General Provisions of California Health And Safety Code

This act shall be known as the Health and Safety Code.

The provisions of this code in so far as they are substantially the same as existing statutory provisions relating to the same subject matter shall be construed as restatements and continuations, and not as new enactments.

All persons who, at the time this code takes effect, hold office under any of the acts repealed by this code, which offices are continued by this code, continue to hold them according to their former tenure.

Any action or proceeding commenced before this code takes effect, and any right accrued, is not affected by this code, but all procedure thereafter taken therein shall conform to the provisions of this code as far as possible.

Unless the provision or the context otherwise requires, these definitions, rules of construction, and general provisions shall govern the construction of this code.

Division, part, chapter, article, and section headings do not in any manner affect the scope, meaning, or intent of the provisions of this code.

Whenever a power is granted to, or a duty is imposed upon, a public officer, the power may be exercised or the duty may be performed by a deputy of the officer or by a person authorized, pursuant to law, by the officer, unless this code expressly provides otherwise.

Writing includes any form of recorded message capable of comprehension by ordinary visual means. Whenever any notice, report, statement, or record is required or authorized by this code, it shall be made in writing in the English language unless it is expressly provided otherwise.

Whenever reference is made to any portion of this code or of any other law of this State, the reference applies to all amendments and additions now or hereafter made.

"Section" means a section of this code unless some other statute is specifically mentioned. Subdivision means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned.

The present tense includes the past and future tenses; and the future, the present.

The masculine gender includes the feminine and neuter.

The singular number includes the plural, and the plural the singular.

"County" includes city and county.

Unless expressly otherwise provided, any notice required to be given to any person by any provision of this code may be given by mailing notice, postage prepaid, addressed to the person to be notified, at his residence or principal place of business in this State. The affidavit of the person who mails the notice, stating the facts of such mailing, is prima facie evidence that the notice was thus mailed.

"Shall" is mandatory and "may" is permissive.

"Oath" includes affirmation.

"Signature" or "subscription" includes mark when the signer or subscriber can not write, such signer's or subscriber's name being written near the mark by a witness who writes his own name near the signer's or subscriber's name; but a signature or subscription by mark can be acknowledged or can serve as a signature or subscription to a sworn statement only when two witnesses so sign their own names thereto.

"Person" means any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, or company.

"State department" or "department" means State Department of Health Services. Commencing July 1, 2007, any reference to the former State Department of Health Services regarding a function vested by Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 131050) of Part 1 of Division 112, in the State Department of Public Health is deemed to, instead, refer to the State Department of Public Health, and any reference to the former State Department of Health Services regarding a function not vested by Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 131050) of Part 1 of Division 112, in the State Department of Public Health, is deemed to, instead, refer to the State Department of Health Care Services.

"Director" means "State Director of Health Services." Commencing July 1, 2007, any reference to the former State Director of Health Services regarding a function vested by Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 131050) of Part 1 of Division 112, in the State Department of Public Health is deemed to, instead, refer to the State Public Health Officer.

"Board" or "State Board of Public Health" means "State Department of Health Services," with respect to regulatory functions heretofore performed by the State Board of Public Health or the "Advisory Health Council" with respect to all other functions heretofore performed by the board.

"State" means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. In the latter case, it includes the District of Columbia and the territories.

If any provision of this code, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of the code, or the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.

Wherever, pursuant to this code, any state department, officer, board, agency, committee, or commission is authorized to adopt rules and regulations, such rules and regulations which are building standards, as defined in Section 18909 of the Health and Safety Code, shall be adopted pursuant to the provisions of Part 2.5 (commencing with Section 18901) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code unless the provisions of Sections 18930, 18933, 18938, 18940, 18943, 18944, and 18945 of the Health and Safety Code are expressly excepted in the provision of this code under which the authority to adopt the specific building standard is delegated. Any building standard adopted in violation of this section shall have no force or effect. Any building standard adopted prior to January 1, 1980, pursuant to this code and not expressly excepted by statute from such provisions of the State Building Standards Law shall remain in effect only until January 1, 1985, or until adopted, amended, or superseded by provisions published in the State Building Standards Code, whichever occurs sooner.

For purposes of this code:
  (a) "Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Act" means Sections 104730, 104830 to 104860, inclusive, 113150, 113155, Part 1 (commencing with Section 120100) of, Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 120325, but excluding Section 120380) of Part 2 of, Part 3 (commencing with Section 120500) of, and Part 5 (commencing with Section 121350) of, Division 105.
  (b) "Hereditary Disorders Act" means Article 1 (commencing with Section 124975) of Chapter 1 of Part 5 of Division 106, and Sections 125050, 125055, 125060, and 125065.
  (c) "Maternal and Child Health Program Act" means Section 120380, Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 103925) of Part 2 of Division 102, Article 4 (commencing with Section 116875) of Chapter 5 of Part 12 of Division 104, Article 1 (commencing with Section 123225) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 106, Article 2 (commencing with Section 125000) of Chapter 1 of Part 5 of Division 106, and Sections 125075 to 125110, inclusive.
  (d) "Miscellaneous Food, Food Facility, and Hazardous Substances Act" means Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 108100), Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 108675), and Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 108750) of Part 3 of, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 111940), Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 111950), Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 112150), Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 112350), Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 112500), Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 112650), Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 112875), Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 113025), and Article 3 (commencing with Section 113250) of Chapter 11, of Part 6 of, and Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 113700) of Part 7 of, Division 104.
  (e) "Primary Care Services Act" means Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 124400), Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 124475), Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 124550), Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 124575), Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 124600), Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 124800), and Article 1 (commencing with Section 124875) of Chapter 7 of, Part 4 of Division 106.
  (f) "Radiologic Technology Act" means Sections 106965 to 107120, inclusive, and Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 114840) of Part 9 of Division 104.

For the purposes of this code, "recycled water" or "reclaimed water" has the same meaning as recycled water as defined in subdivision (n) of Section 13050 of the Water Code.