Summary
The Washington State Board of Health (Board) creates rules under RCW 43.20.050 to help control infectious and noninfectious diseases, also known as notifiable conditions. Chapter 246-101 WAC establishes the information that healthcare providers, facilities, labs, and others must report to help public health officials track diseases and protect public health in Washington. The Board is proposing updates to its notifiable conditions rule. The purpose is to ease current COVID-19 reporting requirements while retaining the key data needed to protect the public’s health and ongoing disease surveillance.
For More Information
Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20.050
Board Contact: Shay Bauman, notifiableconditions@sboh.wa.gov
Department of Health Contact: Samantha Fuller, notifiableconditions@sboh.wa.gov
If you want updates about this project, you can sign up for emails by filling out the Notifiable Conditions project interest form: Notifiable Conditions Interest Form - Airtable
Share Your Feedback on Proposed Updates to COVID-19 Reporting Requirements in Washington State
The Washington State Board of Health (Board) wants your feedback on proposed updates to chapter 246-101 WAC, Notifiable Conditions. The proposed changes would update COVID-19 reporting requirements for health care providers, facilities, laboratories, and the Department of Agriculture. The changes would:
- Require health care providers and facilities to report only laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths to local health jurisdictions within three business days.
- Require laboratories to continue reporting all positive COVID-19 test results. Laboratories would report these directly to the Department of Health (Department) within two business days instead of immediately to local health jurisdictions.
- Keep immediate reporting requirements for SARS, MERS, and novel coronavirus cases.
- Add definitions for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) and novel coronavirus to WAC 246-101-010.
- Remove COVID-19 rapid screening test reporting requirements from WAC 246-101-200.
- Update terms in WAC 246-101-805 to match the new definitions. The Department of Agriculture would still need to report animal cases of SARS, MERS, novel coronavirus, and COVID-19 to the Department right away.
The Board initiated this rulemaking after receiving feedback from local health jurisdictions. The rulemaking also responds to a change in how the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists classifies COVID-19 as a national notifiable condition. The proposed changes would reduce current COVID-19 reporting requirements while retaining key data needed to protect public health and support ongoing disease surveillance. The Board is not considering other changes to the rule at this time.
How to Provide Feedback:
To submit comments on the proposed rule, you may do so in the following ways:
- You may submit written comments through November 8, 2026, using the following options:
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Fill out the Board’s formal comment period feedback form: https://airtable.com/appJhpwCyXDwC4zqC/pagci0W1aUGVm8j7c/form
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Send to the Board’s public comment email address for this proposed rule: notifiableconditions@sboh.wa.gov
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Send via U.S. Mail to:
Washington State Board of Health
PO Box 47990
Olympia, WA 98504-7990
- You may provide verbal comments during the rules hearing open to the public on November 18, 2026. The rules hearing begins at 1:00 p.m.
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You may give verbal comments in person at the physical meeting location at:
Snohomish County Health Department
3020 Rucker Avenue
Everett, WA, 98201
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You may give verbal comments online by registering for the meeting via Zoom Webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m0uliPy0Q_yQgZZHZdbKXA#/registration
Please Note: The Board will review and consider all written comments received as part of the official rulemaking file. All written comments received are shared publicly on the Board’s website.
Important Information for the Rules Hearing:
- You may attend the rules hearing in-person at the address listed above or virtually via the Zoom Webinar.
- To give verbal comments on Zoom, you will need to access the meeting using your computer, laptop, or device. Your computer, laptop, or device must have speakers and a microphone.
- The rules hearing will have Spanish and ASL interpretation services provided.
To request this document in an alternative format or a different language, or if you would like to request meeting accommodations, please contact the State Board of Health at 360-236-4110 or by email at wsboh@sboh.wa.gov. Deaf or hard of hearing customers, please call 711 (Washington Relay) or email wsboh@sboh.wa.gov.
Additional Background
The Washington State Board of Health (Board) filed a CR-101, Preproposal Statement of Inquiry, for chapter 246-101 WAC. Chapter 246-101 WAC establishes the reporting requirements for healthcare providers, facilities, laboratories, and other entities. These requirements help public health officials track communicable diseases and other conditions, in accordance with RCW 43.20.050
On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the Board filed the CR-101 as WSR 25-08-026.
The CR-101 announces to the public that the Board is initiating rulemaking. This is in response to feedback from local health jurisdictions and changes in the national notifiable condition designation for COVID-19 by the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE). This rulemaking is necessary to ease COVID-19 reporting requirements while retaining key data needed to protect the public’s health and for ongoing disease surveillance.
The Board will not consider other updates to the rule at this time.
On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, the Board filed the CR-102 as WSR 26-20-102. You can find the proposed rule language here.
