CHAPTER 3. Functions and Duties of Local Health Officers [120175. - 120255.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 3.
in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120175. Section 120175.

Each health officer knowing or having reason to believe that any case of the diseases made reportable by regulation of the department, or any other contagious, infectious or communicable disease exists, or has recently existed, within the territory under his or her jurisdiction, shall take measures as may be necessary to prevent the spread of the disease or occurrence of additional cases.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120175.5. Section 120175.5.

(a) During an outbreak of a communicable disease, or upon the imminent and proximate threat of a communicable disease outbreak or epidemic that threatens the public’s health, a local health officer shall do both of the following: (1) Promptly notify and update governmental entities within the local health officer’s jurisdiction about communicable diseases listed in Section 2500 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations that may affect them, if, in the opinion of the local health officer, action or inaction on the part of the governmental entity might affect outbreak response efforts. (2) Make any relevant information available to governmental entities, including, but not limited to, the locations of concentrations of cases, the number of residents affected, and the measures that the governmental entities should take to assist with outbreak response efforts. (b) In addition to the actions required under subdivision (a), the local health officer may issue orders to other governmental entities within the local health officer’s jurisdiction to take any action the local health officer deems necessary to control the spread of the communicable disease. (c) A local health officer that provides the notification and information to a governmental entity pursuant to subdivision (a), and the governmental entity that receives the notification and information, shall comply with all applicable state and federal privacy laws.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120176. Section 120176.

During an outbreak of communicable disease, or upon the imminent and proximate threat of communicable disease outbreak or epidemic that threatens the public’s health, all health care providers, clinics, health care service plans, pharmacies, their suppliers, distributors, and other for-profit and nonprofit entities shall, upon request of the local health officer, disclose to the local health officer inventories of, critical medical supplies, equipment, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, or other products that may be used for the prevention of, or may be implicated in the transmission of communicable disease. The local health officer shall keep this proprietary information confidential.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120180. Section 120180.

If the health officer of any county having a population of 5,000,000 or more employs personnel as inspectors or investigators in the enforcement of the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Act (Section 27), who are not otherwise licensed, registered, nor certified by this state, the personnel shall meet any one of the following minimum standards and qualifications: (a) Possess a bachelor’s degree in public health from an institution on the list of accredited colleges of the United States Office of Education. (b) Possess a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 30 semester units of basic sciences from an institution on the list of accredited colleges of the United States Office of Education; or a statement from an accredited institution that the applicant has successfully completed a minimum of 16 semester units distributed among at least the following fields: public health and administration, epidemiology, public health statistics, public health microbiology, and communicable disease control. (c) Possess a bachelor’s degree from an institution on the list of accredited colleges of the United States Office of Education; and have had at least one year of full-time experience or the equivalent in investigation or inspection work in public health or law enforcement. (d) Be employed as an inspector or investigator in communicable disease prevention and control by a county health department in the State of California, and have passed an official civil service examination therefor prior to the effective date of this section.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120185. Section 120185.

In the case of a local epidemic of disease, the health officer shall report at those times as are requested by the department all facts concerning the disease, and the measures taken to abate and prevent its spread.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120190. Section 120190.

Each health officer shall immediately report by telegraph or telephone to the department every discovered or known case or suspect case of those diseases designated for immediate reporting by the department. Within 24 hours after investigation each health officer shall make reports as the department may require.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120200. Section 120200.

Each health officer, whenever required by the department, shall establish and maintain places of quarantine or isolation that shall be subject to the special directions of the department.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120210. Section 120210.

Whenever in the judgment of the department it is necessary for the protection or preservation of the public health, each health officer shall, when directed by the department, do the following: (a) Quarantine or isolate and disinfect persons, animals, houses or rooms, in accordance with general and specific instructions of the department. (b) Destroy bedding, carpets, household goods, furnishings, materials, clothing, or animals, when ordinary means of disinfection are considered unsafe, and when the property is, in the judgment of the department, an imminent menace to the public health. When the property is destroyed pursuant to this section, the governing body of the locality where the destruction occurs may make adequate provision for compensation in proper cases for those injured thereby.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120215. Section 120215.

Upon receiving information of the existence of contagious, infectious, or communicable disease for which the department may from time to time declare the need for strict isolation or quarantine, each health officer shall: (a) Ensure the adequate isolation of each case, and appropriate quarantine of the contacts and premises. (b) Follow local rules and regulations, and all general and special rules, regulations, and orders of the department, in carrying out the quarantine or isolation.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120225. Section 120225.

A person subject to quarantine or strict isolation, residing or in a quarantined building, house, structure, or other shelter, shall not go beyond the lot where the building, house, structure, or other shelter is situated, nor put himself or herself in immediate communication with any person not subject to quarantine, other than the physician, the health officer or persons authorized by the health officer.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120230. Section 120230.

No instructor, teacher, pupil, or child who resides where any contagious, infectious, or communicable disease exists or has recently existed, that is subject to strict isolation or quarantine of contacts, shall be permitted by any superintendent, principal, or teacher of any college, seminary, or public or private school to attend the college, seminary, or school, except by the written permission of the health officer.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120235. Section 120235.

No quarantine shall be raised until every exposed room, together with all personal property in the room, has been adequately treated, or, if necessary, destroyed, under the direction of the health officer; and until all persons having been under strict isolation are considered noninfectious.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120240. Section 120240.

If, pursuant to Section 120130, a modified isolation order is issued, and the order is not complied with, the local health officer may, in that instance, issue a strict isolation order.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120245. Section 120245.

Each health officer, other than a county health officer, in the county shall transmit to the county health officer at least weekly in writing a report showing the number and character of infectious, contagious, or communicable diseases reported, and their location.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120250. Section 120250.

All physicians, nurses, clergymen, attendants, owners, proprietors, managers, employees, and persons living with, or visiting any sick person, in any hotel, lodginghouse, house, building, office, structure, or other place where any person is ill of any infectious, contagious, or communicable disease, shall promptly report that fact to the health officer, together with the name of the person, if known, the place where he or she is confined, and the nature of the disease, if known.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120255. Section 120255.

(a) Any electronic tool used by a health officer, as defined by subdivision (a) of Section 2500 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, for the purpose of reporting cases of communicable disease to the State Department of Public Health, as required by Sections 2500 and 2502 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, shall include the capacity to collect and report data relating to sexual orientation and gender identity as reported pursuant to subdivision (b). (b) In addition to the information required to be reported pursuant to Section 2500 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, a health care provider, as defined by subdivision (a) of Section 2500 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, that knows of or is in attendance on a case or suspected case of any of the diseases or conditions listed in subdivision (j) of Section 2500 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations shall report to the health officer for the jurisdiction in which the patient resides, the patient’s sexual orientation and gender identity, if known.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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