Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the West Virginia Legislature, fetched 2026-09-25. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
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]
Enr CS for HB 4463
1 AN ACT to amend and reenact §30-17-5, §30-17-8, §30-17-9, §30-17-10, and §30-17-12 of the
2 Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to modifying rules related to the Board
3 of Sanitarians; authorizing online training and in-person training by the Bureau or other
4 approved entity; altering degree requirements; establishing time parameters for certain
5 training; clarifying that a registered sanitarian may license individuals fulfilling
6 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.
1 (a) The board has all the powers and duties set forth in §30-1-1 et seq. of this code and
2 also the following powers and duties:
3 (1) Hold meetings, conduct hearings, and administer examinations;
4 (2) Set the requirements for a license, permit, and certificate;
5 (3) Establish procedures for submitting, approving, and rejecting applications for a license,
6 permit and certificate;
7 (4) Determine the qualifications of any applicant for a license, permit, and certificate;
8 (5) Prepare, conduct, administer, and grade written, oral, or written and oral examinations
9 for a license;
10 (6) Determine the passing grade for the examinations;
11 (7) Contract with third parties to administer the examinations required under the provisions
12 of this article;
13 (8) Maintain records of the examinations the board or a third party administers, including
14 the number of persons taking the examination and the pass and fail rate;
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15 (9) Maintain an office, and hire, discharge, establish the job requirements, and fix the
16 compensation of employees and contracted employees necessary to enforce the provisions of
17 this article;
18 (10) Define the fees charged under the provisions of this article;
19 (11) Issue, renew, deny, suspend, revoke, or reinstate a license, permit, and certificate;
20 (12) Investigate alleged violations of the provisions of this article, legislative rules, orders,
21 and final decisions of the board;
22 (13) Conduct disciplinary hearings of persons regulated by the board;
23 (14) Determine disciplinary action and issue orders;
24 (15) Institute appropriate legal action for the enforcement of the provisions of this article;
25 (16) Maintain an accurate registry of names and addresses of all persons regulated by the
26 board;
27 (17) Keep accurate and complete records of its proceedings, and certify the same as may
28 be necessary and appropriate;
29 (18) Establish the continuing education requirements for licensees, permittees, and
30 certificate holders;
31 (19) Propose rules in accordance with the provisions of §29a-3-1 et seq. of this code to
32 implement the provisions of this article;
33 (20) Sue and be sued in its official name as an agency of this state;
34 (21) Confer with the Attorney General or his or her assistant in connection with legal
35 matters and questions; and
36 (22) Take all other actions necessary and proper to effectuate the purposes of this article.
37 (b) The board shall approve any in-person or online training developed and provided by
38 the Bureau or another approved entity for licenses and certificates. When applicable, training shall
39 be provided online in lieu of in-person training.
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40 (1) The online training shall be available for applicants to begin and complete at any time
41 during the year.
42 (2) Applicants shall be able to complete their training within six months of being hired, not
43 including on-the-job training.
44 (c) Anyone holding a registered sanitarian credential and five years of work experience in
45 the state of West Virginia shall be able to certify an applicant that has satisfactorily completed
46 their training courses and on-the-job training.
§30-17-8. Qualifications for licensure as a registered sanitarian.
1 (a) To be eligible to be licensed as a registered sanitarian, the applicant must:
2 (1) Be of good moral character;
3 (2) Have a bachelor’s or higher degree from an accredited college or university;
4 (3) Successfully complete a sanitarian's training course of a minimum of 300 hours, as
5 approved by the board;
6 (4) Have at least two years of experience in the field of public health sanitation and
7 environmental health science; and
8 (5) Pass an examination, as required by the board.
9 (b) An applicant may substitute a successfully completed master's or higher degree in
10 public health, environmental science, sanitary science, community hygiene, or other science field,
11 as approved by the board, for one of the required years of experience.
12 (c) A registration issued by the board prior to July 1, 2010, shall for all purposes be
13 considered a license issued under this article: Provided, That a person holding a registration
14 issued prior to July 1, 2010, must renew pursuant to the provisions of this article.
