Environmental Health

The Kent City Health Department conducts a mosquito control program throughout the summer months to reduce mosquito populations that may carry disease.  The program goals are:

1. To educate the public on practices that will reduce the number of mosquito breeding sites and methods to use to reduce feeding activities of mosquitoes.
2. To monitor mosquito populations in the city of Kent to determine problem areas where control measures are needed.
3. To reduce the number of disease-carrying and pest mosquitoes in an environmentally responsible manner.

Learn more about our Mosquito Control Program 

The mission of the Kent City Health Department Food Safety Program is to protect and improve the health of consumers by assuring foods are safe. The Food Safety Program is responsible for licensing and inspecting retail food businesses. These include grocery stores, restaurants, bars, delis, convenience stores, vending machines, food carts, and all food sold at events and festivals. The inspections are a service provided for the public to ensure the safety of Kent food supply for all people who visit or live in the city.

Facility review application procedures 2026

Temp food service operations 

The Kent City Health Department inspects public and private schools for environmental health and safety concerns. The school inspection program works to improve the health and safety of Kent schools through non-regulatory means. Poor environmental conditions can prevent academic progress by making it harder for students to concentrate, causing or exacerbating illness in students and staff, increasing absences and lost workdays, and diverting school funds to pay for costly repair and remediation projects.

The Kent City Health Department annually inspects each of the licensed multiple-use rental properties within the city limits to help protect tenants from unsafe living conditions by enforcing the maintenance standards outlined in the Environmental Health and Housing Maintenance Code. Common violations include missing smoke alarms, missing carbon monoxide alarms, missing fire extinguishers, improper means of egress, solid waste violations, pest infestation, inadequate handrails, improper ventilation, plumbing and electrical problems. Owners that fail to meet the minimum standards outlined in the housing code are required to make timely repairs to bring the properties into compliance. There are many residents that live in rental properties in the city of Kent and the code was originated to improve the environmental health, safety, and sanitation levels of these rental properties.

Body art is regulated under the authority of Chapter 3730.01 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC).  Prevention of injury and disease is the goal of inspection program.  Possible health risk complications of body art include HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, infections of the skin, allergic reactions, and toxicity of heavy metals.  The Kent City Health Department enforces sanitation and safety standards at each location that provides body piercing, tattoos and body art.    

Public swimming pools and spas are regulated under the authority of Chapter 3749 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). The public swimming pool rules were created to establish minimum standards, applicable throughout Ohio, for the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of these facilities to protect the bathing public from injury, minimize the potential for disease transmission, and provide a safe and healthy aquatic recreational environment. These rules do not pertain to private residential pools. Swimming pools can be the source of many diseases, such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, and injuries such as slips, falls, and accidental entrapment. The purpose of the Kent City Health Department Recreational Water inspection program is to assure that all public swimming pools are maintained in a safe and healthful condition.

The Kent City Health Department enforces the local solid waste ordinance adopted by Kent City Council. Properties in violation of the solid waste ordinance 521.08 risk potential citations and are given 24 hours to comply or risk additional fines. Solid waste violations may include:

• Excessive litter.
• Solid waste (including furniture) placed on the curb too early.
• Empty solid waste containers left along the curb beyond the day of collection.
• Improperly stored solid waste.

Per Ohio Revised Code, animal bite incidents should be reported within 24 hours to a health commissioner of the local health jurisdiction for investigation to assist in protecting the public from possible rabies exposures. All reports of animal bites or exposures occurring in the city of Kent are investigated. The Kent City Health Department follows up on exposures to prevent possible rabies outbreaks.  It is important that pet owners get their dogs and cats vaccinated for rabies