Emergency plan rules in California
3 licence types researched, regulated by California Dept. of Public Health — Licensing & Certification. Every requirement below carries the rule that imposes it.
Skilled nursing facility
Licensed in California as Skilled Nursing Facility, by California Dept. of Public Health — Licensing & Certification.
Cal. Health & Safety Code (AB 2511, 2022) — skilled nursing facility backup power
California requires a skilled nursing facility to have an alternative source of power sufficient to protect resident health and safety for no fewer than 96 hours during any type of power outage. It must support temperature-control equipment, life-saving equipment and oxygen-generating devices. Acceptable sources include onsite generation or storage — fuel generators, large-capacity batteries, or renewable generation; battery-based systems must carry the full 96 hours of storage or generation capacity.
California AB 2511 (2022)The original compliance date of 1 January 2024 was moved to 1 January 2026, and a Department of Health Care Services trailer-bill proposal to suspend the requirement has been circulated. Confirm the operative date and whether the requirement is currently in force before planning capital spend around it.
AB 2511 as amended; DHCS trailer bill fact sheet — not yet confirmed against primary text- mandate[1] — Confirm the current statutory deadline and the outcome of the DHCS suspension proposal with CDPH Licensing & Certification. Status as of July 2026 not established.
Reviewed 2026-07-30
Adult day center
Licensed in California as Adult Day Program, by California Dept. of Social Services — Community Care Licensing.
22 CCR §82023
Disaster drills at least every six months.
That matches the most common figure across the states we have confirmed.
Reviewed 2026-07-30
Assisted living / residential care
Licensed in California as Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE), by California Dept. of Social Services — Community Care Licensing.
Cal. Health & Safety Code §1569.695; 22 CCR §87212 (Emergency Disaster Plan)
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.
That matches the most common figure across the states we have confirmed.
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.
Authority: On request to residents, responsible parties, the local long-term care ombudsman and local emergency responders
LIC 610E — California prescribes its own form — LIC 610E, Emergency and Disaster Plan for Residential Facilities — and requires the plan to contain every element on it. Complete that form; this document supplements it and does not replace it. (Adult residential facilities use the sibling form LIC 610D.)
The disaster and mass casualty plan must be in writing and readily available, and must include designation of administrative authority and staff assignments; supervision of residents during evacuation or relocation; contact after relocation to confirm the relocation completed as planned; and the means of contacting local agencies — fire department, law enforcement, civil defense and other disaster authorities.
22 CCR §87212- The varying-scenario rule is the one most often missed: four fire drills a year does not satisfy California. The emergency type has to change each quarter.
Reviewed 2026-07-30
What this page is
The requirements California places on a facility emergency preparedness plan, taken from the state’s own rules rather than a national template. Where we have confirmed something against primary text it is stated plainly; where we have not, it says so and names what to check. Nothing here is inferred from what other states do.
The part that is the same everywhere
The federal floor does not vary by state. OSHA 29 CFR §1910.38 binds any employer: reporting an emergency, evacuation and exit-route assignments, critical-operations shutdown, accounting for everyone afterwards, rescue and medical duties, and naming who to ask about the plan. That layer, plus the exit-route, alarm and first-aid rules and the fire code’s plan structure, is covered in the main crash course rather than repeated on all fifty state pages.
Write the plan
The Emergency Plan Builder produces the document itself and is driven by this same research, so the two cannot disagree about what California requires. The Compliance Calendar puts the drills and inspections on dates.