Vermont Statutes Title 18 Sec. 602a
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 18 Sec. 602a
- Department: means the Department of Health. See
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- Health officer: means Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner's designee, or a local or district health officer. See
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Public health hazard: means the potential harm to the public health by virtue of any condition or any biological, chemical, or physical agent. See
- Public health risk: means the probability of experiencing a public health hazard. See
§ 602a. Duties of local health officers
(a) A local health officer, within the local health officer’s jurisdiction, shall:
(1) upon receipt of information regarding a condition that may be a public health hazard, conduct an investigation;
(2) enforce the provisions of this title, the rules adopted, and permits issued pursuant to this title;
(3) prevent, remove, or destroy any public health hazard or mitigate any significant public health risk in accordance with the provisions of this title;
(4) in consultation with the Department, take the steps necessary to enforce all orders issued pursuant to chapter 3 of this title; and
(5) have the authority to assist the Department of Public Safety in inspecting rental housing pursuant to 20 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 172, provided that if the local health officer inspects a rental property without an inspector from the Division, the officer shall issue an inspection report in compliance with 20 V.S.A § 2677(b)(2).
(b) Upon discovery of violation or a public health hazard or public health risk that involves a public water system, a food or lodging establishment, or any other matter regulated by Department rule, the local health officer shall immediately notify the Division of Environmental Health. Upon discovery of any other violation, public health hazard, or public health risk, the local health officer shall notify the Division of Environmental Health within 48 hours of discovery of such violation or hazard and of any action taken by the officer. (Added 1985, No. 267 (Adj. Sess.), § 19; amended 2017, No. 188 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 2021, No. 181 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. July 1, 2022; 2023, No. 6, § 103, eff. July 1, 2023.)