Washington Administrative Code

For the purpose of these regulations, a public or common nuisance shall be considered as that which is set up, maintained or continued so as to be injurious to the health, or an obstruction to the use of property by interfering with the repose, health, safety or life of any consi…

Spitting upon the floors or walls of a public building or buildings used for public assemblage, of a building used for manufacturing or industrial purposes, or upon the floors or platforms or any part of any railroad or trolley car or ferry boat, or any other public conveyance, i…

No person, firm, corporation or authorities owning, in charge of, or in control of any lavatory or wash room in any hotel, theatre, lodging house, restaurant, factory, school, church, store, office building, railway or trolley station, or public conveyance by land, water or air, …

(1) Quality. No water shall be sold, offered for sale or rendered available for drinking purposes in bottles or other containers unless such water is of a sanitary quality approved by the secretary of the department of health.(2) Inspection. All plants for the preparation of wate…

(1) Quality. No ice shall be sold, offered for sale or rendered available for use to the public unless such ice is of a sanitary quality approved by the secretary of the department of health.(2) Information. Any company, corporation, city or individual selling artificial ice for …

(1) Waters of the state defined. For the purpose of this regulation, the term "waters of the state" wherever used, shall include all streams and springs, and all bodies of surface and of groundwater, whether natural or artificial, within the boundaries of the state.(2) Privies sh…

(1) Definitions. For the purpose of this regulation the following definitions apply:(a) "Burial" means completely covering with soil in a manner and location not requiring a permit for a landfill under chapter 70A.205 RCW.(b) "Composting" means a process of controlled aerobic dec…

(1) A person may not keep or shelter animals in such a manner that the domestic animal waste creates a nuisance or health hazard. The purpose of this section is to establish standards for the prevention, control, and abatement of health hazards and nuisance detrimental to human h…

(1) Definition. A public building shall be construed to mean any theater, show-house, public hall, public meeting place, public transportation terminal, or any other public building not covered by specific regulations: Provided, That a public building shall not be construed to in…

(1) No pigsty or piggery shall be built or maintained on marshy ground or land subject to overflow, nor within 200 feet of any stream or other source of water supply.(2) When garbage is fed to pigs all unconsumed garbage shall be removed daily and disposed of by burial or inciner…

The use of any disease-producing organisms such as the so-called "rat viruses" or any bacteria for the purpose of rodent extermination is prohibited.[Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20.050. WSR 91-02-051 (Order 124B), recodified as § 246-203-200, filed 12/27/90, effective 1/31/91; Re…

No person, firm, corporation or authorities owning, in charge of, or in control of any hotel, theatre, restaurant, lodging house, factory, school, church, store, office building, railway, trolley or other public conveyance station, or public conveyance by land, water or air, or o…

(1) This chapter is adopted to protect the public's health, safety, and welfare by establishing standards, procedures, and responsibilities for:(a) The certification of contractors and their employees authorized to perform decontamination of illegal drug manufacturing or storage …

For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings unless the content clearly indicates otherwise.(1) "Authorized contractor" means any person or persons:• Registered under chapter 18.27 RCW; and• Certified by the department to dec…

(1) Persons wanting to become an illegal drug lab decontamination training provider must obtain department approval of instructors and courses. The types of drug lab decontamination courses that may be approved by the department are:(a) Basic worker;(b) Basic supervisor; and(c) R…

Department approved basic worker and supervisor training courses shall provide at a minimum:(1) Information on state and federal laws, rules, and regulations applicable to illegal drug manufacturing or storage sites including, but not limited to, Contaminated properties, chapter …

(1) A refresher training course is required every two years for workers and supervisors.(2) Department approved refresher worker and supervisor training courses shall provide at a minimum:(a) A thorough review of the subjects required under WAC 246-205-031;(b) An update of inform…

(1) Prior to any training, the training provider shall:(a) Notify the department in writing thirty or more days before training is scheduled to begin. The notification shall include the date, time, and address of the location where training will be conducted;(b) Ensure that the s…

(1) Training provider certificate renewal is valid for two years from the date of issuance. All training provider certificates issued after December 1, 2009, will expire on the same day: November 30, 2011, and on November 30th in every odd-numbered year thereafter. Certification …

(1) Applicants seeking certification as a decontamination worker shall ensure the department receives the following within ninety days of completing the basic worker course:(a) A completed decontamination worker application;(b) A fee as prescribed in WAC 246-205-990;(c) Evidence …

(1) Worker and supervisor certificate renewal is valid for two years from the date of issuance. All worker and supervisor certificates issued after December 1, 2009, will expire on the same day: November 30, 2011, and on November 30th in every odd-numbered year thereafter. Certif…

(1) A contractor may advertise, offer to undertake, or perform decontamination, demolition, or disposal work at an illegal drug manufacturing or storage site only after securing a certificate from the department.(2) Applicants for department certification as an authorized contrac…

(1) The department may provide reciprocal certification for contractors, supervisors, and workers trained and certified in another state if standards and training are substantially equivalent to those of this chapter.(2) Applicants for reciprocity shall submit to the department:(…

Authorized contractors, including workers and supervisors, working at a decontamination site shall, at a minimum:(1) Perform all decontamination work only with department certified workers and supervisors;(2) File a work plan with and obtain approval from the local health departm…

