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State Quarantine and Isolation Statutes
Updated October 2014
Public health quarantine and isolation are legal authorities that may be, but rarely are, implemented to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Isolation may be used for ill people, to protect the public by preventing exposure to infected people. Quarantine may be used to restrict the movement of well people who may have been exposed to a communicable disease until it can be determined if they are ill, for example, people who have a communicable disease but do not know it, or may have the disease but do not show symptoms.
State and local governments are primarily responsible for maintaining public health and controlling the spread of diseases within state borders; therefore most states have laws on quarantine and isolation. The federal government has authority as well, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to monitor and respond to the spread of communicable diseases across national or state borders, or if the state government is unwilling or unable to effectively respond.
The CDC engages in quarantine and isolation upon Executive Order of the President of the United States. Quarantine and isolation are defined as:,
Quarantine: the compulsory separation, including restriction of movement, of populations or groups of healthy people who have been potentially exposed to a contagious disease, or to efforts to segregate these persons within specified geographic areas.
Isolation: the separation and confinement of individuals known or suspected (via signs, symptoms, or laboratory criteria) to be infected with a contagious disease to prevent them from transmitting disease to others.
The table below summarizes state law authority for quarantine and isolation within state borders, including authority to initiate quarantine and isolation, limitations on state quarantine powers, and penalties for violations.
Resources: CDC Division of Global Migration and Quarantine | CDC Public Health Law 101 | Trust For America's Health
The box below allows you to conduct a full text search or use the dropdown menu option to select a state.
(followed by list of states and their laws)
.
Updated October 2014
Public health quarantine and isolation are legal authorities that may be, but rarely are, implemented to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Isolation may be used for ill people, to protect the public by preventing exposure to infected people. Quarantine may be used to restrict the movement of well people who may have been exposed to a communicable disease until it can be determined if they are ill, for example, people who have a communicable disease but do not know it, or may have the disease but do not show symptoms.
State and local governments are primarily responsible for maintaining public health and controlling the spread of diseases within state borders; therefore most states have laws on quarantine and isolation. The federal government has authority as well, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to monitor and respond to the spread of communicable diseases across national or state borders, or if the state government is unwilling or unable to effectively respond.
The CDC engages in quarantine and isolation upon Executive Order of the President of the United States. Quarantine and isolation are defined as:,
Quarantine: the compulsory separation, including restriction of movement, of populations or groups of healthy people who have been potentially exposed to a contagious disease, or to efforts to segregate these persons within specified geographic areas.
Isolation: the separation and confinement of individuals known or suspected (via signs, symptoms, or laboratory criteria) to be infected with a contagious disease to prevent them from transmitting disease to others.
The table below summarizes state law authority for quarantine and isolation within state borders, including authority to initiate quarantine and isolation, limitations on state quarantine powers, and penalties for violations.
Resources: CDC Division of Global Migration and Quarantine | CDC Public Health Law 101 | Trust For America's Health
The box below allows you to conduct a full text search or use the dropdown menu option to select a state.
(followed by list of states and their laws)
.