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Blog · October 2026
Mississippi restaurant grades: what A, B and C mean for rodents
Every food place in Mississippi gets a letter grade from the state health department. Here is what each letter actually says, where rodents fit in, and how to check any restaurant in Oxford before you sit down.
- A: no critical violations
- B: fixed on the spot
- C: not fixed, or repeated
- Look it up in a minute
Want to check a restaurant now? Jump to the lookup steps.
Start here
What do Mississippi restaurant grades mean, and how do rodents affect them?
In Mississippi, an A means the inspection found no critical violations, a B means critical violations were found but corrected during the inspection, and a C means some or all critical violations were not corrected, or were repeated from the last inspection. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) defines critical violations as those more likely to lead to food contamination, illness or other health risk. Rodent and insect findings appear on inspection reports under a line such as “insects, rodents and animals present,” and news reports of failing inspections often list it. After a C, all violations must be corrected within 10 days, and a place posing an immediate health hazard is closed by the inspector. You can look up any Oxford restaurant’s latest grade on the MSDH food facility search.
The three grades
A, B and C, in plain words
Grade definitions from the Mississippi State Department of Health.
| Grade | What MSDH says it means | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| A | The inspection found no critical violations. | Nothing further required. |
| B | Critical violations were found but corrected under the supervision of the inspector. | No further corrective action required. |
| C | Critical violations were found and some or all were not corrected during the inspection, or critical violations were repeated from the last inspection. | Re-inspection; all violations corrected within 10 days. If not, the state moves to stop it from operating. |
A C is the failing grade. The re-inspection date is posted on the graded report. If the inspector finds something that is an immediate public health hazard, the facility is closed by the inspector, according to MSDH.
The same grading system covers more than restaurants. MSDH lists school cafeterias, day care centers, cafes and bars among the places that display a letter grade. The Mississippi Food Code follows the national food safety standards issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Where rodents fit
How a rodent finding shows up on a Mississippi inspection
Rodents are one line on a long form. The letter tells you how the whole visit went.
The report line
Inspection results list pest findings under a line like “insects, rodents and animals present,” as the Sun Herald reported on failing South Mississippi inspections.
It does not say which
The Sun Herald noted MSDH does not specify whether the inspector found insects, mice or an animal such as a pet.
Critical or not
The letter depends on critical violations and whether they were fixed during the visit. A pest finding is one item among many.
A snapshot
A grade describes the day of the inspection. A place can improve or slip after that, which is why re-inspections exist.
The FDA Food Code that Mississippi follows directs inspectors to look for evidence of insects or rodents and requires operators to routinely inspect their premises for pests, as the Sun Herald summarized. The Clarion Ledger has reported Jackson-area failing grades that listed the presence of insects and/or rodents among the violations.
Look up a restaurant
How to look up an Oxford restaurant’s inspection
Search fields and disclaimers from the MSDH food facility search.
Open the MSDH search
Go to the Mississippi State Department of Health food facility search at apps.msdh.ms.gov/food.
Enter the details
Type Oxford as the city, or choose Lafayette County. Add the restaurant name, or part of it, to narrow the list.
Pick the right place
Chains can have several locations. Use the street field to match the address.
Open the details
Click the facility name to see more. Note the grade and the inspection date.
Check the date
A grade is only as current as its inspection. Look for a recent date and any re-inspection.
Read the fine print
MSDH says the data are for information, not enforcement. If in doubt, call the health department.
MSDH notes some older inspections from the previous system may be missing, so a long-running place may show a short history.
What diners can notice
What you can notice from your table, and what to do about it
Look, then report through the right channel.
A grade is the official word, but you have eyes too. Rodent signs in a dining room are the same ones you would look for at home: droppings along walls and in corners, gnawed packaging, shavings, and greasy rub marks along baseboards.
If you see something, tell the manager. If you think the state should know, MSDH takes complaints about restaurants and food facilities by email at food@msdh.ms.gov. Include the place, the date and the time. One mouse seen once is not a verdict on a restaurant, and nothing here is a reason to accuse a business in public.
- Grade posted where you can see it
- Inspection date on the posted grade
- Clean floors along walls and under booths
- No droppings near drink stations or condiments
- Restrooms clean and doors that close
- Outside trash lids closed and dumpster area tidy
- No daylight under back or side doors
For your own kitchen
Seeing mice at home or at work?
Call or send the form. We find the entry points, seal them with metal and trap what is inside, then confirm with a full quiet week. The price is in writing before any work starts.
For owners
A short note for restaurant owners
The owner’s side lives on our commercial page.
If you run a restaurant or food business, the grade is your public scorecard, and rodents are one of the findings diners remember. We work with businesses on sealing, trapping and service records you can show an inspector. Our commercial rodent control page covers the owner side in detail, and our game day trash post covers busy weekends.
MSDH’s Food Protection division takes food safety and inspection questions at (601) 364-2832.
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Straight answers
Restaurant grade questions
What does a B grade mean in Mississippi?
A B means the inspector found critical violations, but they were corrected during the inspection under the inspector’s supervision. MSDH says no further corrective action is required.
Is a C grade a failing grade?
Yes. A C means critical violations were not all corrected during the inspection, or critical violations were repeated from the last one. The place is re-inspected, and violations must be corrected within 10 days or the state moves to stop it from operating.
Does a rodent violation automatically mean a C?
Not by itself. The letter depends on critical violations and whether they were corrected during the visit. Failing reports in the news often include a line such as “insects, rodents and animals present.”
How do I look up a restaurant’s inspection in Oxford, MS?
Use the MSDH food facility search at apps.msdh.ms.gov/food. Enter Oxford as the city or choose Lafayette County, add the name, and click the result for details.
Do restaurants have to post their grade?
MSDH says facilities display their results with a letter grade, and the Sun Herald reported that the grade must be displayed in all restaurants.
How do I report a restaurant to the health department?
Email MSDH at food@msdh.ms.gov with the name of the place, the date and the time. MSDH lists that address for restaurant and food facility complaints.
Can a restaurant be closed for rodents?
If an inspector finds a violation that is an immediate public health hazard, MSDH says the facility is closed by the inspector.
Keep reading
Related rodent help for Oxford homes
Sources
Last reviewed October 2026 by the Rodent Control Oxford team. Biology and control standards follow Mississippi State University Extension and the CDC. Price ranges are labeled benchmarks; your price comes in writing after we inspect.
- Mississippi State Department of Health, About Inspection Grades
- Mississippi State Department of Health, Food Facility Search
- Mississippi State Department of Health, Food Facility Regulation
- Mississippi State Department of Health, Complaints and Suggestions
- Clarion Ledger via Yahoo News, Jackson-area restaurant inspections
- Sun Herald via Yahoo News, South Mississippi kitchens fail inspection (July 2024)
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