| Environmental Health: Registration |
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| Scope of Practice |
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Environmental Health Specialist
Environmental health specialists promote the control of infectious disease through environmental hygiene by enforcing health and safety standards relating to food, water, septic systems and other consumer products. Environmental health specialists use public health "surveillance" to track and anticipate health problems.
Public health surveillance involves the ongoing collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of information about health events. These data help determine, for example, which foods pose the biggest risk to health, how and when people are most likely to be affected, and what health risks may result from disasters such as floods.
Environmental health specialists also conduct routine inspections and provide pre-construction plan review of public facilities such as restaurants, hotels, day care businesses, food processing plants, institutions, public swimming pools and other recreational facilities to ensure that minimum health and safety standards are met.
Environmental health specialists frequently work for public agencies such as county health departments, and state agencies such as Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Oregon Department of Human Services-Health Services.
Waste Water Specialist
Waste water specialists evaluate soil data for design and installation of waste water systems that utilize soil as part of the disposal process.
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| Education & Training |
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Environmental Health Specialist
Environmental health specialists must have one of the following combinations of education and training to obtain registration in Oregon:
- Bachelor's degree from a university or college with at least 45 quarter-hours of science background in environmental sanitation and two years of experience in environmental health working under the supervision of an environmental health specialist
- Or, at least 15 quarter-hours in science courses relating to environmental health from a university or college and five years of experience in environmental health working under the supervision of an environmental health specialist
- Or, a graduate degree in community health or public health and one year of experience in environmental health working under the supervision of an environmental health specialist
Waste Water Specialist
Waste water specialists must have one of the following combinations of education and experience to obtain registration in Oregon:
- Bachelor's degree from a university or college with at least 45 quarter-hours of soil science courses and two years of experience in waste water treatment, disposal and reuse working under the supervision of a registered waste water specialist
- Or, a graduate degree in soil sciences and one year of experience in waste water treatment, disposal and reuse working under the supervision of a registered waste water specialist
- Or, a graduate degree in soil sciences and a current registration as a certified professional soil scientist
Environmental Health Trainee
Applicants who do not meet the work experience requirements but who meet the educational requirements may obtain a trainee license. Each combination of education and experience has a specific training period (as specified above).
A trainee may take the written examination before completion of the required work experience.
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| Renewal Process |
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Application for registration renewal under OAR 338-010-0038 should be made in advance of the registration expiration date, which is one year from the date of issuance. If the renewal is made by the expiration date, the cost to renew is the same as the original registration fee.
OHLA charges a $25 late fee for the first month in expired status and $10 per month thereafter in expired status.
Click here to renew online. 
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