Relating to the Board of Sanitarians

HB 4463 Text

skip navigation

SENATE

PRESIDENT

SENATORS

COMMITTEES

VIDEO/AUDIO

DISTRICT MAPS

SENATE CLERK

SENATE RULES

HOUSE

SPEAKER

DELEGATES

COMMITTEES

VIDEO/AUDIO

DISTRICT MAPS

HOUSE CLERK

HOUSE RULES

HOUSE STAFF

JOINT

INTERIM COMMITTEES

LEGISLATIVE ADMINISTRATOR

LEGISLATIVE SERVICES DIVISION

PUBLIC INFORMATION

LEGISLATIVE AUTOMATED SYSTEMS DIVISION

LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR'S OFFICE

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION & RESEARCH DIVISION

POST AUDIT DIVISION

BUDGET DIVISION

REGULATORY AND FISCAL AFFAIRS DIVISION

CLAIMS COMMISSION

CRIME VICTIMS

RULE-MAKING REVIEW

SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS

JUDICIAL COMP. COMMISSION

JOINT RULES

STAFF INFO

BILL STATUS

BILL STATUS

BILL TRACKING

STATE LAW

WEST VIRGINIA CODE

ACTS OF THE LEGISLATURE

CODE OF 1931

WV CONSTITUTION

US CONSTITUTION

REPORTS

AGENCY REPORTS

AGENCY GRANT AWARDS

PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS

POST AUDITS

EDUCATIONAL

CITIZEN’S GUIDE

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

PAGE PROGRAM

PUBLICATIONS

PHOTO GALLERY

CAPITOL HISTORY

HOW A BILL BECOMES LAW

CONTACT

SENATE ROSTER

HOUSE ROSTER

PUBLIC INFO.

NEWS RELEASES

HELPFUL LINKS

Enrolled Version - Final Version

House Bill 4463 History

OTHER VERSIONS
-

Committee Substitute (1)

|

Engrossed Version

|

Introduced Version

|

|
Email

Key:
Green
= existing Code.
Red
= new code to be enacted

WEST virginia legislature
2026 regular session
ENROLLED
Committee Substitute
for
House Bill 4463
By Delegates Clark, Funkhouser, Masters, Horst, Miller, Flanigan, Ridenour, Roop, Pritt, and Hillenbrand
[Passed March 14, 2026; in effect from passage]

AN ACT to amend and reenact §30-17-5, §30-17-8, §30-17-9, §30-17-10, and §30-17-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to modifying rules related to the Board of Sanitarians; authorizing online training and in-person training by the Bureau or other approved entity; altering degree requirements; establishing time parameters for certain training; clarifying that a registered sanitarian may license individuals fulfilling requirements; and requiring board adopt reciprocity standards by May 1, 2026.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

Chapter 30. Professions and Occupations.

ARTICLE 17. SANITARIANS.

§30-17-5. Powers and duties of the board.

(a) The board has all the powers and duties set forth in §30-1-1
et seq.
of this code and also the following powers and duties:
(1) Hold meetings, conduct hearings, and administer examinations;
(2) Set the requirements for a license, permit, and certificate;
(3) Establish procedures for submitting, approving, and rejecting applications for a license, permit and certificate;
(4) Determine the qualifications of any applicant for a license, permit, and certificate;
(5) Prepare, conduct, administer, and grade written, oral, or written and oral examinations for a license;
(6) Determine the passing grade for the examinations;
(7) Contract with third parties to administer the examinations required under the provisions of this article;
(8) Maintain records of the examinations the board or a third party administers, including the number of persons taking the examination and the pass and fail rate;
(9) Maintain an office, and hire, discharge, establish the job requirements, and fix the compensation of employees and contracted employees necessary to enforce the provisions of this article;
(10) Define the fees charged under the provisions of this article;
(11) Issue, renew, deny, suspend, revoke, or reinstate a license, permit, and certificate;
(12) Investigate alleged violations of the provisions of this article, legislative rules, orders, and final decisions of the board;
(13) Conduct disciplinary hearings of persons regulated by the board;
(14) Determine disciplinary action and issue orders;
(15) Institute appropriate legal action for the enforcement of the provisions of this article;
(16) Maintain an accurate registry of names and addresses of all persons regulated by the board;
(17) Keep accurate and complete records of its proceedings, and certify the same as may be necessary and appropriate;
(18) Establish the continuing education requirements for licensees, permittees, and certificate holders;
(19) Propose rules in accordance with the provisions of §29a-3-1
et seq.
of this code to implement the provisions of this article;
(20) Sue and be sued in its official name as an agency of this state;
(21) Confer with the Attorney General or his or her assistant in connection with legal matters and questions; and
(22) Take all other actions necessary and proper to effectuate the purposes of this article.
(b) The board shall approve any in-person or online training developed and provided by the Bureau or another approved entity for licenses and certificates. When applicable, training shall be provided online in lieu of in-person training.
(1) The online training shall be available for applicants to begin and complete at any time during the year.
(2) Applicants shall be able to complete their training within six months of being hired, not including on-the-job training.
(c) Anyone holding a registered sanitarian credential and five years of work experience in the state of West Virginia shall be able to certify an applicant that has satisfactorily completed their training courses and on-the-job training.

