These are called electrostatic boundary conditions. They apply at boundaries between different areas, such as a surface charge density $\sigma$. The electric field is a vector and thus can be resolved into the tangential and normal components. It states that the tangential component (component parallel to the surface) of the electric field is continuous across the surface charge while the normal component (component perpendicular to the surface) changes by an amount $\frac{\sigma}{\epsilon_0}$ from one side of the surface charge to another.
Here's a quick derivation. Consider an infinite plane with surface charge density $\sigma$. Using a Gaussian pillbox, we can see that the electric field is $\frac{\sigma}{2\epsilon_0} \hat n$ above and $-\frac{\sigma}{2\epsilon_0} \hat n$ below, where $\hat n$ is a unit vector perpendicular to the surface. Notice that the tangential component is zero and thus remains unaffected. (Even if the surface charge is not an infinite plane, it can be treated as one if you go close enough. We are only interested in the field just above and below the surface charge.) Thus, the difference in the normal component above and below the surface is $$\left( \left(\frac{\sigma}{2\epsilon_0}\right) - \left(-\frac{\sigma}{2\epsilon_0}\right) \right)\hat n = \frac{\sigma}{\epsilon_0}\hat n$$ Since electrostatic fields obey the principle of superposition, this holds true for any other electrostatic field above and below the surface charge. By adding a surface charge to a region with an existing electrostatic field, you have added $\frac{\sigma}{2\epsilon_0}$ to the normal component above and $-\frac{\sigma}{2\epsilon_0}$ to the normal component below.