The Environmental Health Division responds to complaints of environmental conditions that pose a threat to public health. This department will evaluate each situation and determine the exact threat and attempt to educate the public while getting them to remove or abate the public health nuisance.
A Public Health Nuisance means "any condition which is injurious or potentially injurious to the health and safety of the public, or which pollutes the air, land, or water". A public nuisance interfaces with the public as a class, not merely one person or a group of citizens. Our regulations do not give us authority over indoor housing conditions for homeowners. We are only able to enforce indoor regulations (mold, insects, and rodents) in rental units.
We are unable to investigate complaints regarding: Bed bugs, animal hoarding, mold (for homeowners) or condemning a home/abandoned building.
Due to the lack of regulations specific to mold at the federal, state and local level, Franklin County Public Health is not able to enforce mold remediation or perform mold testing or assessments. Franklin County Public Health is only able to assist in issues where mold impacts multiple units in a multi-Family dwelling, such as an apartment building. Franklin County Public Health cannot respond to complaints at an owner occupied home or a single family/free standing unit.
When facing a serious mold problem, tenants may be able to address this through jurisdictional building codes or through the Franklin County Municipal Court's Escrow program.
For more information on enforcement, please visit your local jurisdiction's enforcement site. For information on mold and how to keep your home safe, please visit epa.gov/mold.
For animal abuse or animal hoarding, please contact Columbus Humane.
If you would like to register a complaint regarding a nuisance property or condition, please complete the Complaint Form or call (614) 525-3160.
For properties located in the City of Columbus, please call (614) 645-3111 or submit an Email Submission Form. For properties located in the City of Worthington, please contact (614) 436-3100.
Supervisor
Sustainability Supervisor Environmental Health