Registered sanitarians are public health professionals qualified by specialized education and field experience to protect the safety, health, and general welfare of Texans. Registered sanitarians go by many names, including environmental health specialist and the “dreaded” health inspector. Sanitarians work with restaurateurs to evaluate and improve food safety standards. They trap mosquitoes from April to November to get tested for diseases like West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis. They are present behind the scenes at sporting events, concerts, festivals, and farmers markets.
Registered sanitarians serve as ambassadors for many Texas cities by building positive relationships with citizens, business owners, architects, contractors, and restaurant managers and employees, making the Lone Star state a great place to live, work, and play.
As of July 2018, there were 1,228 professional registered sanitarians in the state of Texas. That’s one sanitarian for roughly every 23,000 Texas residents. Most sanitarians in Texas work for state and local agencies, but the private sector also employs dozens of sanitarians. In the eight largest cities in Texas, the average salary for a registered sanitarian is currently $52,332.
As Texas continues to grow at a phenomenal rate, so does the need for more professional sanitarians. CNBC recently ranked Texas as the number one state for doing business in America, adding more than 350,000 jobs in the past year. Nine of the top 15 fastest growing cities in America are also located in Texas. Being a health inspector is a very rewarding and challenging profession, requiring expansive knowledge of various public health disciplines.
Texas could use some more great inspectors.
TEXAS PUBLIC HEALTH SOLUTIONS 
Where did you get your data from?
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Great question and thank you for the inquiry, Andrea.
TexasPHS filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR) and with the 8 largest cities in Texas, including Arlington, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. All of the data referenced in the post was retrieved in Summer 2018.
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Hey! I’m a health inspector in California and I’m moving with my wife to Texas. Do you have any jobs available?
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Good evening, Maurice. Welcome to Texas and thank you for your interest in Texas Public Health Solutions LLC. Please send your cover letter and CV to texasphs@gmail.com. Also, you need to apply for a new sanitarian registration in Texas. Please refer to the following website for instructions: https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/san/sanapply.htm
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Hello, and good evening! I just registered and applied to take the Sanitarian Exam. I’m now waiting for the approval of my requirements. What are some great references to use to study and prepare for the exam?
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Thanks for reading our post, Ms. Moore! We wish you the best of luck on the exam and a long and fruitful career in the environmental health field. If you haven’t read the Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) yet, I suggest that you do so — https://candidate.psiexams.com/bulletin/display_bulletin.jsp?ro=yes&actionname=83&bulletinid=818&bulletinurl=.pdf.
It contains a content outline of the exam and also the references from which the exam is based.
Bonne chance!
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Thank you for the post.
I appreciate what you do.
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Thank you for the kind comment and for reading our blog posts. Registered Sanitarians in Texas play a significant role in all the places we eat, drink, breathe, swim, and play.
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What would they need a registered sanitarian at a sporting or concert event for?
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Great questions, Kyle. TexasPHS has inspected the multiple dozens of food establishments at AT&T Stadium, Choctaw Stadium, and Globe Life Field. Each of the food establishments at these venues have to maintain the same standards as any other restaurant. It’s very important!
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I have a Registered Sanitarian License here in Texas. Our county has decided to permit Commercial Pools. Does my R.S. License qualify me to (legally) inspect pools? Or, do I have to get a Certified Pool Operator (C.P.O.) License?
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Hi, Chris. Thanks for your contribution to improving public health in our state! Yes, your Texas Registered Sanitarian license does cover swimming pools. With that being said, being able to effectively inspect a swimming pool for life-safety issues and waterborne diseases requires specialized knowledge and experience. We highly encourage you to obtain a CPO and CPI license!
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