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This article describes the results of a survey carried out during the years 2003-2004 to determine compliance with requisites to receive the Ministry of Social Protection's certification as decentralized in health in a representative sample of Colombian municipalities. The results are used to evaluate the validity of certification status as an indicator of decentralization and to construct an alternative decentralization scale. The study finds that despite being certified, municipalities do not meet all certification criteria. Although the number of fulfilled requisites seems to be related to certification status, there are no clear cut differences between certified and non certified municipalities in the type of requisites that are met. The proposed scale seems to capture both quantitative and qualitative differences in met requisites. The findings of the survey question whether certification status itself can be used as an indicator that adequately reflects the degree of health decentralization in municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]