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HomeHealth and Safety CodeDiv. 101Pt. 3Ch. 3Art. 1§ 101185 Local Health Department Definitions

§ 101185 Local Health Department Definitions

Health and Safety Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 101185 Local Health Department Definitions

This law tells us what counts as a “local health department” by listing four kinds of public health agencies that can be called one.

Key Takeaways

  • •A county health department that serves any city with fewer than 50,000 people counts as a local health department.
  • •A county health department can also be a local health department if it gets provisional approval under another rule.
  • •A city with 50,000 or more people can be its own health department, but the city council can choose to join the county’s health department instead.
  • •Counties that had more than 1,000,000 people back in 1947 (or a city‑county combo) are automatically considered local health departments.

Example

A county health department provides health services to a town of 30,000 people because the town is under 50,000 residents.

Because the town is small, the county’s health department is considered a local health department for that town under the rule for places with fewer than 50,000 people.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 101185 Local Health Department Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter a “local health department” shall be interpreted to mean any one of the following public health administrative organizations: (a)  A local health department serving one or more counties that shall provide services to all cities whose population is less than 50,000 in addition to the unincorporated territory of the county or counties. (b)  A county health department that does not serve all of the cities of less than 50,000 population, but that has the provisional approval of the department, in accordance with Section 101225. (c)  The health department of a city of 50,000 or greater population, except that the governing body of the city by resolution may declare its intention to be included under the jurisdiction of the county health department, as provided by existing statutes. (d)  The local health department of any county that had under its jurisdiction on September 19, 1947, a population in excess of 1,000,000, or the local health department of any city and county. (Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1023, Sec. 302.2. Effective September 29, 1996.)

Last verified: January 11, 2026

Key Terms

local health departmentcounty health departmentcity health departmentpro

Related Statutes

  • § 123660 Fetal Infant Mortality Reporting
  • § 100350 Contract Payment Timing Relief
  • § 101175 Public Health Funding Assistance
  • § 101180 Population Determination Rules
  • § 101225 County Health Department Approval

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Health and Safety Code. Section 101185.
View Official Source