Bergen County public health phone numbers, local programs and service routes
If you are searching for the Bergen County Health Department, the official county agency is the Bergen County Department of Health Services, commonly shortened to BCDHS. Its central office is in Hackensack at One Bergen County Plaza, but Bergen County public health is highly local: your town may have its own health department or may receive selected services through a county contract.
That means WIC, vital records, routine vaccines, restaurant inspections, animal control and tuberculosis testing do not always start at the same counter. This guide separates the routes so you can call the right office first.
What does the Bergen County Department of Health Services do?
BCDHS coordinates county public-health services, prevention programs and health partnerships. Its work includes public-health nursing, communicable-disease surveillance, tuberculosis case management, consumer and environmental health, food-safety training, behavioral-health services, addiction programs and Animal Services.
Communicable disease questions, TB program referrals, environmental complaints, animal-bite guidance, public-health nursing or help finding the correct local health authority.
Food-safety training, inspections in contracted municipalities, environmental-health guidance or questions about local public-health regulation.
Every birth certificate, every WIC appointment, every restaurant inspection or every municipal health permit in Bergen County. Local jurisdiction matters.
Bergen County health phone numbers by service
Use the program number when you know what you need. For anything unclear, start with the main BCDHS number and ask which county or municipal office has jurisdiction.
| Service | Phone | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| BCDHS main office | 201-634-2600 | General county public-health routing and program information. |
| Communicable Disease | 201-634-2657 | Reportable diseases, outbreak questions and communicable-disease program contact. |
| Public Health Nursing / TB | 201-634-2651 | TB program and public-health nursing questions. |
| REHS Duty Officer | 201-634-2730 | Environmental-health complaints and animal-bite/exposure reporting. |
| Food Safety Program | 201-634-2782 | Food Handler and Food Manager training questions. |
| Mental Health & Addiction Services | 201-634-2745 | County behavioral-health, addiction and community program routing. |
| Animal Shelter | 201-229-4600 | Shelter, adoptions and rabies-clinic appointments. |
| Animal Control | 201-229-4616 | County Animal Control for contracted municipalities. |
| NJ WIC Bergen sites | 973-754-4575 | Bergen County WIC appointment and clinic-location routing through the Saint Joseph Medical Center WIC program. |
Bergen County public health is a county-and-municipal system
One of the most important things to understand in Bergen County is that the county department does not replace every municipal board of health. BCDHS provides direct services, regional functions and contracted public-health services, while individual towns may operate their own departments or registrars.
Communicable disease coordination, TB case management, regional public-health programs, training, Animal Services and contracted environmental-health services.
Depending on the town, local health offices can handle licensing, vital records, restaurant inspections, sanitation complaints, local clinics or animal-control contracts.
Some programs, such as WIC, are delivered through healthcare or community partners rather than through the BCDHS main office.
Public health nursing, senior clinics and school-health support
The Office of Public Health Nursing provides county and inter-local services such as senior-citizen clinics, childhood immunization audits and guidance, non-public school oversight, communicable-disease support, bloodborne-pathogen training and tuberculosis case management.
Public-health nurses support selected senior-citizen clinics through inter-local public-health arrangements.
BCDHS provides childhood-immunization audits and guidance and oversight for non-public school programs in its service structure.
Public-health nursing works with disease-control staff on investigation, prevention and follow-up.
Measles, norovirus, strep and other reportable-disease questions
The Communicable Disease Control & Prevention Program works with hospitals, laboratories, schools, long-term-care facilities, the New Jersey Department of Health and local health partners to investigate reportable diseases and outbreaks.
Use 911 for immediate medical emergencies. The county disease line is not an emergency-room substitute.
BCDHS lists 201-634-2657 for Communicable Disease Control & Prevention.
Providers and facilities should have the patient’s identifying information, diagnosis or suspected disease, laboratory information, exposure details and facility contact information available as applicable.
The county program works under New Jersey reportable-disease rules and coordinates with NJDOH when an outbreak or investigation requires state reporting.
Bergen County TB testing and case-management rules
The Bergen County TB Control Program is a specialized public-health program, not a general on-demand testing clinic. It manages suspected and confirmed TB disease, exposed contacts and selected referrals from physicians, schools and immigration/refugee health processes.
Confirmed or suspected TB cases, contacts to active cases, people with qualifying abnormal chest X-rays, selected immigrants/refugees and students who meet state screening criteria.
TB skin tests or blood testing when medically indicated, clinical evaluation, case management, treatment support and transportation associated with the county TB program.
BCDHS explicitly says routine TB testing for employment, college, technical-school or vocational-school requirements is not available through this county program.
Restaurant inspections, private wells, nuisance complaints and food safety
BCDHS Consumer Health is staffed by Registered Environmental Health Specialists. The program performs inspections, plan reviews, complaint investigations and emergency environmental-health work for county government and participating municipalities that contract with the County.
Routine inspections, reinspections, pre-operational inspections, complaint investigations and foodborne-illness investigation support.
Consumer Health oversees selected private-well installation, abandonment and potable-water quality functions.
The department can investigate qualifying sewage, wastewater and other environmental-health complaints within its jurisdiction.
Environmental-health complaint phone
The REHS Duty Officer line is 201-634-2730. The County says the program responds to public-health emergencies including fires, power outages, sewage backups and flooding, with emergency-response coverage available around the clock.
Food Handler and Food Manager classes
Bergen County offers Food Handler and six-session Food Manager courses, with virtual and in-person offerings. Registration is required. The Food Safety Program lists 201-634-2782 for program questions.
Bergen County WIC is a separate partner program
Do not go to One Bergen County Plaza expecting a BCDHS WIC intake desk. New Jersey’s official WIC directory lists the Saint Joseph Medical Center WIC Program as the Bergen County local agency, with several satellite locations around the county.
| WIC site | Location | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Hackensack | Hackensack Department of Health location | 973-754-4575 |
| Teaneck | St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 118 Chadwick Road | 973-754-4575 |
| Englewood | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 113 Engle Street | 973-754-4575 |
| Bergenfield | Bergenfield Department of Health, 198 N. Washington Avenue | 973-754-4575 |
| Ramsey | St. John’s Episcopal Church, 301 East Main Street | 973-754-4575 |
Bergen County vital records do not come from one county health counter
New Jersey vital records are handled through the New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics and Registry and local municipal registrars. The correct local office depends on where the birth, death, marriage, civil union or domestic partnership was recorded.
For a local copy, start with the registrar in the municipality where the event was recorded.
Certified records require identity documentation and, in many cases, proof of relationship to the person named on the record.
New Jersey asks for the full name, event location, event date and other identifying information depending on the record type.
Municipal fees can vary. The state currently lists $25 for the initial state search and one certified copy, plus $2 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time.
Bergen County Animal Services, bites and free rabies clinics
Bergen County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center is part of the Department of Health Services and operates from 100 United Lane, Teterboro, NJ 07608. Animal Control provides contracted municipal service and public-health support for rabies and bite cases.
Call 201-229-4600 for shelter services, adoption questions and rabies-clinic appointments.
Call 201-229-4616 for contracted-town animal-control service. The County says this line operates 24/7, 365 days a year.
Consumer Health lists 201-634-2730 for bite and rabies exposure reporting, with local police used for emergencies.
Free rabies clinic
The Animal Shelter provides free rabies vaccination clinics for New Jersey residents. Current County guidance says clinics are held twice a month, every other Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and are appointment-only.
County behavioral-health and addiction-service routing
The Division of Mental Health & Addiction Services coordinates county behavioral-health planning, prevention initiatives, Municipal Alliances, advisory groups and other community-system functions. It is separate from an emergency psychiatric department and should not replace 911 or crisis services when someone is in immediate danger.
The division coordinates county planning, stakeholder groups and community mental-health initiatives.
County services include prevention, recovery and Municipal Alliance support tied to substance-use prevention and treatment systems.
Call 201-634-2745 for division routing and non-emergency program questions.
Which Bergen County health route should you use?
Use Communicable Disease Control at 201-634-2657.
The county TB program says routine employment/school testing is not provided. Use a medical provider or urgent-care clinic.
Call BCDHS Consumer Health only if the County serves that municipality; otherwise the local health department may have jurisdiction.
Call the Bergen County Saint Joseph Medical Center WIC Program at 973-754-4575 and confirm the current clinic site.
Use the municipal registrar where the event was recorded or the New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics—not the general BCDHS office.
Use the Bergen County Animal Shelter rabies clinic. Appointment registration is required.
What to have ready before you call Bergen County Health Services
Official Bergen County and New Jersey public-health links
Bergen County Health Department FAQs
What is the Bergen County Health Department phone number?
The main Bergen County Department of Health Services phone number is 201-634-2600.
Where is the Bergen County Department of Health Services?
The main office is at One Bergen County Plaza, 4th Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601-7076.
What is the Bergen County communicable-disease phone number?
BCDHS lists 201-634-2657 for its Communicable Disease Control & Prevention Program.
Can I walk into Bergen County for a work TB test?
No. The Bergen County TB program says routine testing for employment, college, technical-school and vocational-school purposes is not provided through the program, and it does not accept walk-ins for routine testing.
Who handles restaurant inspections in Bergen County?
BCDHS Consumer Health provides inspections for county government and participating municipalities under public-health service contracts. Other municipalities may have their own health department or regional arrangement.
What is the Bergen County environmental-health complaint number?
The BCDHS REHS Duty Officer line is 201-634-2730 for qualifying environmental-health complaints and animal-bite/exposure reporting.
Does Bergen County Health Services run WIC?
The New Jersey WIC directory lists the Saint Joseph Medical Center WIC Program as the Bergen County local WIC agency, with several satellite sites and phone 973-754-4575.
Where do I get a Bergen County birth certificate?
Birth, death and marriage records are ordered through the New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics or the appropriate municipal registrar. There is not one general Bergen County Health Services certificate counter for every municipality.
Does Bergen County offer free rabies vaccines?
Yes. The Bergen County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center offers free rabies vaccination clinics for New Jersey residents. The clinics are appointment-only.
What is the Bergen County Animal Control phone number?
Bergen County Animal Control can be reached at 201-229-4616 for municipalities covered by the County’s animal-control contracts.