Georgia Coastal Health District

Responding to Georgia Smokefree Air Act Apartment Smoking Complaints

Complaints regarding a Public Housing Authority (PHA) apartment:

• Provide building owner, agent, operator, person in charge, or proprietor with literature on Implementing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Smoke-Free Policy in Public Housing Guidebook
• Provide building owner, agent, operator, person in charge, or proprietor with literature on the dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke from:
  
• Provide Quit Line brochures to promote cessation (brochures are available from district health department or may be downloaded from https://dph.georgia.gov/readytoquit
  • American Lung Association
  • American Cancer Society
  • American Heart Association
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

If a violation is not substantiated, the local health inspector or CBOH Duly Authorized Agent(s)/designee will forward to the establishment/business owner the Notice of Complaint and Investigative Finding Letter.

If a violation is substantiated, the local health inspector or CBOH Duly Authorized Agent(s)/designee will:

• Document the violation, this may include taking photos.
• Instruct building owner, agent, operator, person in charge, or proprietor on how to be compliant. with the law to correct the current violation and prevent future violations.
• Forward to the establishment/business owner the First Violation Letter.
• Notify establishment/business that they have 15 days to correct the violation.
• Conduct a follow-up unscheduled site visit 30 days after the First Violation Letter is forwarded to the establishment/business owner, to determine compliance with the recommended corrective action.

If upon conducting the follow-up site visit the violation has not been corrected, the local health inspector or CBOH Duly Authorized Agent(s)/designee may:

• Issue Final Violation Notice to business/establishment within 10 days after conducting the follow-up unscheduled site visit;
• Submit a written request along with copies of the previously mentioned documents to local counsel to pursue injunctive relief.

Copies of all documents will be forwarded to the County Board of Health, the Coastal Health District Office, and the Georgia Department of Public Health Chronic Disease Prevention Section.