HB 665: Health; transfer all authorities and responsibilities relating to environmental health from county boards of health to Department of Public Health

Right now, county boards of health handle environmental health duties like approving septic (sewage) systems, inspecting establishments, and enforcing local health rules. HB665 rewrites Georgia law so the Department of Public Health takes over all of these authorities and responsibilities statewide, replacing the county-level system with direct state control. The bill spells out that existing contracts, leases, rules, and regulations tied to environmental health automatically transfer to the state agency, and that county employees who work in environmental health become state employees, keeping their accrued leave and benefits. It creates a new state-level chapter (Chapter 4 of Title 31) laying out the department's environmental health powers, including septic system standards and gray water reuse rules, while stripping county boards of health of any environmental health role. The changes only take effect if the General Assembly specifically appropriates funding for them before January 1, 2027, and would then start on January 1, 2028.

• Transfers all environmental health authorities and responsibilities from county boards of health to the Department of Public Health, effective January 1, 2028.
• Automatically shifts existing environmental health contracts, leases, agreements, and rules from counties to the state department without disrupting existing rights or duties.
• Moves county employees whose jobs involve environmental health into state employment, preserving their accrued leave and benefits.
• Removes county boards of health's power to charge environmental health fees or adopt environmental health regulations, repealing Code Sections 31-3-5.1 and 31-3-5.2.
• Creates a new Chapter 4 of Title 31 giving the Department of Public Health explicit authority over septic system standards, gray water reuse, and enforcement of environmental health laws.
• Makes the entire Act contingent on the General Assembly specifically appropriating funds for it before January 1, 2027.

County boards of health and their environmental health employees, the Department of Public Health, certified septic tank installers and pumpers, homeowners and builders needing septic or gray water approvals, county and municipal governments, and soil classifiers and engineers who evaluate sites for sewage systems.

If funded, environmental health inspections, septic system permitting, and gray water rules would move from local county health departments to a single state agency, changing who Georgians contact for permits, who enforces violations, and who employs the environmental health workers currently on county payrolls.

• New Code Section 31-2A-2.1 makes the Department of Public Health the successor to county boards of health for all environmental health functions starting January 1, 2028.
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-11 to add definitions and a new evaluation process for existing on-site sewage management systems that county and municipal authorities must accept.
• Section 4 strips county boards of health of authority to charge environmental health fees or adopt environmental health-specific rules under O.C.G.A. § 31-3-4.
• Sections 6-8 repeal Code Sections 31-3-5.1 (building permit conformity), 31-3-5.2 (gray water definition), and 31-3-11 (staff supervision), removing county-level environmental health enforcement tools.
• Section 10 rewrites the previously reserved Chapter 4 of Title 31 to give the Department of Public Health power over septic system regulations, gray water reuse rules, and enforcement statewide.
• Section 11 adds Code Section 31-5-1.1 explicitly stating county boards of health have no remaining environmental health authorities.
• Section 13 makes the entire Act contingent on a specific appropriation being passed before January 1, 2027.

1. 2025-03-03House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2025-02-28House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2025-02-27House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Derrick McCollum (R, HD-030)Patrocinador principal
• Sharon Cooper (R, HD-045)
• Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• Spencer Frye (D, HD-122)

• environmental health
• septic systems
• public health department
• county health boards
• gray water regulations