A revamped website is making it a lot easier for Portsmouth citizens to conduct business with an important city department. The Portsmouth City Health Department: Environmental Health division, is in charge of a lot of stuff. From inspecting restaurants to issuing food service permits to issuing extermination permits.
Got a problem? This is the department to call for nuisance complaints about housing, solid waste/trash/garbage, sewage, animal complaints, and restaurant/food complaints. They can help you with everything from a dirty restaurant to a vicious dog to a permit for a pool.
They also handle animal control and determine if a piece of property is a candidate for the city’s land re-utilization program. Thanks to a great-looking site re-design getting information and forms from this department is actually pretty easy. I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but the interface with many local city and county websites is difficult at best. Accessible’s not the word that pops into my head first.
This site is super-clean with large print, so it’s readable on both browsers and phones. When you arrive at https://portsmouthcityhealth.org/environmental-health/ you’re greeted with the smiling faces of its employees. Scroll down a bit and you’ll find tabs that list all of the areas they handle.
Just click on a tab and you’ll find information and links to forms and applications. For example, under Food Safety, you’ll find links to all types of forms, food safety tips, and links to restaurant inspections, Ohio’s Food Safety Code, and information on reporting infectious diseases.
Keep scrolling down and you’ll find tabs for state-mandated inspection programs like Campgrounds, Manufactured Home Parks, and Public Swimming Pool and Spa. Click on the tabs for more information on the regulations and how to contact the necessary officials to take care of business.
Even if you don’t need a permit or a safety tip, you might want to check it out just to learn about all of the things the health department deals with on a daily basis.
Portsmouth City Health Department