Health Inspector Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Company Description
The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status.
This is a Citywide Exam posting. Your application to this posting is an application to take a citywide exam.

• Application Opening -Friday, November 7, 2025
• Application Deadline - Continuous
• Salary: $133,588 - $162,266 Annually
• Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service
• Recruitment ID: CCT-6120-H00189 [REF58141O]
• Work Arrangement: Onsite

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.
The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. Fulfilling this mission requires employees working across our hospitals, clinics, programs, and offices to deliver services and support the communities we serve. Individuals interested in joining SFDPH should expect to work in person across these settings.
The San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration are the core divisions of SFDPH. The San Francisco Health Network is the City's only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services.
START with this ⚠ REQUIRED ASSESSMENT at: https://forms.gle/px3en7zsY8Arv72M6.
Then, submit an online application
Job Description
Under direction, the 6120 Consumer Protection Environmental Health Inspector conducts inspections of housing, industrial plants and premises, solid waste facilities and vehicles, sources of noise emission, fixed and mobile food facilities, and public health and safety hazards in order to enforce established laws, ordinances and regulations pertaining to abatement of violations found; recommends appropriate actions to remedy situations; issues citations; prepares pertinent reports; implements various environmental health programs and services; and performs related duties as required.
Essential duties include:

1. Enforces provisions of the health, housing, planning and air pollution codes; State health and safety, industrial relations, administrative, agricultural and penal codes, State general safety orders, and sanitary aspects of meat plant construction, local ordinances and noise abatement and other environmental hazards; may be required to specialize in any of these or other activities related to the duties of the class.
2. Investigates complaints involving buildings; takes necessary action to abate illegal health, sanitary and safety conditions; coordinates efforts with the various city department in the enforcement of the building, electrical, plumbing, fire and police codes; appears as witness in court litigation when required and testifies in cases involving food establishments, housing, commercial buildings, and other matters.
3. Conducts complaint inspections of dwellings, hotels, apartment houses, business establishments and other multiple dwellings; checks for sanitation, general maintenance of structural and operational features, light, ventilation, use and occupancy, safety and for compliance with applicable codes; detects violations; coordinates efforts with applicable city departments in the enforcement of appropriate codes; makes follow-up inspections to assure ordered corrections have been made; makes recommendations for order of vacation or condemnation of buildings remaining in violation; prepares condemnation reports; appears and testifies at condemnation hearings.
4. Conducts complaint inspections at sites of noise sources to determine the noise source; prepares legal notices of violations of noise ordinance; recommends corrective action to be taken by the violators; prepares cases for argument before the Variance Board.
5. Conducts food and drink establishment inspections; detects violations; orders corrections to effect compliance with established requirements, recommends alternative design modification and equipping to comply with applicable codes and regulations; processes and insures compliance of applicable portions of building permit applications and plans; advises operators and employees on proper handling procedures and sanitary methods; may obtains samples of products and submits same for laboratory analyses, examinations and tests; conducts foodborne illness investigations; recommends issuance or denial of permits to operate food establishments or suspension or revocation of existing permits; appears and testifies at hearings; prepares related notices to courts, records and correspondence pertaining to duties performed, observations made, violations found and actions taken.
6. Conducts miscellaneous inspections of facilities, including laundry establishments, ambulatory homes for the aged, overnight animal boarding for compliance with pertinent regulations, and recommends issuance or denial of permit to operate; investigates growth of poison oak and other noxious weeds; investigates and adjudicates refuse removal rate disputes between scavenger companies and the public; investigates all complaints regarding the lack of required refuse collection service and/or un-lawful disposal of refuse, debris and garbage accumulation on lots, streets, public places, yards; investigates infestations of rodents and other vermin; investigates mosquito complaints; checks applications and plans for construction of swimming pools; issues permits for small water supplies; inspects for cross connections and approves backflow prevention devices.
7. Performs other special and miscellaneous duties as required, including sanitation and hazardous materials surveys, domestic water supply sampling, recreational water facilities; reclaimed waste waters; participates in meetings and educational conferences.

The 6120 Consumer Protection Environmental Health Inspector may perform other duties as assigned/required.
Please note that incumbents in this classification may be required to perform duties as listed in the class specification, which can be found on DHR's website: https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/)
Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (REQUIRED)
License and Certification:

• Possession of a REHS (Registered Environmental Health Specialist) Certificate, issued by the State of California Department of Public Health Services
• Possession of/ability to obtain a valid California Driver's License.

Please include your California REHS number with your application and/or upload a copy of your California REHS certificate.
Only applicants who are certified in California can qualify for this recruitment. You can find more information on the CDPH REHS website (https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DRSEM/Pages/EMB/REHS/REHS.aspx), including information for those who are certified in other jurisdictions or want more information on How to Become a Registered Environmental Health Specialist.
Verification
Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.
Note: Falsifying one's education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.
Additional Information
Selection Procedures:
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following.
Training and Experience Evaluation (Weight: 100%): Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in a Training and Experience Evaluation that is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job-related areas which may include but not be limited to: Knowledge of environmental health sciences, of legal requirements, of field inspection; Decision Making ability, Written communications ability, Oral communication ability, Interpersonal relations ability; Ability to utilize technology, to manage time effectively.
You can complete the Training and Experience Evaluation now at: https://forms.gle/px3en7zsY8Arv72M6.
The link to the training and experience evaluation will also be emailed to the address listed on the candidate's online application. Candidates will be required to respond to the training and experience evaluation in the time frame indicated and must submit the completed questionnaire as directed to have it evaluated. Responses cannot be changed once submitted. Candidates will be evaluated based on their responses.
Candidates must achieve a passing score on the training and experience evaluation to continue in the selection process and will be placed on the confidential eligible list in rank order according to their final score.
Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.
Certification
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of The List
Eligible List/Score Report:
A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.
Candidate names will remain on the list for a maximum period of 12 months. Candidates that are not selected and expire off the list may re-apply.
Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.]
The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission
Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Where to Apply
All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process.
Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment. Please consider using a personal email address that you check regularly rather than a work or school account.
Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110.
Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues.
Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@smartrecruiters.com that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitt