Guide
Closed by the Health Department: how to reopen, step by step
A closure costs every hour it lasts. The way back is boringly specific: fix the cited hazards, prove it, and pass the re-opening inspection — in that order.
A closure order means the Health Department found conditions it won't let you operate with. Here's what triggers one, how the re-opening inspection works, and how to get the doors open fast — properly.
When this applies
DOHMH ordered your establishment closed at an inspection — typically for a high score with public-health hazards that couldn't be corrected on the spot, or for operating without a valid permit.
How it's normally done — and how we make it easy
| Step | The usual way | With DailyDog |
|---|---|---|
| Know you're at risk | The score creeps up cycle after cycle until the order lands | Score band and open criticals watched daily — the drift is visible months out |
| During the closure | Sticky notes and phone calls | The cited conditions on one card, with the proof checklist as you fix each one |
| The hearing after | Weeks later, evidence scattered | The summons countdown and your dated cure proof, pinned to the record |
Step by step
- 1
Stop service and leave the notice up
Operating under a closure order, or removing the posted closure notice, earns fresh violations and makes the re-opening conversation much worse. The order stands until the Department lifts it — not until the mess is cleaned.
- 2
List the conditions that closed you
The closure rides specific cited hazards — the kind that can't wait for a hearing (vermin activity, no hot water, sewage, no valid permit). Your entire job is those line items. Everything else can wait.
- 3
Fix them like the inspector is watching
Exterminator visits with receipts, plumbing repairs with invoices, temperature logs restarted, the permit renewed if that's what tripped it. Photograph everything with dates — the re-opening inspection walks the same list.
- 4
Request the re-opening inspection
When the conditions are actually corrected, contact the Department to schedule the re-opening inspection (311 routes you to the right bureau). Requesting it before the work is done wastes the visit — and the days waiting for the next one.
- 5
Pass, reopen, then deal with the paper trail
Passing lifts the order and you reopen. The citations that closed you still go to their OATH hearing on their own schedule — cure proof from the closure work is exactly the evidence to bring. The grade follows the normal inspection process.
Before you start — have this ready
- The closure order and the inspection report behind it — the cited hazards are the whole punch list.
- Receipts and dated photos as each condition is corrected.
- Your permit status — if it lapsed, renew before requesting re-inspection.
Who to contact
What to ask
Say you're requesting a re-opening inspection, confirm every cited condition the visit will check, and ask how quickly one can be scheduled once you confirm the corrections are complete.
See if this is on your record
Look up any NYC establishment free — then let DailyDog watch the record so none of this sneaks up on you.
Frequently asked
- How long do closures last?
- As long as the conditions do. Establishments that fix the cited hazards and pass the re-opening inspection are typically back within days; the ones that reopen without passing collect new violations instead.
- Can we contest the closure itself?
- The underlying citations get their OATH hearing, and you should contest the weak ones there. But the fastest way to be open is almost always to satisfy the re-opening inspection first and argue the paper later.
- Does a closure automatically mean a C grade?
- No — the grade comes from the scored inspection process, not the order. But the score that accompanies a closure is usually deep in C territory, so the re-opening work and the grade work are the same work.
- What if we were closed for the permit?
- Renew it before requesting the re-opening inspection — that closure doesn't lift on cleanliness alone. Operating on an expired permit is its own citable violation on top.
Verified 2026-07-13· Informational only, not legal advice · Confirm current requirements on the city's official portal