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Become a Local Health Officer

By Maine statute, every municipality in the state must appoint a local health officer. Because every Maine town is unique, the role of local health officer can vary from town to town. Some LHOs receive less than 1 call in a year; others receive calls more often. You can ask your town officials what to expect. Note that some towns appoint more than one individual to cover LHO duties.

Your first step to become an LHO is to reach out to your town office or municipal officials to inquire about the role.

To become a Local Health Officer you must:

  1. Be appointed by your municipality for a three-year term.


Required LHO Core Online Training

Newly appointed LHOs must complete the LHO Core Online Training within 6 months of their initial appointment date in order to legally continue in the position, and then refresh the training every 3 years. Maine CDC provides the required training at no cost. The training is online, self-directed, and should take no more than 4-6 hours to complete.

You can complete the online training by clicking on this link LHO Online Training.
If needed, you can instead print this material by clicking here Complete Training (pdf)(92 pp).

After you complete this training you will:

  • Have a basic understanding of your legal authorities, and your overall role and responsibilities;
  • Know how to addresses commonly occurring situations, such as nuisances;
  • Apply appropriate actions in terms of enforcing the law;
  • Have strategies for addressing complaints; and
  • Be familiar with your role should you be informed of a public health emergency by Maine CDC; including communications between the LHOs and Maine CDC during a public health emergency.

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[Optional] Continuing Education for LHOs

The Maine CDC's Division of Public Health Systems also offers free, optional, Continuing Education opportunities for LHOs, and can help connect you with additional professional development opportunities. If you would like to learn more about these or about what it's like to be an LHO in your region, consider reaching out to the Maine CDC Public Health District Liaison for your district. (See right margin for a link to contact information for the state's regional Public Health District Liaisons.)

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[Optional] LHO Orientation page

Once you have been appointed as your town's LHO, or when the process is underway, take a look at the LHO Orientation page ("For New Local Health Officers"/"I'm a new LHO") for some recommended next steps. You can find the LHO Orientation Page here.

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Request for Waiver from Education Requirements

The Maine LHO Program requires that all appointed LHOs take the LHO Core Training as part of the certification process. However, in some situations, Maine CDC may waive the qualification standards. The purpose of the waiver is to provide flexibility for the city/town LHO without undermining the basic intent of the law. This means that a person who is:

Submit a Waiver Request Form

Complete the following steps:

  1. Submit a Letter of Appointment
  2. Provide proof that you have either completed –
    1. Online 2013 Core training within the past three-years, or
    2. Pre-approved or acceptable continuing education credit hours related to education requirements.

Review of Waiver Request

Maine CDC, upon receipt, will

  • Review the submitted request form. Incomplete request forms may take longer than the three to process.
  • Conduct an interview with the applicant. The interview gives the applicant an opportunity to prove that he or she has the knowledge, experience and skills to perform the duties and responsibilities of an LHO. This interview may include, but not limited to, questions on experience in a similar position; familiarity with Maine laws, understanding of the duties and responsibilities of an LHO, and experience in handling various types of complaints.
  • Notify the LHO approximately three days following the interview. A Waiver from State Regulations is granted for a three-year term.

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