Inspectors identify possible violations of the Washington Retail Food Code during inspections. Each violation is worth a set number of points, and violations are split into two categories - high risk, also known as critical violations, and low risk, also known as non-critical violations.
Inspectors determine the score of an inspection by totaling the points of any violations found at the time of the inspection. A perfect score is zero.
Whitman County has an inspection procedure to determine when a food establishment has failed or should be placed under a temporary closure.