(1) An initial, renewal, or reciprocal illegal drug manufacturing or storage site decontamination worker, supervisor, or contractor certificate will be denied when an applicant fails to meet the requirements of WAC 246-205-071, 246-205-081, 246-205-091 or 246-205-101.(2) Discipli…

(1) The department shall maintain a list of authorized illegal drug manufacturing or storage site decontamination contractors.(2) The department's authorized contractor list shall be made available to local health officials and other appropriate agencies semiannually, and to the …

As required by chapter 64.44 RCW, the local health officer's responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to:(1) Posting property;(2) Inspecting property;(3) Determining contamination;(4) Reporting contaminated property;(5) Notification of contaminated property;(6) Determin…

(1) Within one working day of notification from a law enforcement agency of potential contamination, the local health officer shall post a written warning on the premises. The warning shall inform potential occupants that hazardous chemicals may exist on, or have been removed fro…

Within fourteen days after a law enforcement agency or property owner notifies the local health officer of potential property contamination, the local health officer shall inspect the property.(1) To enable the local health officer to determine contamination, the property inspect…

(1) The analytical results obtained through sampling may be used as a method to determine contamination. Types of sample collection include, but are not limited to:(a) Nonporous surface;(b) Porous surface;(c) Air;(d) Drinking water;(e) Groundwater;(f) Surface water;(g) Soil; and(…

(1) The local health officer shall make a determination of contamination when the inspection reveals the property is contaminated.(2) If designated contaminated, the local health officer shall post and cause to be served an order prohibiting use of all or portions of the property…

The decontamination standards include:(1) Methamphetamine of less than or equal to 1.5 micro grams per 100 square centimeters;(2) Total lead of less than or equal to 20 micro grams per square foot;(3) Mercury of less than or equal to 50 nano grams per cubic meter in air; and(4) V…

(1) When property is determined contaminated, the local health officer shall report the contaminated property to the state department of health:(a) By telephone or email within one working day; and(b) In writing within ten working days.(2) The local health officer's written conta…

(1) Within ten working days after the local health officer's determination that a property is contaminated, the local health officer shall cause to be served, either personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested, an order prohibiting use to all known:(a) Occupants; an…

(1) An owner of contaminated property who desires to reduce the contamination shall use the services of an authorized contractor unless otherwise authorized by the local health officer.(2) The local health officer shall provide the property owner with a list of authorized contrac…

Within ten working days of a request for review of decontamination records, the local health officer:(1) Shall review the documentation to verify decontamination was performed according to the approved work plan and the applicable decontamination standards in WAC 246-205-541 are …

If, after review of the information in WAC 246-205-580, the local health officer determines the property has been decontaminated, the local health officer shall within ten working days:(1) Record a release for reuse document in the real property records of the county auditor wher…

(1) Fees are nonrefundable and must be paid by check or money order made payable to the department.(2) Fees will be prorated by the month for certificates issued for less than two years.(3) An applicant must pay the following fees based on a two-year certification period when sub…

The purpose of this chapter is to safeguard public health and provide to consumers food that is safe, unadulterated, and honestly presented.[Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20.050 and 43.20.145. WSR 21-01-122, § 246-215-01100, filed 12/15/20, effective 3/1/22; WSR 13-03-109, § 246-21…

This chapter establishes definitions; sets standards for management and personnel, food operations, and equipment and facilities; and provides for food establishment plan review, permit issuance, inspection, employee restriction, and permit suspension. This chapter adopts, with m…

(1) The requirements of this chapter apply to an operation that meets the definition of a food establishment as defined in WAC 246-215-01115(50).(2) When a local board of health adopts rules with more stringent provisions than those contained in this chapter, the more stringent r…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.(1) "accredited program."(a) accredited program means a food protection manager certification program that has been evaluated and listed by an accrediting agency as confor…

(1) Except as specified in subsection (2) of this section, the permit holder shall be the person in charge or shall designate a person in charge and shall ensure that a person in charge is present at the food establishment during all hours of operation.(2) In a food establishment…

Based on the risks of foodborne illness inherent to the food operation, during inspections and upon request, the person in charge shall demonstrate to the regulatory authority knowledge of foodborne disease prevention, application of the hazard analysis and critical control point…

(1) By March 1, 2023, food establishments must have at least one certified food protection manager on staff as evidenced by a valid certificate available from an accredited program. The certificate must be available upon request. If the certified food protection manager leaves em…

certified food protection manager responsibilities include training and implementing a program of food protection and education for each person in charge, so each person in charge is able to successfully demonstrate knowledge described in WAC 246-215-02105, and fulfill the duties…

The person in charge shall ensure that:(1) food establishment operations are not conducted in a private home or in a room used as living or sleeping quarters as specified under WAC 246-215-06290;(2) Persons unnecessary to the food establishment operation are not allowed in the fo…

(1) The permit holder and person in charge of the foodestablishment shall ensure that all foodemployees are in compliance with the provisions of chapter 69.06 RCW and chapter 246-217 WAC for obtaining and renewing valid foodworker cards.(2) The permit holder and person in charge …

The permit holder shall require foodemployees and conditional employees to report to the person in charge information about their health and activities as they relate to diseases that are transmissible through food. A foodemployee or conditional employee shall report the informat…

(1) foodemployees and conditional employees shall report to the person in charge if they:(a) Have diarrhea, vomiting, sore throat with fever, or jaundice (yellow skin or eyes), except as specified under WAC 246-215-02235;(b) Have a lesion containing pus such as a boil or infected…