{"id":12711,"date":"2021-11-18T11:57:38","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T16:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/?page_id=12711"},"modified":"2026-04-03T13:06:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:06:48","slug":"summer-camps","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/summer-camps\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Camps"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-12711\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-12711-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-12711-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-12711-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-image panel-first-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-image so-widget-sow-image-default-c67d20f9f743-12711\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"sow-image-container\">\n\t\t<img \n\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/Summer-camp-kids-cropped.png\" width=\"764\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/Summer-camp-kids-cropped.png 764w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/06\/Summer-camp-kids-cropped-300x96.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px\" alt=\"\" \t\tclass=\"so-widget-image\"\/>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-12711-0-0-1\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p>Environmental Health professionals at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) work to protect the health and safety of campers at Virginia\u2019s overnight summer camps.\u00a0 Efforts focus on the provision of safe drinking water, sufficient sewage disposal, effective vector control, proper ground maintenance, and swimming pool safety.<\/p>\n<p>As defined by the <a href=\"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/title35.1\/chapter1\/section35.1-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Code of Virginia<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-21725 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-150x150.png\" alt=\"Leaving site\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 16px) 100vw, 16px\" \/><\/a>, an overnight \"summer camp\" means any building, tent, or vehicle, or group of buildings, tents, or vehicles, if operated as one place or establishment, or any other place or establishment, public or private, together with the land and waters adjacent thereto, that is operated or used in this Commonwealth for the entertainment, education, recreation, religious instruction or activities, physical education, or health of persons under 18 years of age who are not related to the operator of such place or establishment by blood or marriage within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity, if 12 or more such persons at any one time are accommodated, gratuitously or for compensation, overnight and during any portion of more than two consecutive days.<\/p>\n<p>All Virginia overnight summer camps must be permitted by VDH and are inspected annually by staff from local health departments. If you would like to apply for a permit to operate an overnight summer camp, or have questions about overnight summer camps, please contact your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/local-health-districts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">local health department<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>News<\/h2>\n<p>The summer camp regulations are undergoing an update. The proposed amendments are available for review on <a href=\"https:\/\/townhall.virginia.gov\/L\/viewstage.cfm?stageid=10269\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Virginia Town Hall <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-21725 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-150x150.png\" alt=\"Leaving site\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 16px) 100vw, 16px\" \/><\/a>. Stay tuned for more information.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Quick Links<\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/admincode\/title12\/agency5\/chapter440\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Regulations for Summer Camps<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-21725 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-150x150.png\" alt=\"Leaving site\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 16px) 100vw, 16px\" \/>\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/admincode\/title12\/agency5\/chapter421\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Food Regulations <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-21725 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-150x150.png\" alt=\"Leaving site\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/u_elq1vz823k-bitcoin-9620386_640.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 16px) 100vw, 16px\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/wildfire-smoke-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wildfire Smoke Information<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/ticks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tick Prevention and Response<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Environmental Health professionals at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) work to protect the health and safety of campers at Virginia\u2019s overnight summer camps.\u00a0 Efforts focus on the provision of safe drinking water, sufficient sewage disposal, effective vector control, proper ground maintenance, and swimming pool safety. As defined by the Code of Virginia, an overnight [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12711","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Summer Camps - Environmental Health<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"All Virginia overnight summer camps must be permitted by VDH and are inspected annually by local health departments.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/summer-camps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Summer Camps - 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