Emergency plan rules in Louisiana
One license type researched, regulated by Louisiana Department of Health — Health Standards Section. Every requirement below carries the rule that imposes it.
Skilled nursing facility
Licensed in Louisiana as Nursing Facility, by Louisiana Department of Health — Health Standards Section.
La. R.S. 40:2009.25 (nursing facility emergency preparedness plans); LAC 48:I.9767 (emergency preparedness); LAC 48:I.9911 (emergency electrical power)
The full plan, signed by the owner or designee and the administrator, is submitted electronically to LDH for approval. LDH sends it for review to the Office of State Fire Marshal, GOHSEP, DOTD, LERN and the parish office of emergency preparedness of the facility and of each evacuation site, then issues approval or rejection by May 15; the facility sends the approved plan and approval letter (or the rejection letter) to the State Fire Marshal and the local office of emergency preparedness by May 31. After that, the facility reviews the plan by October 31 each year and by November 1 files either an attestation of no changes (to the parish offices of emergency preparedness for the facility and each sheltering or evacuation site, the State Fire Marshal and LDH) or the full revised plan with LDH. An attestation may be used for at most 4 consecutive years. On rejection, LDH may revoke or deny renewal of the license.
Authority: Louisiana Department of Health (approval); Office of State Fire Marshal and the parish office(s) of emergency preparedness (copies and attestations)
Cadence: Annual review by October 31; attestation of no changes or full revised plan by November 1
Louisiana Model Nursing Home Emergency Plan — The facility's emergency preparedness plan must conform to "the format and specifications and the licensing regulations promulgated herein (see the Louisiana Model Nursing Home Emergency Plan)." LDH publishes the model plan on its nursing home emergency preparedness page.
Before the fifteenth day of each month, enter the facility's operational status, current census and licensed beds, emergency contact and evacuation location(s), and evacuation transportation needs by type into the department's current emergency preparedness webpage or electronic database. LDH's guidance names this system Mstat / the ESF-8 Portal.
LAC 48:I.9767.EThroughout an emergency declaration, file the electronic report as the department requires, and at least daily. After the event, provide a written summary when the department requests one.
LAC 48:I.9767.E, .HThe shelter-in-place plan and the evacuation plan must each be activated at least once a year, either in response to an emergency or in a planned drill.
LAC 48:I.9767.A.3Seven days of necessary supplies must be on hand for the duration of a shelter in place, including drinking water or fluids of at least one gallon per person per day, water for sanitation of at least three gallons per person per day, non-perishable food including special diets, medications and medical supplies, and hygiene supplies.
LAC 48:I.9767.C.1.p.iWhen the facility evacuates, give the Health Standards Section immediate written notice, give the office of emergency preparedness of the evacuation site's parish the required information within one hour of the decision to evacuate, and notify residents' families as far in advance as possible and at least within 12 hours. A decision to evacuate to a nonlicensed sheltering site must be reported to LDH within one hour.
LAC 48:I.9767.F; La. R.S. 40:2009.25(H)(2)(d)The plan must include a shelter-in-place plan and an evacuation plan; primary and secondary evacuation sites verified by contract or written agreement; proof of transportation or a transportation contract; evacuation staffing patterns with staff contact information; and provisions for emergency electrical power when primary power is lost but evacuation is not required. The rule adds Red/Yellow/Green transport classification, identification attached to each resident, licensed nursing staff on any vehicle carrying 15 or more residents, a site risk assessment, and procedures for preventing and treating heat-related illness when air conditioning fails or is lacking.
La. R.S. 40:2009.25(C)(2); LAC 48:I.9767.CLAC 48:I.9911 sets the loads the generator must carry, a minimum share of air conditioning and heating on generator power, and a minimum fuel supply at full load, with different figures for facilities approved before and on or after August 1, 2022. The exact figures have not been confirmed word for word.
LAC 48:I.9911 — not yet confirmed against primary text- The plan requirement is statewide: La. R.S. 40:2009.25(C)(1) and (D)(1) together list all 64 parishes, so every Louisiana nursing facility submits its full plan to LDH for approval. Only the first-cycle dates differed between the two parish groups.
- mandate[6] — Open LAC 48:I.9911 in the Louisiana Register final rule (LR 49:1075, June 20, 2023) at https://ldh.la.gov/assets/medicaid/hss/docs/NH/NH_Regulations/LAC_48.I._Chapter_97._Nursing_Facilities_Final_Rule_6.20.23.pdf and copy verbatim the HVAC percentages, fuel hours, the August 1, 2022 approval-date split and the compliance date; then check the current LAC Title 48 for any amendment to §9911 after June 2023.
Reviewed 2026-09-28
What this page is
The requirements Louisiana 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 Louisiana. The Compliance Calendar puts the drills and inspections on dates.