Sanepid inspection of your business: how to prepare and what the inspector checks

The best way to prepare for a Sanepid inspection is to act as if it were starting tomorrow: in catering and food retail the inspector does not have to announce it. Put your documents in order (the entry in the register of establishments, GHP/GMP and HACCP procedures, medical certificates for sanitary and epidemiological purposes (orzeczenia do celów sanitarno-epidemiologicznych), training records, the inspection log book (książka kontroli)), designate in writing a person who will receive the inspectors in your absence, and check that practice on the premises matches what you have written down in your procedures. Below you will find the legal basis, the inspector's powers, a checklist and the possible outcomes of an inspection – according to the legal position as of October 2026.

Who inspects and on what basis

“Sanepid” is the colloquial name of the State Sanitary Inspection (Państwowa Inspekcja Sanitarna, PIS). Its tasks are set out in the Act of 14 March 1985 on the State Sanitary Inspection (ustawa o Państwowej Inspekcji Sanitarnej; the PIS Act): supervision of, among other things, occupational hygiene in workplaces, the health conditions of food, nutrition and cosmetic products, and the hygienic and sanitary conditions under which health services are provided (Article 1). In most matters the competent authority is the state district sanitary inspector (państwowy powiatowy inspektor sanitarny) (Article 12(1)), and the activities are carried out by authorised staff of the sanitary and epidemiological station (stacja sanitarno-epidemiologiczna).

An inspection of a business is governed by three layers of rules:

• the Entrepreneurs' Law (Prawo przedsiębiorców) – Article 37(2) of the PIS Act requires Chapter 5 of that law to be applied to inspections of entrepreneurs (notice, authorisation, inspection log book, objection);
• the Act of 25 August 2006 on Food and Nutrition Safety (ustawa o bezpieczeństwie żywności i żywienia) and EU Regulation 2017/625 on official controls – if you produce or trade in food (Article 73(1)(1) of the Act);
• the Act of 5 December 2008 on Preventing and Combating Infections and Infectious Diseases in Humans (ustawa o zapobieganiu oraz zwalczaniu zakażeń i chorób zakaźnych u ludzi) – if you run a medical practice, beauty salon or tattoo studio.

Does Sanepid have to announce an inspection?

The general rule favours the entrepreneur: the authority gives notice of its intent to initiate an inspection, and the inspection itself starts no earlier than 7 days and no later than 30 days after the notice is served (Article 48(1) and (2) of the Entrepreneurs' Law). Since 13 July 2025 the notice also contains a preliminary list of the documents and information the authority expects (Article 48(3)(4a)) – a ready-made preparation plan. In Sanepid practice, however, the exceptions matter more than the rule.

When an inspection starts without notice, the reason is stated in the inspection report (Article 48(10)). The practical conclusion: a catering establishment and a grocery shop should be ready for an inspection on every working day.

The inspector's powers and your rights

The inspector has the right to enter the establishment and all of its rooms, to demand written or oral information, to summon and question persons, to demand that documents be presented and data made available, and to take samples for testing (Article 25(1) of the PIS Act). In food establishments this is supplemented by the right to enter the premises at any time, to examine technological processes and recipes, and to take samples free of charge (Article 76(1) of the Act on Food and Nutrition Safety). Obstructing or preventing the activities of the inspection authorities is an offence punishable by detention of up to 30 days, restriction of liberty or a fine (Article 38(1) of the PIS Act). So settle disputes by legal means, not by refusing to cooperate.

On your side are the rights under the Entrepreneurs' Law:

• the inspector shows a service ID card and serves the inspection authorisation, and the scope of the inspection may not go beyond the scope indicated in it (Article 49(1) and (9));
• the activities are carried out in your presence or that of an authorised person – designate that person in writing in advance (Article 50(1) and (3));
• if the authority breaches, among others, the rules on notice, authorisation or the duration of the inspection, you may lodge a written, reasoned objection within 3 working days (Article 59(1), (3) and (4));
• the total duration of inspections by one authority in a calendar year may not exceed 6 working days for a micro-entrepreneur, 18 for a small, 24 for a medium-sized and 48 for other entrepreneurs (Article 55(1); the limit for micro-businesses was cut from 12 to 6 days as of 13 July 2025).

Note an important exception: neither the time limits nor the ban on several simultaneous inspections apply to sanitary supervision “in matters concerning food safety” (Article 61(1)(b)). I write more about these rights in the guide Your rights as an entrepreneur during an inspection.

What Sanepid checks in a restaurant and grocery shop

The details depend on the profile of the establishment, but the rules define fixed areas of inspection:

• registration or approval of the establishment – the application is filed at least 14 days before starting the activity (Article 64(1)), and a change of data is notified within 30 days (Article 64(1a), as worded from 5 November 2025);
• hygiene requirements under Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (Article 59(1)), i.e. good hygiene practice (GHP) and good manufacturing practice (GMP): premises and equipment, cleaning and disinfection, storage temperatures, pest control, waste, personal hygiene;
• procedures based on HACCP principles together with the documents and records demonstrating that they are applied (Article 5 of Regulation No 852/2004);
• medical certificates for sanitary and epidemiological purposes for persons working in contact with food – you keep the certificates in personnel files and copies at the place of work (Article 59(2), (4) and (5));
• training or instruction records for staff and for the persons responsible for HACCP (Article 59(3));
• identification of food suppliers and recipients (Article 18 of Regulation No 178/2002), use-by dates and dates of minimum durability, and labelling compliant with Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.

