Vaccination Laws

Vaccine-preventable disease levels are at or near record lows. CDC works closely with public health agencies and private partners to improve and sustain immunization coverage and to monitor the safety of vaccines. One tool used to maintain low rates of vaccine preventable disease is vaccination law. State vaccination laws include vaccination requirements for children in public and private schools and daycare settings, college/university students, and healthcare workers and patients in certain facilities. State laws also affect access to vaccination services by determining whether providing vaccinations to patients is within the scope of practice of certain healthcare professionals. The Public Health Law Program provides selected resources for public health practitioners and their legal counsel on state vaccination laws.

State Healthcare Worker and Patient Vaccination Laws

Healthcare facilities across the country are increasingly requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated for certain diseases in an effort to reduce outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. In some instances, facilities are establishing these requirements due to mandates in state statutes and regulations. These PHLP menus examine state healthcare facility vaccination laws for the following vaccine-preventable diseases:

State School and Childcare Vaccination Laws

All states require children to be vaccinated against certain communicable diseases as a condition for school attendance. In most instances, state school vaccination laws expressly apply to both public schools and private schools with identical immunization and exemption provisions. All states also establish vaccination requirements for children as a condition for child care attendance. These requirements often mirror the requirements for public school children and are often located in the same school vaccination provisions. The Public Health Law Program provides selected resources for public health practitioners and their legal counsel on state school vaccination laws.