The Education Code and Title 5 Regulations clearly lay out the requirements for faculty members hired to teach courses and perform other services in the California Community Colleges. Since passage of the Community College Reform Act (AB 1725) in 1988, faculty have had the primary role in determining who is hired to their ranks and specifically which courses each faculty is qualified to teach. This paper explains the various roles faculty play in this area. It outlines the duties of the statewide Academic Senate in determining minimum qualifications for faculty in disciplines and support services expressed in the Disciplines List. It also explains two important responsibilities of local academic senates: (1) developing policies and practices for determining equivalencies when applicants do not possess the exact minimum qualifications for hire specified by the Disciplines List, and (2) placing each course the college offers (except for not-for-credit) in a discipline. Finally, it explains the ways by which Faculty Service Areas (FSAs) are established by the governing board and the bargaining agent, in consultation with the local academic senate, and how these may affect "competency" to teach particular courses. Appended are: (1) Education Code Sections on Minimum Qualifications; and (2) Single Course Equivalencies. (Contains 3 footnotes.)