What would be considered a “good” demerit score?
We generally discourage looking purely at the number, but ten demerits or less is a reasonably good score. Thirty demerits indicates a serious situation requiring a follow-up inspection. Unfortunately, the specific circumstances are vital to the interpretation. If someone scores more than 30 demerits and it cannot be significantly improved while the inspection continues, then a “notice of intent to suspend” may be issued. In such a case, the operator will be called in for a hearing. Normally a plan for improvement is approved and the establishment continues to operate under increased scrutiny.
