Health and Safety Code § 106635

ARTICLE 1. Registered Environmental Health Specialists

Current as of September 28, 2026Health & Saf. Code, § 106635Official source ↗

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 297, Sec. 3. (AB 1288) Effective January 1, 2026.

(a) The requirements for registration of environmental health specialists shall be a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a department-approved educational institution or an educational institution of collegiate grade listed in the directory of accredited institutions of postsecondary education compiled by the American Council on Education.

(b) A transcript shall demonstrate both of the following:

(1) Basic science coursework taken from a department-approved educational institution in accordance with Section 106640 or an educational institution of collegiate grade listed in the directory of accredited institutions of postsecondary education compiled by the American Council on Education.

(2) Basic science coursework, as follows:

	Basic Requirements	Experience	Training
I.	30 semester or 45 quarter basic science units. Three of the required basic science courses shall include a laboratory.	18 months	600 hrs.
	General Chemistry
	General Physics or Organic Chemistry

	General Microbiology
	General Biological Science
	Calculus or College Algebra
II.	45 semester or 68 quarter basic science units. Three of the required basic science courses shall include a laboratory.	one year	450 hrs.
	General Chemistry
	Organic Chemistry
	General Physics
	General Microbiology
	General Biological Science
	Calculus or College Algebra
III.	30 semester or 45 quarter basic science units. Three of the required basic science courses shall include a laboratory.	9 months	300 hrs.
	General Chemistry
	General Physics or Organic Chemistry

	General Microbiology
	General Biological Science
	Calculus or College Algebra
	plus
	Three semester or four quarter unit courses in each of the following:
	Epidemiology
	Statistics
	Public Administration or Environmental Health Adminis– tration and;
	10 semester or 15 quarter units in environmental health science, including one or more of the following:
	water quality, waste management, food and consumer protection, housing and institution sanitation, vector control, recreational health, air quality, milk and dairy products, occupational health, electromagnetic radiation, noise control, toxicology, soil science, or land use development.
IV.	45 semester or 68 quarter basic science units, including the following:	6 months	200 hrs.


	Three of the following required basic science courses shall include a laboratory:
	General Chemistry
	Organic Chemistry
	General Physics
	General Microbiology
	General Biological Science
	Calculus or College Algebra
	plus
	Three semester or four quarter unit courses in each of the following:
	Epidemiology
	Statistics
	Public Administration or Environmental Health Adminis– tration and;
	10 semester or 15 quarter units in
	Environmental Health Science, including one or more of the following:
	water quality, waste management, food and consumer protection, housing and institution sanitation, vector control, recreational health, air quality, milk and dairy products, occupational health, electromagnetic radiation, noise control, toxicology, soil science, or land use development.
V.	Possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in environmental health from a National Environmental Health Science & Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC) approved institution or an institution approved by the committee, which includes: One year of lecture and laboratory coursework in each of the following:	None required	None required
	General Chemistry
	General Physics
	General Biological Science, and
	One semester course in:
	Calculus or College Algebra
	Organic Chemistry
	General Microbiology with Laboratory
	Public Administration or Environmental Health Adminis– tration
	Epidemiology
	Statistics Field Orientation Course in Environmental Health
	Fifteen semester units of environmental health science courses selected from: water quality, waste management, food and consumer protection, housing and institution sanitation, vector control, recreational health, air quality, milk and dairy products, occupational health, electromagnetic radiation, noise control, toxicology, soil science, or land use development.

(c) (1) For purposes of this section, “basic sciences” include life sciences, natural sciences, physical sciences, and health sciences.

(2) Social science courses, such as sociology or psychology, shall not count toward the basic science requirements.