- The Credential at a Glance
- What the Name Tells You
- Who Pursues It and Who Hires for It
- Eligibility Pathways
- The Four Competency Areas
- Exam Format and Delivery
- Fees, Project Sheets and Approval
- Staying Certified: Renewal Rules
- Reading the Published Numbers Carefully
- Reference Materials to Know
- Sequencing Your Preparation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CEICC stands for Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Consultant, awarded by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC).
- The exam has 120 multiple-choice questions, three hours, closed book, with a 75% passing threshold.
- Initial cost is $500 total: a $100 examination fee plus a $400 certification fee.
- Candidates also submit four distinct project sheets, and the award requires unanimous board approval.
The Credential at a Glance
The Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Consultant credential, abbreviated CEICC, is a professional certification administered by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC). It recognizes people who manage infection risks tied to the built environment of healthcare settings, particularly during construction, demolition, and renovation work, when dust, moisture, and disturbed building systems can put vulnerable patients at risk.
This article focuses on that specific credential. The acronym is shared by other, unrelated certifications, so if you are researching eligibility, fees, or exam content, make sure every source you rely on describes the ACAC credential. Our companion pieces on what CEICC stands for and the meaning of CEICC cover the naming question in more depth.
| Attribute | CEICC Detail |
|---|---|
| Certifying body | American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) |
| Testing provider | Kryterion |
| Exam length | 120 multiple-choice questions, three hours, closed book |
| Passing threshold | 75%, set using the Modified Angoff method |
| Delivery | Computer-based test center or secure online video proctoring |
| Initial total cost | $500 ($100 examination + $400 certification) |
| Validity | Two years |
What the Name Tells You
Each word in the title signals something about how the credential works.
- Council-certified: The credential is conferred by a certifying council rather than a university or a trade association. ACAC's process combines an examination with documented field experience.
- Environmental: The emphasis is the physical environment, meaning air handling, barriers, water systems, and the construction activity that disrupts them, rather than direct patient care procedures alone.
- Infection Control: The ultimate goal is preventing healthcare-associated infections, so candidates must understand how pathogens move and which settings are most hazardous.
- Consultant: The title implies advisory competence, including assessing risk, writing and reviewing plans, and communicating with contractors, facilities teams, and clinical leaders.
For a plain-language walkthrough of the term, see What Is CEICC Certification? and What Is A CEICC?, which approach the same question from the holder's perspective.
Who Pursues It and Who Hires for It
The credential sits at the intersection of healthcare facilities work and infection prevention. The people who find it most relevant tend to come from a few backgrounds:
- Infection preventionists who are regularly pulled into capital projects and renovations
- Facilities and construction managers working in hospitals, clinics, and long-term care
- Industrial hygienists and safety professionals who review containment and ventilation controls
- Independent consultants who write or audit infection control risk plans for contractors
- Contractors who want to demonstrate competence when bidding on occupied healthcare projects
Employers in this space include hospital systems, healthcare construction firms, environmental and safety consultancies, and facility management organizations. Because the field is specialized, published job postings that name the credential specifically can be sparse, so treat it as a differentiator rather than a universal requirement. We discuss the employment side in CEICC Jobs, and the economics in the CEICC salary guide and the analysis of whether the certification is worth it.
Eligibility Pathways
ACAC does not use a single entry route. Eligibility combines education with documented field experience, and more schooling shortens the experience requirement.
| Education Level | Qualifying Credits | Documented Field Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Relevant four-year degree | Or equivalent 30 qualifying semester credits | Four years |
| Relevant two-year degree | Or equivalent 15 qualifying credits | Six years |
| High-school diploma or GED | None | Eight years |
There is no mandatory training course, which makes the experience documentation the real gatekeeper. Candidates should begin gathering verifiable records of project involvement early. Our CEICC requirements guide goes deeper on what counts as qualifying credit and experience, and CEICC Training discusses optional preparation resources.
The Four Competency Areas
ACAC's candidate handbook lists four Required Skills competencies, and the optional study guide corroborates them. They are presented without published weightings, and they should not be assumed to be an exhaustive map of every question. Treat them as the organizing framework for your preparation, and see the full breakdown in our CEICC exam domains guide.
Domain 1: Infectious Diseases and Their Modes of Transmission in the Healthcare Setting
This domain builds the biological foundation. Candidates must connect specific pathogens to the routes by which they reach patients, because every later control measure depends on knowing what it is meant to block.
- Airborne, droplet, and contact transmission, and how each differs in practical control needs
- Environmental organisms associated with construction disturbance and water or moisture problems
- Which patient populations are most susceptible and why they change the risk calculation
- How healthcare settings concentrate vulnerable people near building work
Domain 2: Principles of Infection Control During Construction, Demolition and Renovation
This is the distinctive heart of the credential. It addresses how building activity creates and spreads contamination, and how barriers, pressure relationships, and work practices contain it.
- Containment strategies such as physical barriers, negative pressure, and dust control
- Ventilation and air handling considerations when work affects occupied areas
- Traffic routing, cleaning protocols, and handling of debris
- Ventilation design references such as ASHRAE 170, discussed further below
Domain 3: Infection Control Project Management
Knowing the controls is not enough; a consultant must organize them into a plan that contractors and facility teams can execute and that holds up under monitoring.
- Pre-construction risk assessment and how it drives the level of precautions
- Roles, communication, and accountability among clinical, facilities, and contractor staff
- Monitoring, documentation, and corrective action during a project
- Closeout and verification before an area returns to patient use
Domain 4: Effective Infection Control Practices
This domain covers the broader practice standards that support everything else, including worker protection and professional conduct.
- Bloodborne pathogen safeguards, connected to OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030
- Respiratory protection decisions, connected to NIOSH Respirator Selection Logic
- Applying guideline-level recommendations from CDC environmental infection control guidance
- Professional responsibilities under the ACAC Code of Conduct
Key Takeaway
Because the four domains are unweighted in the published materials, do not assume equal emphasis or skip any of them. Domain 2 is where the credential is most distinctive, so build deep, scenario-level fluency there while keeping the other three solid.
Exam Format and Delivery
The examination consists of 120 multiple-choice questions, each with at least four answer choices, administered in a three-hour session. It is closed book, so you cannot bring references into the room or onto the screen. That averages roughly 90 seconds per question, which rewards candidates who recognize standard principles quickly rather than reasoning from scratch each time.
Testing is delivered through Kryterion, either at a computer-based test center or through secure online video proctoring. Results are available immediately upon completion, so you will not wait weeks to learn the outcome. The passing threshold is 75%, established through the Modified Angoff method, a standard-setting process in which subject-matter experts judge how a minimally competent candidate would perform on each item. For a deeper look, read our explainer on the CEICC passing score and the guide to exam dates and scheduling.
Fees, Project Sheets and Approval
The cost structure is straightforward and fully published by ACAC.
| Item | Fee (USD) |
|---|---|
| Examination fee | $100 |
| Certification fee | $400 |
| Initial total | $500 |
| Retake | $100 |
| Renewal | $400 |
The process is not exam-only. Candidates must submit four distinct project sheets along with verification of the work described, which demonstrates applied experience beyond what a multiple-choice test can capture. The award itself requires unanimous board approval, so a passing score is necessary but is not the final step.
One practical wrinkle deserves attention: the current application page allows six months to complete the process, while the handbook states 90 days. These sources disagree, so confirm the applicable deadline directly with ACAC before you start the clock. We break down the full cost picture in the CEICC certification cost guide.
Staying Certified: Renewal Rules
The credential is valid for two years. Renewal requires 40 recertification credits (RCs), made up of 10 for continued field activity and 30 hours of professional development. ACAC may audit these records, so keep documentation organized from the day you are certified rather than reconstructing it at the deadline. The renewal fee is $400.
Reading the Published Numbers Carefully
Candidates often ask about pass rates, and ACAC's published figures need careful interpretation. The 2024 report shows 3 passes from 3 examinations (100%), and 2023 shows 1 from 1 (100%). Those percentages look impressive, but the cohorts are tiny, the reports include retakes and state-license-only examinations, and the figures are not first-attempt success estimates. They should not be used to conclude that the exam is easy or that you are likely to pass.
Similarly, ACAC's December 31, 2025 activity report lists 25 current CEICC certifications. That is a count of current holders, not a measure of how many people sit for the exam in a given year. Together these numbers tell you the credential is small and specialized, which is a useful fact for networking and job-market positioning but a poor basis for estimating difficulty. For context, see our discussion in CEICC pass rate: what the data shows and how hard the CEICC exam is.
Reference Materials to Know
ACAC's materials point to a defined set of reference editions. Knowing which edition is cited helps you avoid studying superseded guidance.
- CDC environmental infection control guideline: the 2003 guideline, updated 2019
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030: the bloodborne pathogens standard
- NIOSH Respirator Selection Logic: the 2004 edition
- ACAC Code of Conduct: governing professional behavior of certificants
- ASHRAE 170-2008: listed in the handbook
The optional study guide, copyright 2020, is useful but is not required, and the credential has no mandatory training course. Pair it with the primary documents above and a consolidated review such as the CEICC cheat sheet. When you are ready to organize your effort, our CEICC study guide lays out a full plan.
Sequencing Your Preparation
Because the domains build on one another, order matters more than volume. The sequence below follows the logic of the credential rather than a generic template.
Transmission foundations (Domain 1)
- Map pathogens to transmission routes and susceptible populations
- Read the CDC environmental infection control guideline's core sections
Construction and renovation principles (Domain 2)
- Work through containment, pressure relationships, and ventilation scenarios
- Review ASHRAE 170 concepts despite the reference discrepancy
Project management (Domain 3)
- Practice risk-assessment logic and documentation expectations
- Connect your four project sheets to real scenarios you can discuss
Practice standards and timed review (Domain 4)
- Review OSHA 1910.1030, NIOSH respirator logic, and the Code of Conduct
- Take full-length, closed-book practice exams at the 120-question, three-hour scale
Why this order? Domain 1 gives you the reason behind every control, Domain 2 applies it to the credential's signature setting, Domain 3 shows how to deliver it through a project, and Domain 4 reinforces the practice standards that tie it together. Finish with timed practice so the closed-book pace feels familiar. You can run realistic drills on the main practice test site.
Frequently Asked Questions
CEICC stands for Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Consultant. The credential is awarded by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) and focuses on infection control in healthcare environments, especially around construction, demolition, and renovation. See What Does CEICC Mean? for more.
The exam has 120 multiple-choice questions, each with at least four answer choices, given over three hours in a closed-book format. The passing threshold is 75%, set using the Modified Angoff method, and results are available immediately after you finish.
The initial total is $500, made up of a $100 examination fee and a $400 certification fee. A retake costs $100, and renewal costs $400. Confirm current figures on the ACAC fees page before you apply.
No. There is no mandatory training course. Instead, eligibility depends on a combination of education and documented field experience, plus four distinct project sheets with verification. An optional study guide is available for preparation.
The credential is valid for two years. Renewal requires 40 recertification credits, comprising 10 for continued field activity and 30 hours of professional development, with records subject to audit. Because the credential page describes 20 professional-development hours annually, confirm the exact reporting expectations with ACAC when planning.
For a wider orientation to the credential, you can also revisit CEICC Certification and What Is CEICC?, or start building readiness with a full-length run on the CEICC Exam Prep practice tests.