Emergency plan rules in North Carolina
One license type researched, regulated by North Carolina DHHS — Division of Health Service Regulation. Every requirement below carries the rule that imposes it.
Assisted living / residential care
Licensed in North Carolina as Adult Care Home, by North Carolina DHHS — Division of Health Service Regulation.
10A NCAC 13F .0309 (fire safety and emergency preparedness plans)
Unannounced fire drills of the fire plan, quarterly on each shift, in accordance with the requirements of the local fire prevention code enforcement official. Separately, at least one drill a year tests the emergency preparedness plan; it may be a tabletop exercise led by the administrator.
That matches the most common figure across the states we have confirmed.
The emergency preparedness plan is submitted to the local emergency management agency and to the local agency designated to coordinate functional needs support services in shelters during disasters. Newly licensed facilities and facilities that have changed ownership submit it within 30 days after obtaining the new license. The plan is reviewed at least annually, updated as needed and submitted to both agencies; any change is submitted within 60 days of the change. The facility keeps documentation of the local emergency management agency's written approval of the plan, or proof of submission.
Authority: Local emergency management agency; and the local agency designated to coordinate functional needs support services in shelters during disasters
Cadence: Within 30 days after obtaining a new license (new facility or change of ownership); at least annually; changes within 60 days
The facility must have a written fire evacuation plan that includes a diagram of the evacuation or egress routes and carries the written approval of the local fire code enforcement official. The approved diagram must be legible and posted on each floor, in a location visible to staff, residents and visitors.
10A NCAC 13F .0309(a)The emergency preparedness plan must address weather events including hurricanes, tornadoes and ice storms; fires; utility failures; equipment failures; interruptions in communication; communicable diseases; intruders and active assailants; and other identified threats. It must also identify residents with specialized needs, such as Alzheimer's disease, mobility limitations, dialysis or oxygen.
10A NCAC 13F .0309(d)Any evacuation must be reported to the local emergency management agency, the county department of social services and the DHSR Adult Care Licensure Section within 4 hours of the decision to evacuate, or as soon as practicable. The same agencies must be notified within 4 hours of residents' return. Residents do not return after an ordered evacuation until local building or public health officials approve.
10A NCAC 13F .0309Damage to the facility that disrupts resident care must be reported to the DHSR Construction Section within 4 hours, or as soon as practicable.
10A NCAC 13F .0309When the fire alarm or sprinkler system is out of service, the facility must immediately notify the fire department, the fire marshal and the DHSR Construction Section, conduct a fire watch if the fire marshal requires one, document it, and notify the Construction Section when it ends.
10A NCAC 13F .0309A facility that shelters evacuees or temporarily exceeds its licensed capacity during an emergency must request a waiver from DHSR before accepting the residents, or no later than 48 hours after.
G.S. 131D-7; 10A NCAC 13F .0309Staff are trained on their roles in the emergency preparedness plan upon employment and annually. The fire evacuation plan is reviewed with each resident at admission and included in all new-staff orientation.
10A NCAC 13F .0309(a), (j)- Family care homes (2 to 6 residents) are licensed under 10A NCAC 13G, not 13F. Their parallel rule is 10A NCAC 13G .0316, which requires at least four unannounced fire drills every year on each shift.
Reviewed 2026-09-28
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Everything else we’ve researched about North Carolina
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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina. The Compliance Calendar puts the drills and inspections on dates.