Statement of Purpose: The purpose of local environmental health programs
is to protect the health, safety and well-being of the public and to preserve
and improve the quality of the environment.
Legal Jurisdiction: Legal authority for local environmental health
programs are cited in the California Health and Safety Code, California Code of
Regulations Titles 17 and 22, and local ordinances and regulations.
The nine primary local
environmental health program elements include:
1. Food Safety: Retail and Consumer Protection provided in conjunction
with State and federal inspection programs; Surveillance of a wide range of food
establishments including restaurants, markets, mobile food units, farmers
markets, dairy and milk products facilities, vending machines, etc.; and Food
Facility Plan Check and Construction. Local environmental health agencies permit
every regulated retail food facility statewide and conduct approximately 400,000
retail food facility inspections annually.
2. Housing: Housing code enforcement; Lead paint
remediation; Employee Housing; Jail/Detention Facilities; Organized Camps;
Mobile Home Parks; and Motels/Hotels. There are an estimated 200,000 inspections
done on housing units each year.
3. Recreational Health: Lakes, Streams and
Beaches; Public Swimming Pool/Spas; Public Pool Plan Check and Construction.
Environmental health agencies are responsible for the safe construction and
operation of all public bathing areas, including pools and spas in the state.
Local environmental health agencies monitor coastal and freshwater bathing areas
and post warnings or close polluted waters.
4. Water Quality: Regulation of Small Public
Water Systems; Private Well Construction/Abandonment Permitting; Cross
Connection Control Program; Water Haulers; Storm Water Pollution Prevention. To
ensure safety of Small Public Water Systems, over 6.000 inspections are
completed yearly.
5. Land Use: Land Development Regulation;
Domestic Water Supply; Sewage and Solid Waste Disposal; Storm Water Drainage;
Community Noise; Vector Control; Animal Confinement Facilities. Every year
environmental health agencies and special vector districts conduct some 200,000
vector control inspections/actions in California.
6. Solid Waste: Local Enforcement Agency (LEA)
authority; The 50 environmental health department LEAS inspect and enforce
statewide regulations at landfills, transfer stations and other waste and
recycling facilities.
7. Liquid Waste: On-Site Sewage Systems; Septage
Haulers; Greywater Systems/Wastewater Reclamation. Much of this statewide effort
ensures the safe construction and operation of on-site sewage systems.
8. Hazardous Materials / Waste: Certified Unified
Program Agencies (CUPAs) regulate facilities with Hazardous Materials, Hazardous
Wastes, Underground Tanks, and Aboveground Tanks. CUPAs also provide Emergency
Response services, Household Hazardous Waste events, and Groundwater and Soil
Cleanup. CUPAs directed over 35,000 hazardous material facility inspections. The
amount budgeted for the entire Hazardous Materials and Waste Program was
estimated at $16,000,000.00. Each year local environmental health agencies
conduct over 15,000 household hazardous waste collection events. Each year,
every underground storage tank in California is inspected by a local agency.
9. Medical Waste: Regulation of Large and Small
Quantity generators including limited quantity haulers.