§30-17-8. Qualifications for licensure as a registered sanitarian.

(a) To be eligible to be licensed as a registered sanitarian, the applicant must:
(1) Be of good moral character;
(2) Have a bachelor’s or higher degree from an accredited college or university;
(3) Successfully complete a sanitarian's training course of a minimum of 300 hours, as approved by the board;
(4) Have at least two years of experience in the field of public health sanitation and environmental health science; and
(5) Pass an examination, as required by the board.
(b) An applicant may substitute a successfully completed master's or higher degree in public health, environmental science, sanitary science, community hygiene, or other science field, as approved by the board, for one of the required years of experience.
(c) A registration issued by the board prior to July 1, 2010, shall for all purposes be considered a license issued under this article:
Provided,
That a person holding a registration issued prior to July 1, 2010, must renew pursuant to the provisions of this article.
(d) The board shall approve any in-person or online training developed and provided by the Bureau or another approved entity for licenses and certificates. When applicable, training shall be provided online in lieu of in-person training and allow on-the-job training at the local health department level when Bureau personnel are unavailable.
(1) The online training shall be available for applicants to begin and complete at any time during the year.
(2) Applicants shall be able to complete their training within six months of being hired, not including on-the-job- training.
(e) Anyone holding a registered sanitarian credential and five years of work experience in the state of West Virginia shall be able to certify an applicant that has satisfactorily completed their training courses and on-the-job training.

§30-17-9. Qualifications for certificate as a sanitarian.

(a) To be eligible to be certified as a sanitarian, the applicant must:
(1) Be of good moral character;
(2) Have an associate’s or higher degree from an accredited college or university;
(3) Successfully complete a sanitarian's training course of a minimum of 300 hours, as approved by the board; and
(4) Have at least two years of experience in the field of public health sanitation and environmental health science.
(b) An applicant may substitute a successfully completed master's or higher degree in public health, environmental science, sanitary science, community hygiene, or other science field as approved by the board for one of the required years of experience.
(c) A person who is registered as a sanitarian-in-training by the board and on or before July 1, 2010, has two or more years of experience in the field of public health sanitation and environmental health science, as approved by the board, shall for all purposes be considered certified under this article:
Provided,
That such a person must renew pursuant to the provisions of this article.
(d) The board shall approve any in-person or online training developed and provided by the Bureau or another approved entity for licenses and certificates. When applicable, training shall be provided online in lieu of in-person training and allow on-the-job training at the local health department level when Bureau personnel are unavailable.
(1) The online training shall be available for applicants to begin and complete at any time during the year.
(2) Applicants shall be able to complete their training within six months of being hired, not including on-the-job- training.
(e) Anyone holding a registered sanitarian credential and five years of work experience in the state of West Virginia shall be able to certify an applicant that has satisfactorily completed their training courses and on-the-job training.

§30-17-10. Qualifications for permit as a sanitarian-in-training.

(a) To be eligible to be permitted as a sanitarian-in-training, the applicant must:
(1) Be of good moral character;
(2) Have an associate’s or higher degree from an accredited college or university; and
(3) Successfully complete a sanitarian's training course of a minimum of 300 hours within 12 months of being hired as a sanitarian-in-training.
(b) A person may practice as a sanitarian-in-training for a period not to exceed three years.
(c) The board may waive the requirements of §30-17-10(a)(3) and (b) of this code, for a person who experiences an undue hardship, as determined by the board.

§30-17-12. License from another state.

(a) The board may issue a license or a certificate to practice environmental health science or public health sanitation in this state, without requiring an examination, to an applicant from another jurisdiction who:
(1) Is of good moral character;
(2) Holds a valid sanitarian license or other authorization to practice environmental health science or public health sanitation in another jurisdiction and meets requirements which are substantially equivalent to the requirements set forth in this article;
(3) Is not currently being investigated by a disciplinary authority of this state or another jurisdiction, does not have charges pending against his or her license or other authorization to practice environmental health science or public health sanitation, and has never had a license or other authorization to practice environmental health science or public health sanitation revoked;
(4) Has not previously failed an examination for licensure in this state;
(5) Has paid all the applicable fees;
(6) Completes any additional training as determined by the board; and
(7) Completes such other action as required by the board.
(b) The board shall immediately adopt the universal reciprocity reforms passed by the Legislature in 2025 by no later than May 1, 2026.
The Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Clerk of the Senate hereby certify that the foregoing bill is correctly enrolled.

...............................................................

Clerk of the House of Delegates

...............................................................

Clerk of the Senate

Originated in the House of Delegates.

In effect from passage.

...............................................................

Speaker of the House of Delegates

...............................................................

President of the Senate

__________

The within is ................................................ this the...........................................

Day of ..........................................................................................................., 2026.

.............................................................
Governor

Bill Status
|

Bill Tracking
|

Legacy WV Code
|

Bulletin Board
|

District Maps
|

Senate Roster
|

House Roster
|

Live
|

Blog
|

Jobs
|

Links
|

Home

This Web site is maintained by the
West Virginia Legislature's Office of Reference & Information.
|
Terms of Use
|

Webmaster
| © 2026 West Virginia Legislature **

Print On Demand

Name:

Email:

Phone: