Department of Health- Temporary Worker Housing

Updates for the 2027–2028 Agricultural Season

 

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has several updates and reminders to help Temporary Worker Housing  (TWH) operators prepare for the next agricultural season. Please review.

Update: Renewal Applications Will Be Sent in October

Starting this year, DOH will send out TWH renewal notices the first week of October rather than the first week of November.  These notices will be sent by mail in a regular envelope labeled RENEWAL.  

Renewal notices are sent to TWH operators if their TWH was licensed for the 2026-2027 season.

Receiving your renewal notice earlier offers more time for TWH operators to:

• Update, complete, and submit all required renewal licensing documents.
• Correct any issues with your renewal documents before the pre-license inspection.
• Address any TWH issues or corrections that could delay issuance of your new TWH license.

 

If you are receiving this email but have not received your TWH notice by October 9, 2026, or have renewal questions, please email housing@doh.wa.gov.  

Important: Current TWH Licenses Cannot Be Used for the Upcoming 2027-2028 Season

Although your current DOH TWH license remains valid through February 28, 2027, it cannot be used by ESD to approve H-2A housing for the upcoming agricultural season. TWH operators must complete the annual DOH TWH renewal process and obtain a new DOH TWH license before occupancy for the 2027-2028 season

Documents Required for Renewal

The following documents are part of the TWH renewal process. Please review each document and update and submit with your renewal notice if there have been any changes since it was last submitted.

• Communicable Disease Prevention and Response Plan
• Temporary Worker Housing Management Plan

We have also included the TWH Self-Inspection Checklist as a resource to help you prepare for your pre-license inspection.

Reminder: Schedule Your Occupancy Inspection

Please complete your required occupancy inspection before the end of the agricultural season.

• If you have not completed an occupancy inspection, contact your assigned DOH TWH inspector to schedule the visit or email housing@doh.wa.gov
• Your renewal application will not be considered complete until the required occupancy inspection has been conducted.
• If critical violations are and/or were observed from your last inspection, you must correct them and notify your inspector before your renewal application can be processed for the 2027–2028 season.

Update: “Pre-Occupancy Inspection” Is Now a “Pre-License Inspection”

DOH has changed the term “pre-occupancy inspection” to “pre-license inspection”, so inspections can be conducted sooner and during the current agricultural season.

Scheduling your pre-license inspection earlier benefits the TWH operators by:

• Allowing the pre-license inspection while workers are still housed at the facility during the current agricultural season.
• Allows more flexibility to schedule the pre-license inspection between the TWH operator and DOH inspector. Note: Occupancy and pre-license inspections shall not be done simultaneously.
• Additional time to comply or submit any required inspection corrections before the expiration date.
• Additional time for DOH to issue a new TWH license and sooner.
• Additional time for Employment Security Department (ESD) to consider the ETA-790 H-2A housing certification for the following agricultural season.

 

Update: DOH Database Has Changed

Effective July 27, 2026, the DOH TWH Program updated its database to HealthSpace Cloud and the way we communicate with TWH operators with correspondences, inspection reports, and renewal notices.

• The inspection report may look different from what you are used to. We are continuing to make improvements to the report and appreciate your patience as we work through these changes.

 

DOH TWH emails may look like the following examples in your inbox:

Washington Department of Health contact@hscloudsuite.com; or

Washington Department of Health <hscm_wdh0_0c373-35f9-42f2-b2c4298@mailer.hscloudsuite.com

These are legitimate DOH email addresses associated with our new updated database system.

Thank you for your continued partnership in providing safe and healthy housing for Washington’s agricultural workers.