15 (d) The board shall approve any in-person or online training developed and provided by
16 the Bureau or another approved entity for licenses and certificates. When applicable, training shall
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17 be provided online in lieu of in-person training and allow on-the-job training at the local health
18 department level when Bureau personnel are unavailable.
19 (1) The online training shall be available for applicants to begin and complete at any time
20 during the year.
21 (2) Applicants shall be able to complete their training within six months of being hired, not
22 including on-the-job- training.
23 (e) Anyone holding a registered sanitarian credential and five years of work experience in
24 the state of West Virginia shall be able to certify an applicant that has satisfactorily completed
25 their training courses and on-the-job training.
§30-17-9. Qualifications for certificate as a sanitarian.
1 (a) To be eligible to be certified as a sanitarian, the applicant must:
2 (1) Be of good moral character;
3 (2) Have an associate’s or higher degree from an accredited college or university;
4 (3) Successfully complete a sanitarian's training course of a minimum of 300 hours, as
5 approved by the board; and
6 (4) Have at least two years of experience in the field of public health sanitation and
7 environmental health science.
8 (b) An applicant may substitute a successfully completed master's or higher degree in
9 public health, environmental science, sanitary science, community hygiene, or other science field
10 as approved by the board for one of the required years of experience.
11 (c) A person who is registered as a sanitarian-in-training by the board and on or before
12 July 1, 2010, has two or more years of experience in the field of public health sanitation and
13 environmental health science, as approved by the board, shall for all purposes be considered
14 certified under this article: Provided, That such a person must renew pursuant to the provisions
15 of this article.
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16 (d) The board shall approve any in-person or online training developed and provided by
17 the Bureau or another approved entity for licenses and certificates. When applicable, training shall
18 be provided online in lieu of in-person training and allow on-the-job training at the local health
19 department level when Bureau personnel are unavailable.
20 (1) The online training shall be available for applicants to begin and complete at any time
21 during the year.
22 (2) Applicants shall be able to complete their training within six months of being hired, not
23 including on-the-job- training.
24 (e) Anyone holding a registered sanitarian credential and five years of work experience in
25 the state of West Virginia shall be able to certify an applicant that has satisfactorily completed
26 their training courses and on-the-job training.
§30-17-10. Qualifications for permit as a sanitarian-in-training.
1 (a) To be eligible to be permitted as a sanitarian-in-training, the applicant must:
2 (1) Be of good moral character;
3 (2) Have an associate’s or higher degree from an accredited college or university; and
4 (3) Successfully complete a sanitarian's training course of a minimum of 300 hours within
5 12 months of being hired as a sanitarian-in-training.
6 (b) A person may practice as a sanitarian-in-training for a period not to exceed three years.
7 (c) The board may waive the requirements of §30-17-10(a)(3) and (b) of this code, for a
8 person who experiences an undue hardship, as determined by the board.
§30-17-12. License from another state.
1 (a) The board may issue a license or a certificate to practice environmental health science
2 or public health sanitation in this state, without requiring an examination, to an applicant from
3 another jurisdiction who:
4 (1) Is of good moral character;
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5 (2) Holds a valid sanitarian license or other authorization to practice environmental health
6 science or public health sanitation in another jurisdiction and meets requirements which are
7 substantially equivalent to the requirements set forth in this article;
8 (3) Is not currently being investigated by a disciplinary authority of this state or another
9 jurisdiction, does not have charges pending against his or her license or other authorization to
10 practice environmental health science or public health sanitation, and has never had a license or
11 other authorization to practice environmental health science or public health sanitation revoked;
12 (4) Has not previously failed an examination for licensure in this state;
13 (5) Has paid all the applicable fees;
14 (6) Completes any additional training as determined by the board; and
15 (7) Completes such other action as required by the board.
16 (b) The board shall immediately adopt the universal reciprocity reforms passed by the
17 Legislature in 2025 by no later than May 1, 2026.
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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
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