440.98 Sanitarians; qualifications, duties, registration.

(1) Definitions. In this section:

(a) “Municipality" means a county, city or village.

(b) “Sanitarian" means an individual who, through education, training or experience in the natural sciences and their application and through technical knowledge of prevention and control of preventable diseases, is capable of applying environmental control measures so as to protect human health, safety and welfare.

(2) Registration qualifications. In order to safeguard life, health and property, to promote public welfare and to establish the status of those persons whose duties in environmental sanitation call for knowledge of the natural sciences, the department may establish minimum standards and qualifications for the registration of sanitarians.

(3) Sanitarians; employment or contractual services. Any agency of the state may employ or contract for the services of sanitarians, registered under this section, who shall enforce the public health statutes under chs. 250 to 256 or rules promulgated under those statutes.

(5) Registration. Except as provided in s. 440.12 or 440.13, the department shall register as a sanitarian any person who satisfies the conditions in sub. (6) and who has presented evidence satisfactory to the department that sanitarian registration standards and qualifications of the department, as established by rule, have been met.

(6) Applications. An application for a sanitarian registration under this section shall be made on a form provided by the department and filed with the department and shall be accompanied by the initial credential fee determined by the department under s. 440.03 (9) (a). The renewal date for a sanitarian registration is specified under s. 440.08 (2) (a), and the renewal fee for such registration is determined by the department under s. 440.03 (9) (a).

(7) Reciprocity. The department may by rule set standards for sanitarians registered in other states to practice as registered sanitarians in this state.

(8) Revocation of registration. The department may, after a hearing held in conformance with ch. 227, revoke, deny, suspend, or limit under this subchapter the registration of any sanitarian, or reprimand the sanitarian, for practice of fraud or deceit in obtaining the registration or any unprofessional conduct, incompetence, or professional negligence.

(9) Forfeiture. In addition to or in lieu of a reprimand or a denial, limitation, suspension, or revocation of a registration under sub. (8), the department may assess against any person a forfeiture of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 for each violation under sub. (8).

History: 1975 c. 414 s. 28; 1977 c. 29, 418; 1983 a. 189; 1985 a. 182 s. 57; 1987 a. 27; 1993 a. 27 s. 223; Stats. 1993 s. 250.05; 1997 a. 191, 237; 1999 a. 9; 2005 a. 25 ss. 2120 to 2128; Stats. 2005 s. 440.70; 2005 a. 25 ss. 2121 to 2130, 2336m, 2337; 2005 a. 254 s. 35; 2007 a. 20, 130.