Establishments that serve food to the public in San Jose are generally inspected one to three times each year. In this section of EveryBlock, we publish new inspection results throughout the city, so you can find out how restaurants in your neighborhood have fared.

The information, which comes from the Environmental Health Department of Santa Clara County, shows the date and location of the inspection, the establishment's name, the type of inspection that was conducted (routine, follow-up, complaint follow-up, among others) and the results found during the inspection.

The last category covers a lot of ground. Establishments can be marked up for major or minor violations. Major violations must be corrected immediately, or the establishment will be closed. That's because major violations pose a threat to public health. Minor violations are less serious, but need to be corrected in a time period provided by the health inspector.

The same kinds of problems — e.g., presence of insects and rodents, water supply issues and equipment condition — can be marked as major or minor.

During each inspection, employees are asked random questions about food service rules. The county data shows when the workers answered the questions correctly and when they didn't — which we report on EveryBlock.

Finally, note that inspections that aren't routine can be prompted for several reasons, including a complaint from the public, referrals from other government agencies or change of ownership.