As one of only four cities in the state of California with its own health department, Vernon is focused on protecting the environment and ensuring the health and safety of its residents, workers, visitors and neighboring communities. Established in 1908, the Vernon Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC) provides comprehensive and efficient services to accomplish this goal, tailoring its operations to regulate and meet the needs of the City's large industrial sector.

The DHEC provides Vernon businesses and residents multiple programs to ensure that they are operating as required by local and State regulations. In addition, the department oversees numerous programs that cater to the basic needs of the community as a whole. 

From food safety, water quality, solid waste, to sustainability, the DHEC functions as a resource hub for information on regulatory mandates, user-friendly guidance, specialized permitting, and education. These in-house experts are accessible to businesses and residents alike.

By maintaining its own municipal health authority, the community deals directly with Vernon DHEC officials to address important environmental and health-related issues, thus enhancing the City’s ability to respond quickly, especially in critical times.  

The following programs are areas within the purview of Vernon’s DHEC:

• Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA)
• Food Safety, Food Defense, and Consumer Protection
• Water Quality
• Land Use
• Solid Waste
• Liquid Waste
• Groundwater and Soil Clean-up
• Medical Waste
• Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response