SECTION 553.103. Site and Location for all Assisted Living Facilities

(a) Firefighting unit. An assisted living facility must be served by a professional or volunteer firefighting unit and must have a water supply that meets the firefighting unit's requirements and approval.

(b) Correction of hazards. An assisted living facility must correct a site or building condition that HHSC staff identifies to be a fire, health, or physical hazard.

(c) Parking.

(1) An assisted living facility must provide or arrange for nearby parking spaces for the private vehicles of residents and visitors.

(2) An assisted living facility must provide a minimum of one parking space for every four residents in its licensed capacity, and for any fraction thereof, or per local requirements, whichever is more stringent.

(d) Ramps.

(1) An assisted living facility must ensure a ramp, walk, or step is of slip-resistive texture and is uniform, without irregularities.

(2) An assisted living facility must ensure a ramp does not exceed a slope of one foot in 12 feet.

(3) An assisted living facility must ensure any new ramp has a clear width of at least 36 inches. A new ramp is one that was installed or constructed on or after August 31, 2021.

(e) Site conditions. An assisted living facility must provide a guardrail, fence, or handrail where a grade makes an abrupt change in level.

(f) Outside grounds. An assisted living facility must ensure that each outside area, grounds, and any adjacent buildings are maintained in good condition and kept free of rubbish, garbage, and untended growth that may constitute a fire or health hazard.

(g) Drainage. An assisted living facility must ensure site grades provide for water drainage away from structures to prevent ponding or standing water at or near a building, unless the ponding or standing water is part of an approved drainage system intended to hold water for a period of time.

(h) 100-year Floodplain. An assisted living facility that applies for an initial license or is initially licensed on or after December 6, 2022, must not be located in a 100-year floodplain, if the facility is located in a county of more than 3.3 million residents.

Source Note: The provisions of this §553.103 adopted to be effective August 31, 2021, 46 TexReg 5189; amended to be effective December 6, 2022, 47 TexReg 7705