General

Q1: Where are you located? 

A1: 5957 S. Mooney Blvd, Visalia

Q2: What is your contact number? 

A2: 559-624-7400 (Main Line)

      559-733-6932 (Fax Line) 

Q3: What are your hours of operation? 

A3: Monday -Thursday 7:30am-5:30pm, Friday 8:00am-12 noon

Q4: What does Environmental Health Do? 

A4: We perform a wide variety of public health services.  Our major programs areas involve regulating and permitting retail food facilities, hazardous materials facilities, water well construction, body art facilities, public swimming pools, and solid waste sites.  We respond to complaints from the public about unsanitary or unhealthful public health conditions, or complaints about such conditions at any facility regulated by us, such as restaurants, markets, swimming pools, etc. For a complete listing of our programs and further information please see Our Services.

Q5: I think I may need a permit from you to operate my business. What should I do? 

A5: You need to contact our office at (559) 624-7400.  We have staff available during the day, from 7:30am to 5:30pm Monday- Thursday and 8:00am-12noon on Friday, to help answer you questions. 

Q6: What are fees? 

A6: You can view our current fees here: Fee Schedule

Q7: What kind of complaints do you respond to? 

A7: We respond to a variety of complaints from the public about unsanitary or unhealthful public health conditions, foodborne illnesses, illegal solid waste dumping, and hazardous wastes or hazardous material spills.  We also respond to complaints about unsanitary or unhealthful conditions at any facility regulated by us, such as restaurants, markets, public swimming pools, hazardous materials facilities, solid waste sites, etc. 

Please note that we may refer you to another agency if your complaint is outside of our jurisdiction.  In some cases, for example housing, labor camps, and water wells, the incorporated cities in the county (City of Visalia, City of Porterville, etc.) have jurisdiction and the responsibility to enforce applicable laws and regulations.  A list of regulatory agencies is listed under complaints.

Q8: Is my complaint kept confidential? 

A8: ALL complaints received by us are kept strictly confidential.  When you file a complaint, we will ask you for your personal information such as your name, address, and telephone number.  This information is for our use only and is not provided to the party you are complaining about.  (We must, of course, supply our records if they are subpoenaed by a court). We use this information to contact you for additional information or to answer questions we might have, and to keep you informed of our investigation and results. 

 

Q9: How do I file a complaint with your division? 

A9: You can file a complaint by calling into the division (559-624-7400) or you can also file a complaint online using the complaint form 

All complaints are handled in strict confidence for the protection of the complainant. Please be prepared to give us the specific nature of the complaint, where it occurred (e.g., name and address of business), when it occurred, and who was involved. You may choose to be anonymous, however leaving your name and phone number in case additional information is needed will help the investigation and to provide you with a response.   

Q10: How long does it take to resolve a complaint? 

A10: The time that it takes to resolve a complaint depends on the nature of the complaint.  Most complaints are resolved within a relatively short period of time, but due to the many different factors that may be involved in any particular complaint, there is no set time period.  We investigate foodborne illness complaints on the next business day.