Florida DOH ELCP
Florida environmental lab certification, DOH ELCP and NELAP.
How the Department of Health certifies environmental labs, how DEP’s quality assurance rule ties into it, how out-of-state labs qualify, and what auditors look for in your initial calibrations.
At a glance
How environmental lab certification works in Florida.
The Florida Department of Health certifies environmental labs, and the Department of Environmental Protection’s quality assurance rule relies on that certification. DOH was one of the first accreditation bodies recognized under NELAP, in 1999.
NELAP accreditation body
- Program
- Environmental Laboratory Certification Program (ELCP), Bureau of Public Health Laboratories, Florida Department of Health
- Legal basis
- Chapter 64E-1, Florida Administrative Code, Certification of Environmental Testing Laboratories
- Standard
- The 2016 TNI standard, incorporated effective September 26, 2018 (64E-1.0015), including Module 4, Quality Systems for Chemical Testing, in its 2017 revision (EL-V1M4-2017-Rev2.2)
- Who needs it
- Under DEP’s quality assurance rule, Chapter 62-160, F.A.C., labs generating environmental data for submission to DEP must hold DOH ELCP certification. Exemptions cover certain field tests, internal process control and research. Section 403.0625, Florida Statutes, separately requires domestic wastewater effluent tests submitted to DEP to come from a certified lab.
- Matrices
- Drinking water, non-potable water, solid and chemical materials, biological tissue, and air
- Out-of-state labs
- Reciprocal certification for labs holding accreditation from a NELAP-recognized accreditation body for the requested fields (64E-1.102)
- DEP rule update
- DEP’s revisions to Chapter 62-160 and the DEP SOPs took effect May 20, 2026
The accreditation cycle
The Florida certification cycle.
The steps below summarize Chapter 64E-1, F.A.C.
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Apply by field
Apply for the matrices and fields of accreditation your lab reports, with your quality manual and records.
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Proficiency testing
At least two PT rounds per calendar year, no more than seven months apart, with two of the last three satisfactory (64E-1.106).
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On-site assessment
At least once every two years (64E-1.104).
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Annual expiration
All certifications expire on July 1 of each year (64E-1.107).
Initial calibration
What auditors check in your initial calibrations.
DOH assessors work from the 2016 TNI standard and your methods. DEP’s SOPs add expectations of their own for the data DEP receives.
A range that brackets what you report
The lowest standard should sit at or below your reporting limit and the highest at or above the top concentration you report. Results outside the calibrated range need to be qualified.
Error at the low end, not r² alone
A correlation coefficient of 0.999 can still hide a low standard that back-calculates 30 percent off. Auditors look at relative error, especially at the lowest levels.
Records that rebuild the curve
Raw responses, the model and weighting used, any excluded points with the reason, and the verification that followed. An auditor should be able to reconstruct every initial calibration from the record.
Bracketing, from the DEP side
A Florida DEP field instrument calibration training puts it simply: “All field data must be bracketed by passing calibration or verification data.” The same principle applies to lab results and the calibrated range.
Source: Florida DEP, Instrument Calibration for Status and Trend Network Projects, November 2025
Florida incorporated Module 4 of the TNI standard, Quality Systems for Chemical Testing, in its 2017 revision (EL-V1M4-2017-Rev2.2). That is the part of the standard that covers initial calibration.
Self-check
Are your initial calibrations ready for a Florida assessment?
Tick what your lab could show an auditor today. Nothing you select is saved or sent anywhere.
6Checks to work through
Select each item your lab could show an auditor today.
A self-assessment to help you prepare, not a compliance determination.
Florida specifics
Two departments, one set of data.
In Florida, the Department of Health certifies the lab and the Department of Environmental Protection uses the data. DEP’s quality assurance rule, Chapter 62-160, has required labs generating data for DEP to hold DOH ELCP certification, and DEP’s SOPs set the field and lab practices behind that data.
DEP revised Chapter 62-160 and reissued its SOPs effective May 20, 2026, after a rulemaking that began in 2024. If your lab or your clients’ field teams work to the FS and FT SOPs, check the new versions against your procedures.
For the lab, the practical effect is that the same initial calibration can be reviewed twice: by a DOH assessor against TNI, and by DEP or a client’s data reviewer when the results are used. A record that answers both reviews at once saves time on each.
How WLTR helps
Calibration evidence ready for a DOH assessment or a DEP data review.
WLTR independently reviews the calibration your instrument software produced. Your analyst still makes the final call. What changes is that the evidence is complete, consistent across analysts, and ready before the auditor asks for it.
- Each analyte reviewed one at a time in the instrument software.
- The model and weighting are whatever the batch was processed with.
- r² is the number most people look at, even though it does not measure error at the low end.
- QA signs off without an independent check on the curve.
- Every analyte and every candidate model side by side in the Calibration Intelligence dashboard.
- Diagnostics run automatically and the best fit curve is identified, with the reasons recorded.
- Relative error at every level, including the lowest standard, shown on one screen.
- A traceable record your QA manager can review, sign and hand to a DOH assessor.
See how your own ICAL data looks when every analyte and model is laid out for review.
Questions
Florida accreditation FAQs
Is Florida a NELAP state?
Yes. The Florida Department of Health was one of the first accreditation bodies recognized under NELAP, in 1999, and certifies labs to the 2016 TNI standard.
Do labs reporting to Florida DEP need DOH certification?
DEP’s quality assurance rule, Chapter 62-160, F.A.C., requires labs generating environmental data for submission to DEP to hold DOH ELCP certification, with exemptions for certain field tests, internal process control and research. DEP revised the rule effective May 20, 2026.
How often are Florida labs assessed?
DOH performs an on-site assessment at least once every two years. Labs analyze at least two PT rounds per calendar year, and all certifications expire on July 1 each year.
Can an out-of-state lab be certified in Florida?
Yes, by reciprocal certification, if the lab holds accreditation from a NELAP-recognized accreditation body for the fields it requests.
Which TNI standard does Florida use?
The 2016 TNI standard, incorporated effective September 26, 2018, with Module 4, Quality Systems for Chemical Testing, in its 2017 revision (EL-V1M4-2017-Rev2.2).
Sources
Primary sources for this page.
- Florida DOH, Environmental Laboratory Certification Program (opens in a new tab)
- Chapter 64E-1, F.A.C. (DOH) (opens in a new tab)
- 64E-1.0015, standards incorporated (opens in a new tab)
- Florida DEP, revisions to Chapter 62-160 and DEP SOPs (opens in a new tab)
- Florida DEP, SOPs (opens in a new tab)
- Florida DEP, Instrument Calibration for Status and Trend Network Projects (November 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Section 403.0625, Florida Statutes, environmental laboratory certification (opens in a new tab)
This page summarizes public program information to help labs prepare. Requirements change, and the agency’s current rules and guidance always take precedence. WLTR is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Florida Department of Health. Spot something out of date? Tell us at admin@wltr.tech.
Before your next assessment
See your Florida ICALs the way an assessor will.
Bring a recent initial calibration. We will walk you through every analyte and candidate model in the Calibration Intelligence dashboard, the best fit, and the record your QA manager would sign.
Request a demoHow the methodology works
Running environmental methods? See how WLTR works for environmental testing labs and water and wastewater utility labs.