How often are fire drills required in New Jersey?

New Jersey fire drill log

At least one emergency-plan drill EVERY MONTH — twelve a year — rotated so that four drills fall on each working shift annually. At least one of the twelve must cover a non-fire disaster: storm, flood, other natural disaster, bomb threat or nuclear accident.

The building

New Jersey requirements loaded — the rules below are New Jersey’s own.

Facility name *Year

Address

State *

How many shifts does this building run? *New Jersey’s rule counts drills per shift, so this is the difference between “three drills done” and “all three shifts covered”. Saved to your facility, so nothing else asks again.

New Jersey — Assisted Living Residence / Comprehensive Personal Care Home: At least one emergency-plan drill EVERY MONTH — twelve a year — rotated so that four drills fall on each working shift annually. At least one of the twelve must cover a non-fire disaster: storm, flood, other natural disaster, bomb threat or nuclear accident.N.J.A.C. 8:36; drills and tests at N.J.A.C. 8:36-14.3 · New Jersey Department of Health · checked Jul 2026

Your target for the year

36 drills this year. 12 per shift × 3 shifts = 36 a year.

We assumed three shifts, since this licence is staffed around the clock. Change it below if that is wrong.

Worked out from New Jersey Department of Health's rule as we have it recorded. Confirm it against your licence before you rely on it — then leave the box below empty and we will keep using this number.

Use a different number instead

0 of 36 logged, 36 to go.

The drills

One row per drill. Vary the time of day and the scenario — most states require it explicitly, and a log showing four drills all at 10am on a Tuesday is the first thing a surveyor notices.

DateTimeShiftAnnounced?

ScenarioClear / accounted (min)StaffResidents

What went wrongWhat was done about itConducted by

What New Jersey requires

Assisted Living Residence / Comprehensive Personal Care Home — Assisted living / residential care

N.J.A.C. 8:36; drills and tests at N.J.A.C. 8:36-14.3 · New Jersey Department of Health · N.J.A.C. 8:36-14.3 · checked July 2026

Filling it in so it survives a survey

Vary the time and the scenario between drills — most 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Same state, the problems either side of this one. Each carries its own statute and the date we last checked it.

General information, not legal advice, and not a compliance determination. CompliMaint issues nothing — New Jersey’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.