Cal. HSC § 1538.55
This is the official text of Cal. HSC § 1538.55, part of California’s Health and Safety Code — covers public health, hospitals, controlled substances, and environmental health standards.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
(a) The licensee of an Adult Residential Facility for Persons with Special Health Care Needs (ARFPSHN) or a Group Home for Children with Special Health Care Needs (GHCSHN), licensed pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 1567.50), shall report to the department’s Community Care Licensing Division, within the department’s next working day and to the regional center with whom the ARFPSHN or the GHCSHN contracts, and the State Department of Developmental Services, within 24 hours upon the occurrence of any of the following events:
(1) The death of any client from any cause.
(2) The use of an automated external defibrillator.
(3) Any injury to any client that requires medical treatment.
(4) Any unusual incident that threatens the physical or emotional health or safety of any client.
(5) Any suspected physical or psychological abuse of any client.
(6) Epidemic outbreaks.
(7) Poisonings.
(8) Catastrophes.
(9) Fires or explosions that occur in or on the premises.
(b) The licensee additionally shall submit a written report to the department’s Community Care Licensing Division, the regional center with whom the ARFPSHN or the GHCSHN contracts, and the State Department of Developmental Services within seven days following any event set forth in subdivision (a), and shall include the following:
(1) Client’s name, age, sex, and date of admission.
(2) The date and nature of event.
(3) The attending physician’s name, findings, and treatment, if any.
(4) The disposition of the case.
(c) The department’s Community Care Licensing Division shall notify the State Department of Developmental Services upon its findings of any deficiencies or of possible actions to exclude, pursuant to Section 1558, any individual from an ARFPSHN or a GHCSHN.
(1) The death of any client from any cause.
(2) The use of an automated external defibrillator.
(3) Any injury to any client that requires medical treatment.
(4) Any unusual incident that threatens the physical or emotional health or safety of any client.
(5) Any suspected physical or psychological abuse of any client.
(6) Epidemic outbreaks.
(7) Poisonings.
(8) Catastrophes.
(9) Fires or explosions that occur in or on the premises.
(b) The licensee additionally shall submit a written report to the department’s Community Care Licensing Division, the regional center with whom the ARFPSHN or the GHCSHN contracts, and the State Department of Developmental Services within seven days following any event set forth in subdivision (a), and shall include the following:
(1) Client’s name, age, sex, and date of admission.
(2) The date and nature of event.
(3) The attending physician’s name, findings, and treatment, if any.
(4) The disposition of the case.
(c) The department’s Community Care Licensing Division shall notify the State Department of Developmental Services upon its findings of any deficiencies or of possible actions to exclude, pursuant to Section 1558, any individual from an ARFPSHN or a GHCSHN.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in California?
Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.