Emergency plan rules in Colorado
One license type researched, regulated by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Every requirement below carries the rule that imposes it.
Assisted living / residential care
Licensed in Colorado as Assisted Living Residence, by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
6 CCR 1011-1 Chapter 7 Part 10 (emergency preparedness, §§ 10.1–10.12), §§ 5.2–5.3 (relocation and occurrence notice), §§ 7.9, 8.6–8.7 (emergency training, first aid and CPR coverage); Chapter 2 § 4.2.2 (occurrence reporting)
Identify the residence's highest potential risk and hold routine drills so staff and residents can respond to that risk. Document each drill in writing. The rule sets no annual count and does not require unannounced drills.
The residence must assess its risks, such as fire, gas explosion, power outage, tornado, flood and violence, and follow written policies and procedures that ensure necessary care continues for all residents for at least 72 hours after any emergency, including a long-term power failure. The rule does not set a food, water or medication stock level.
6 CCR 1011-1 Ch. 7 §§ 10.2–10.4Keep a resident roster with room assignments and emergency contacts, and a facility diagram, readily available. The plan must include written instructions for each risk (including who to notify) available at all times in multiple locations, a building schematic posted in a central location, when and how to evacuate, communication with residents, families and staff, emergency power, medication storage and preservation, staff task assignments on each shift, protection and transfer of health information, and written relocation agreements with other facilities.
6 CCR 1011-1 Ch. 7 §§ 10.1, 10.6(A)–(I)The plan must ensure availability of, or access to, emergency power for essential functions and for all resident-required medical devices or auxiliary aids. The residence must have a battery- or generator-powered alternative lighting system for power failures. The rule does not require a generator.
6 CCR 1011-1 Ch. 7 §§ 10.6(E), 10.12Keep at least one telephone that is not powered by household current. Keep first aid kits with the listed contents, check them regularly, and maintain any AED on site.
6 CCR 1011-1 Ch. 7 §§ 10.7–10.11Staff orientation must cover emergency response: recognizing emergencies, emergency contacts, fire response including evacuation, basic first aid and AED use if applicable. At least one staff member with current first aid certification and one with current CPR certification must be on site at all times.
6 CCR 1011-1 Ch. 7 §§ 7.9(A)(4), 8.6, 8.7Notify CDPHE within 48 hours if one or more residents are relocated because any part of the residence became uninhabitable.
6 CCR 1011-1 Ch. 7 § 5.2Report occurrences to CDPHE within one business day, including a resident who cannot be located after a search and is at risk, or who has been missing for eight hours.
6 CCR 1011-1 Ch. 2 § 4.2.2 (applied by Ch. 7 § 5.3)- Chapter 7 sets no fire-drill count. Buildings must conform to the standards adopted by the Division of Fire Prevention and Control (6 CCR 1011-1 Ch. 2 § 3.2.2), so fire drill duties come from those adopted codes.
Reviewed 2026-09-28
Build a Colorado emergency plan →
Everything else we’ve researched about Colorado
Same state, the problems either side of this one. Each carries its own statute and the date we last checked it.
What this page is
The requirements Colorado 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 layer does not vary by state, and it is narrower than it is usually described. OSHA 29 CFR §1910.38 does not bind every employer on its own — by its applicability paragraph it governs an emergency action plan whenever another OSHA standard requires the employer to have one, and it then settles what that plan must contain. The CMS emergency preparedness rule applies by certified provider type rather than by building. 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. It reads the same research as this page, but it does not yet carry every requirement here into the plan it writes, so check the plan against this page before you rely on it for Colorado. The Compliance Calendar puts the drills and inspections on dates.