Chicago Food Inspection Scraper

Extract Chicago food inspection data from the official City of Chicago Open Data portal. Search thousands of inspection records by facility name, facility type, zip code, inspection result, risk level, or date range. Returns violation details, results, risk levels, inspection dates, addresses, and GPS coordinates for every inspected food establishment in Chicago.

Disclaimer: This actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the City of Chicago, the Chicago Department of Public Health, or the Chicago Data Portal.

What data can you extract from Chicago food inspections?

Each inspection record includes:

• Facility name (DBA) and AKA name
• License number for the establishment
• Facility type (Restaurant, Grocery Store, Bakery, Daycare, etc.)
• Risk level (Risk 1 High, Risk 2 Medium, Risk 3 Low)
• Full address with street, city, state, and zip code
• Inspection date and inspection type (Canvass, Complaint, License, etc.)
• Inspection result (Pass, Fail, Pass w/ Conditions, No Entry, etc.)
• Violation details — full text of every violation cited during the inspection
• GPS coordinates (latitude/longitude) for mapping and geospatial analysis

How to search Chicago food inspections

By facility name: Search for any establishment (e.g., "mcdonalds", "starbucks"). Partial matches supported.

By facility type: Filter to Restaurant, Grocery Store, Bakery, Daycare, School, Liquor, or other types.

By zip code: Focus on a specific Chicago neighborhood or area.

By inspection result: Show only Pass, Fail, or Pass w/ Conditions results.

By risk level: Filter by Risk 1 (High), Risk 2 (Medium), or Risk 3 (Low) establishments.

By date range: Limit to inspections after a specific date.

Output example

{
    "inspection_id": "2632708",
    "dba_name": "HOMEWOOD SUITES",
    "aka_name": "HOMEWOOD SUITES",
    "license_": "3073831",
    "facility_type": "Restaurant",
    "risk": "Risk 2 (Medium)",
    "address": "40 E GRAND AVE",
    "city": "CHICAGO",
    "state": "IL",
    "zip": "60611",
    "inspection_date": "2026-03-18T00:00:00.000",
    "inspection_type": "License",
    "results": "Pass",
    "violations": "51. PLUMBING INSTALLED; PROPER BACKFLOW DEVICES - Comments: BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE NOT LOCATED ON ICE MACHINE WATER LINE...",
    "latitude": "41.89179678289696",
    "longitude": "-87.62649273716487",
    "fullAddress": "40 E GRAND AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60611",
    "source": "Chicago Department of Public Health — Food Inspections",
    "sourceUrl": "https://data.cityofchicago.org/Health-Human-Services/Food-Inspections/4ijn-s7e5"
}

How much does it cost to scrape Chicago food inspections?

This actor uses pay-per-event pricing. You pay per inspection record returned.

• $0.00005 per actor start (Apify default)
• Per-record charge based on the number of inspection results
• No proxy costs — this wraps a free City of Chicago Open Data API, no proxy needed

The API is fast — 1,000 records return in under 3 seconds.

Who uses Chicago food inspection data?

• Restaurant chains — benchmark hygiene compliance across Chicago locations and competitors
• Real estate investors — evaluate food establishment compliance in target neighborhoods before purchasing commercial property
• Food industry consultants — identify common violations by facility type, risk level, or zip code to advise clients
• Insurance companies — risk assessment for restaurant and food establishment clients based on inspection history
• Journalists and researchers — investigate food safety trends and patterns across Chicago neighborhoods
• App developers — build restaurant discovery or health-conscious dining apps with official inspection data
• Marketing agencies — target food establishments by result, risk level, or location for B2B outreach campaigns

Chicago food inspection data freshness

The City of Chicago Open Data API is updated regularly by the Department of Public Health. New inspection results typically appear within a few business days of the inspection.

Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
facilityName	string	Search by facility name (partial match)
facilityType	select	Restaurant, Grocery Store, Bakery, Daycare, etc.
zipCode	string	Filter by zip code
inspectionResult	select	Pass, Fail, Pass w/ Conditions
riskLevel	select	Risk 1 (High), Risk 2 (Medium), Risk 3 (Low)
dateFrom	string	Inspections after this date (YYYY-MM-DD)
maxResults	integer	Max records to return (1-5000, default 50)

Integrations

Export your data as JSON, CSV, or Excel. Schedule daily runs to monitor new inspections. Use webhooks to trigger alerts when specific establishments receive new violations or fail inspections.

This actor works as an MCP server — AI agents can discover and use it to access Chicago food inspection data programmatically.