What it checks in a medical practice and salon

Here the requirements depend heavily on the sector, so I describe them in general terms. If you do not provide health services but perform activities that breach the continuity of tissue (e.g. tattooing, piercing, some cosmetic treatments), you must implement and apply procedures protecting against infection. They should regulate how those activities are performed, the rules for using equipment subject to sterilisation, the disinfection of skin and mucous membranes, and the decontamination of rooms and devices (Article 16(1) and (2) of the Act on Preventing and Combating Infections). At your request the state district sanitary inspector gives an opinion on these procedures (Article 16(3)) – it is worth using this before an inspection comes. Not having procedures, or not applying them, is punishable by a fine (Article 50(1)).

In medical and dental practices and other places where health services are provided, the inspection covers infection-prevention measures: risk assessment, procedures for the decontamination of skin, medical devices and surfaces, protective measures, internal control and the documentation of these measures (Article 11(2), Article 12(1) and Article 13(1) of that Act). Regardless of the sector, Sanepid may assess the health conditions of the working environment (Article 4(1)(5) of the PIS Act). The 2004 Regulation of the Minister of Health on sanitary requirements for hairdressing, beauty, tattoo and wellness establishments is no longer in force, so the point of reference is the statutory provisions and your own procedures as actually applied.

Document checklist

Before an inspection – and in the food sector at all times – keep at hand:

• the inspection log book (paper or electronic) and the authorisations and reports from previous inspections (Article 57(1) and (3) of the Entrepreneurs' Law);
• a written designation of the person authorised to take part in the inspection in your absence;
• decisions and recommendations from previous inspections together with evidence of their implementation;
• food: the certificate of entry in the register of establishments or the approval decision, matching the actual scope of your activity;
• food: GHP/GMP and HACCP documentation with up-to-date records;
• food: medical certificates for sanitary and epidemiological purposes and confirmation of staff training;
• food: delivery documents that make it possible to identify suppliers and recipients;
• salon, studio: disinfection and sterilisation procedures and records confirming their application;
• medical practice: documentation of infection-prevention measures and the results of internal control.

If you already have a notice, start with the preliminary list of documents the authority included in it. I explain when a preventive review is enough and when an urgent procedure is needed in the article Cold audit or pre-inspection audit.

How an inspection ends: report, decision, on-the-spot fine, penalty

The findings of the inspection are recorded in the inspection report (Article 53 of the Entrepreneurs' Law), and post-inspection recommendations are entered in the inspection log book (Article 31(1) of the PIS Act). Read the report before signing it. In food inspections, the procedure of the Chief Sanitary Inspector (Główny Inspektor Sanitarny; PK/BŻ/01) provides that within 7 days of service of the report you may submit objections to the findings of fact, and the inspector notes a refusal to sign in the report. This is an internal procedure of the inspection, not a statutory provision, so always check the instructions in the report you receive. You will find more in the guide Inspection report – what next.

The inspector may impose an on-the-spot fine for, among others, offences under Article 100(1) of the Act on Food and Nutrition Safety (e.g. no HACCP procedures, employing persons without medical certificates) and under Article 50 of the Act on Infections. After a refusal to accept the fine, the case may go to court, which imposes a fine of between PLN 20 and PLN 5000 (Article 24 § 1 of the Code of Petty Offences (Kodeks wykroczeń)).

The average salary in the national economy in 2025 was PLN 8903.56 (announcement of the President of Statistics Poland (GUS) of 9 February 2026), so thirty times that amount is PLN 267 106.80. The penalty is imposed by the state voivodeship sanitary inspector (państwowy wojewódzki inspektor sanitarny), taking into account the degree of harm caused by the act, the degree of fault, the extent of the breach, the entity's previous activity and the size of the establishment's production (Article 104(1) and (2)). The Council of Ministers' list of legislative work includes draft UD247, which would raise the upper limit to 100 times the average salary; as of 5 October 2026 it had not been passed or referred to the Sejm.

Appealing against a decision

You appeal against a decision of the state district sanitary inspector to the state voivodeship sanitary inspector (Article 12(2)(1) of the PIS Act). The appeal is lodged within 14 days of service of the decision, through the authority that issued it (Article 129 § 1 and 2 of the Code of Administrative Procedure (Kodeks postępowania administracyjnego, k.p.a.)). An appeal lodged in time suspends enforcement of the decision – except for decisions with an order of immediate enforceability and decisions that are immediately enforceable by statute (Article 130 § 2 and 3 of the k.p.a.), i.e. among others those issued in the event of a direct threat to life or health. If the decision – for example on a financial penalty – was issued by the voivodeship inspector, the higher-level authority is the Chief Sanitary Inspector (Article 12(2)(2)).

How I can help

As part of a “cold” audit I check your sanitary documentation and whether it matches practice on the premises, and in a pre-inspection audit I organise with you the documents listed in the notice. I can also be present during the inspection and help prepare objections to the report or a response to the recommendations. You will find the scope of the packages on the services page.