{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/32.1-30.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/32.1-30.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/32.1-30.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/32.1-30.html"}],"law_id":62729,"edition_id":1,"section_id":62729,"structure_id":15941,"section_number":"32.1-30","catch_line":"Local health departments","history":"1979, c. 711; 2022, c. 804.","full_text":"Each county and city shall establish and maintain a local department of health that shall be headed by a local health director. Each such local health director shall (i) be a physician licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth, (ii) possess a master’s or doctoral degree in the area of public health and have at least three years of professional experience in a full-time position in either a public health agency or public health-related position, or (iii) be otherwise qualified for the position as determined by the Commissioner. If a local health director is not a physician licensed to practice medicine and there is no licensed physician on staff, the local health director shall enter into a consulting agreement with a licensed physician to execute prescribing duties, consult on clinical matters, and perform all other duties as requested.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":228718,"text":"Each county and city shall establish and maintain a local department of health that shall be headed by a local health director. Each such local health director shall (i) be a physician licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth, (ii) possess a master’s or doctoral degree in the area of public health and have at least three years of professional experience in a full-time position in either a public health agency or public health-related position, or (iii) be otherwise qualified for the position as determined by the Commissioner. If a local health director is not a physician licensed to practice medicine and there is no licensed physician on staff, the local health director shall enter into a consulting agreement with a licensed physician to execute prescribing duties, consult on clinical matters, and perform all other duties as requested.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15941,"edition_id":1,"name":"Local Health Departments and Directors","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13065,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:02:22","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:02:22","permalink":{"id":201319,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15941,"identifier":"5","token":"32.1\/1\/5","url":"\/32.1\/1\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13065,"edition_id":1,"name":"Administration Generally","identifier":"1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12727,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:12","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:12","permalink":{"id":201101,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13065,"identifier":"1","token":"32.1\/1","url":"\/32.1\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12727,"edition_id":1,"name":"Health","identifier":"32.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","permalink":{"id":201099,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12727,"identifier":"32.1","token":"32.1","url":"\/32.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":62729,"structure_id":15941,"section_number":"32.1-30","catch_line":"Local health departments","url":"\/32.1-30\/","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-30","metadata":false},{"id":68104,"structure_id":15941,"section_number":"32.1-31","catch_line":"Operation of local health department under contract with Board; local health services advisory boards; district health departments","url":"\/32.1-31\/","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-31","metadata":false},{"id":78473,"structure_id":15941,"section_number":"32.1-32","catch_line":"Independent local health departments","url":"\/32.1-32\/","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-32","metadata":false},{"id":63529,"structure_id":15941,"section_number":"32.1-33","catch_line":"When Board to perform duties of local board","url":"\/32.1-33\/","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-33","metadata":false},{"id":61991,"structure_id":15941,"section_number":"32.1-34","catch_line":"Scope of local health ordinances and regulations","url":"\/32.1-34\/","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-34","metadata":false},{"id":66347,"structure_id":15941,"section_number":"32.1-34.1","catch_line":"Power to seek and receive donations","url":"\/32.1-34.1\/","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-34.1","metadata":false},{"id":84191,"structure_id":15941,"section_number":"32.1-34.2","catch_line":"Human trafficking hotline; posted notice required","url":"\/32.1-34.2\/","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-34.2","metadata":false},{"id":71967,"structure_id":15941,"section_number":"32.1-34.3","catch_line":"Funding local health departments; cooperative local health budget; report","url":"\/32.1-34.3\/","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-34.3","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":68104,"structure_id":15941,"section_number":"32.1-31","catch_line":"Operation of local health department under contract with Board; local health services advisory boards; district health departments","url":"\/32.1-31\/","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-31","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/32.1-30\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1979. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 711 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1979 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 2022, chapter 804<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":60060,"section_number":"15.2-534","catch_line":"Department of health","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-534\/"},{"id":78389,"section_number":"15.2-629","catch_line":"Department and board of health","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-629\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":201321,"object_type":"law","relational_id":62729,"identifier":"32.1-30","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-30","url":"\/32.1-30\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/32.1-30\/","token":"32.1\/1\/5\/32.1-30","dublin_core":{"Title":"Local health departments","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 32.1-30","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Each county and city shall establish and maintain a local department<\/span> of health that shall be headed by a local health director. Each such local health director shall (i) be a physician licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth, (ii) possess a master’s or doctoral degree in the area of public health and have at least three years of professional experience in a full-time position in either a public health agency or public health-related position, or (iii) be otherwise qualified for the position as determined by the Commissioner<\/span>. If a local health director is not a physician licensed to practice medicine and there is no licensed physician on staff, the local health director shall enter into a consulting agreement with a licensed physician to execute prescribing duties, consult on clinical matters, and perform all other duties as requested.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nLOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS (\u00a7 32.1-30)\n\nEach county and city shall establish and maintain a local department of health\nthat shall be headed by a local health director. Each such local health director\nshall (i) be a physician licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth, (ii)\npossess a master’s or doctoral degree in the area of public health and\nhave at least three years of professional experience in a full-time position in\neither a public health agency or public health-related position, or (iii) be\notherwise qualified for the position as determined by the Commissioner. If a\nlocal health director is not a physician licensed to practice medicine and there\nis no licensed physician on staff, the local health director shall enter into a\nconsulting agreement with a licensed physician to execute prescribing duties,\nconsult on clinical matters, and perform all other duties as requested.\n\nHISTORY: 1979, c. 711; 2022, c. 804.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}