Board of Health

The Chatham Township Board of Health is an autonomous board that provides all of the activities that are required to meet the minimum performance standards of the State of New Jersey for local boards of health. These activities include environmental health and personal health activities.

The Chatham Township Board of Health consists of five members appointed by the Township Committee for a period of three years. During its monthly meeting, the board addresses public health issues presented by the board’s sanitarian and by residents of the Township who attend the meeting; reviews in detail all plans for the construction of new septic systems and the repair of existing septic systems; approves septic system use for conceptual subdivisions; and passes ordinances and resolutions governing all activities of the board.

The Chatham Township Board of Health has a contract with the Union Township Health Department for environmental and public health services for the Township. A sanitarian from the Union Township Health Department attends all meetings of the Board of Health. The Board of Health also has a contract with Mott MacDonald for professional engineering services for the detailed review of septic system designs to assure that the designs meet state and Chatham Township standards. The board’s attorney prepares ordinances and resolutions for the board and advises the board on legal issues.

Environmental health activities for the Township include inspections of local retail food establishments and recreational bathing facilities; field inspections of the construction or repair of septic systems and wells; laboratory testing of water supplies, streams, septic system malfunctions, and potentially hazardous foods; investigation of general nuisance complaints such as rodent problems, dog bites, and noise pollution; and rabies investigations and rabies clinics for dogs and cats.

Personal health activities include child health conferences and vaccinations, adult health clinics, cancer screenings, influenza clinics, epidemiological investigations of all communicable diseases, and health education.

Meeting Schedule

Board of Health meetings are held the 1st Thursday of each month, at 7:30 PM. All meetings are held at the Township Hall.