program—ServSafe, NRFSP, Prometric—meets Georgia’s CFPM rule. Keep the certificate on-site and schedule renewal every five years.
At minimum: “Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning to Work.” Georgia accepts pictograms or multi-language signs as long as the message is clear and conspicuous to staff.
Yes, if you write a TPHC plan, mark each batch with discard time (≤ 4 h), and keep logs for 24 h. Inspector can request documentation anytime.
Submit form DPH FG20-1 with process flow, HACCP plan, and scientific validation (e.g., pH studies). The state reviews within ~30 days and may require a pilot run under observation.
Contact the county environmental health manager within 48 hours and provide evidence of correction. You may request a re-score visit; if denied, file an appeal under Ga. Code §50-13-9. Prepare logs, photos, and invoices to support claims.
Related Resources
Dive deeper into inspection priorities in Georgia.
Avoid the mistakes that tank inspection scores.
Understand grading and corrective timelines.
What logs you must keep—and for how long.