California fire drill log
Fire drill frequency in California depends on the license you hold — 2 classes are researched below, each with its own rule and citation.
What California requires
Disaster drills at least every six months.
22 CCR §82023 · California Dept. of Social Services — Community Care Licensing · 22 CCR §82023 · checked July 2026A drill at least quarterly for each shift, and the type of emergency covered must VARY from quarter to quarter. Actual evacuation of residents is not required and residents may not be compelled to participate. Documentation must record the date, the type of emergency drilled, and the names of the staff who took part.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1569.695; 22 CCR §87212 (Emergency Disaster Plan) · California Dept. of Social Services — Community Care Licensing · Cal. Health & Safety Code §1569.695(c) · checked July 2026Who to notify: California does not file the plan with a single agency — it imposes a DISTRIBUTION duty instead. The written plan must be made available on request to residents onsite, any responsible party for a resident, the local long-term care ombudsman, and local emergency responders. The plan is also subject to review by the Department. Local-authority review is encouraged but not required. (On request to residents, responsible parties, the local long-term care ombudsman and local emergency responders)State form: LIC 610ECalifornia licenses other facility classes whose drill frequency we have not confirmed against a primary source — including Skilled Nursing Facility. Those are deliberately absent from the tool rather than filled with a national default. Ask the California agency that licenses you for the class you hold, and read the rule above only against the license it names.
Filling it in so it survives a survey
Vary the time and the scenario between drills — many states require it in terms, and a log showing every drill at 10am on a Tuesday is the first thing an experienced surveyor picks out. Record what went wrong and the date it was fixed: a run of flawless drills reads as a log nobody actually ran, and the corrective action is the part that shows the drill was worth holding.
The plan behind the drills
A drill tests a plan. Everything California requires of that plan — filing, prescribed forms, retention — sits alongside this, and the emergency plan builder writes it from the same research, so the two cannot disagree.
Everything else we’ve researched about California
Same state, the problems either side of this one. Each carries its own statute and the date we last checked it.
- California deposit return law & letterThe landlord's deadline to return a deposit, and the itemized letter.
- California deposit demand letterFor the tenant: whether the landlord is late, and by how many days.
- California deposit deduction rulesWhat may fairly come out of a deposit, prorated by useful life.
General information, not legal advice, and not a compliance determination. CompliMaint issues nothing — California’s licensing agency and your authority having jurisdiction do. The rule above is cited and dated to when we last checked it; verify it before you rely on it.
Questions people ask
- How often are fire drills required in California?
- Adult Day Program: Disaster drills at least every six months. Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE): A drill at least quarterly for each shift, and the type of emergency covered must VARY from quarter to quarter. Actual evacuation of residents is not required and residents may not be compelled to participate. Documentation must record the date, the type of emergency drilled, and the names of the staff who took part. Source: California Dept. of Social Services — Community Care Licensing. Last checked July 2026.
- Who do I notify about fire drills in California?
- Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE): California does not file the plan with a single agency — it imposes a DISTRIBUTION duty instead. The written plan must be made available on request to residents onsite, any responsible party for a resident, the local long-term care ombudsman, and local emergency responders. The plan is also subject to review by the Department. Local-authority review is encouraged but not required. (On request to residents, responsible parties, the local long-term care ombudsman and local emergency responders)
- How long must California fire drill records be kept?