Delegation of authority to enforce state sanitation rules and laws is granted pursuant to N.C. General Statute 130A-4(b) and as codified in 15A NCAC 01O.010, which requires an authorization process of education and training to ensure standards are met by the state’s enforcement agents, Registered Environmental Health Specialists. The purpose of the authorization process is to ensure that the local agents of the state have satisfactorily completed training to enforce specific state sanitation laws.
There are currently eight areas for which enforcement authority can be granted after completion of specifically related training. Specialists can be authorized in all areas. Training for a specific area listed below cannot occur unless the applicant has first completed centralized intern training.
Note: ALL Delegation of Authority Applications should be forwarded via email to EHS Authorization.
A short overview of the process is available below.
Full details are available in the Authorization Manual (UNDER CONSTRUCTION).
Delegation of authority for each authorization area requires:
Note: Steps 3-5 must be completed for each specific area of authorization.
After centralized intern training has been completed (item 2), the applicant and an authorized REHS within the county of employment conduct the initial practice/field experiences (item 3). After the fieldwork has been completed, the request for authorization should be forwarded to the CIT and Authorization email, and practice fieldwork documentation should be sent to the appropriate regional specialist. When paperwork has been received and verified, the CIT and Authorization will notify the regional specialist to proceed with conducting an overall assessment of the applicant's work. The assessment will include reviewing the initial practice/field work, administering a written examination specific to the type of authorization requested (item 4), observing fieldwork performed by the applicant, and evaluating the applicant's ability to properly enforce pertinent laws and rules.
Upon completion of the assessment (item 5), the Regional Specialist will make a recommendation for or against authorization. The final authorization decision is made by the Environmental Health Section Chief.