Clackamas County Restaurant Compliance Guide

Oregon has no general state or local sales tax, so restaurants do not need a sales-tax/seller's permit — but income and business taxes still apply.

Oregon restaurants serving liquor need an OLCC Full On-Premises license (with a local government endorsement) and must offer at least five different meals.

Fish served raw or undercooked must be frozen for parasite destruction, with freezing records or a supplier statement kept 90 days beyond service (some species are exempt).

Buffets and salad bars always need food guards, safe dispensing, a monitored line and safe holding temperatures. Written procedures are a separate, conditional requirement that attaches to using time instead of temperature.

Some specialized processes need a variance plus a HACCP plan; qualifying reduced-oxygen packaging can operate without a variance if every §3-502.12 condition is met.

Keep each shellstock tag for 90 calendar days from the date the last shellfish from that container is sold or served.

NFPA 96 sets how often the exhaust system must be INSPECTED, based on cooking volume. Cleaning is performed when that inspection finds grease accumulation requiring removal.

The extinguishing system over your cooking line must be serviced at least every 6 months, and after any activation, by someone your fire marshal accepts as qualified and certified. The exact rule comes from the fire-code and NFPA edition your jurisdiction adopted.

Offsite catering must hold TCS food at safe temperatures through transport, setup and service. Event temperature logs are strong evidence, and they become mandatory under a catering permit, an approved HACCP plan, a variance, or when you use time as the public health control.

Monthly visual inspection by staff and annual maintenance by a qualified contractor. Internal-examination and hydrostatic-test intervals depend on the extinguisher type.

Food establishments must keep the premises free of pests and remove conditions that attract them. Professional service and service reports are strong evidence, and are sometimes required by a local rule, lease, insurer or corrective-action order.

A Certificate of Insurance summarizes your policy as of the day it is issued. It is evidence of coverage for landlords, vendors and lenders, but it grants no rights and cannot change the policy. Request a fresh one at renewal, when contract requirements change, or when a holder asks.

Cold-holding equipment must keep TCS food at 41°F or below and carry an accurate, permanently affixed thermometer. Daily logs are recommended, and mandatory only in named situations. EPA Section 608 certification is the technician's duty and is scoped by equipment type.

The food code sets how refuse must be stored and how often it must be removed, and those are conditions an inspector observes, not paperwork. A hauler contract or disposal records are required only where a local ordinance, franchise, permit or lease says so.

Food equipment must meet the adopted code's design, durability and cleanability requirements and be kept in good repair. Certification by an ANSI-accredited program such as NSF is one recognized way to show compliance.