Florida assisted living rules: what you must document about each resident

Who these rules cover

Florida licenses assisted living facilities (ALFs) through AHCA. Every ALF holds a standard license. Some also hold specialty licenses: extended congregate care, limited nursing services, or limited mental health. The requirements below apply to all ALFs unless marked ECC.

Memory care is changing. The 2026 Legislature created a separate memory care services license (s. 429.076), which AHCA must write rules for by June 1, 2027. More on that below.⁶

The assessment: an admission decision, not a care-planning form

For a standard ALF resident, Florida's formal "assessment" is a health assessment. A health care practitioner examines the resident face to face:

"A medical examination completed within 60 days before or within 30 days after the individual's admission to a facility pursuant to Section 429.26(5), F.S."Fla. Admin. Code R. 59A-36.006(2)(a)

The exam covers physical and mental status, help needed with daily living, nursing or therapy, diet, medications, and communicable disease. It is recorded on AHCA Form 1823 or the practitioner's form, and missing items must be filled in within 30 days after admission.¹

The preference language sits in the admission decision itself. The statute says the decision "must be based upon an evaluation of the strengths, needs, and preferences of the resident", and the rule repeats it:⁴

"The administrator must base the determination on: a. An assessment of the strengths, needs, and preferences of the individual;"Fla. Admin. Code R. 59A-36.006(1)(a)15.

The rule does not prescribe a form for this assessment or say what "preferences" must cover. It does not mention life history, social history or routines. What it does make clear is that preferences are part of deciding whether your facility is the right place.

Service plans: required for ECC, not for standard residents

A standard ALF license does not require a written individual service plan for every resident. The extended congregate care rule does, and it is where Florida's most person-centered wording lives:

"Within 14 days of receiving services, the extended congregate care administrator or manager must coordinate the development of a written service plan that takes into account the resident's health assessment obtained pursuant to subsection (5); the resident's unique physical, psychological and social needs and preferences;"Fla. Admin. Code R. 59A-36.021(6)(b)

The preliminary ECC plan, done before services start, must include "an appraisal of the resident's unique physical, psychological and social needs and preferences". The plan names service providers, "including family and friends, in keeping with resident preferences", reflects the resident's right to make choices and accept risk, and is reviewed quarterly.³

Activities: Florida's most specific requirement

Resident care standards set a real activities program for every ALF:

"The facility must provide an ongoing activities program. The program must provide diversified individual and group activities in keeping with each resident's needs, abilities, and interests."Fla. Admin. Code R. 59A-36.007(2)(a)

• Resident input: you must consult residents in selecting, planning and scheduling activities, and show it through meetings, a council, a suggestion box, questionnaires or similar.
• Hours: at least 6 days a week and no less than 12 hours a week. Television does not count unless it is a special one-time event.
• Calendar: posted in common areas.

An activities program "in keeping with each resident's ... interests" works best when you have written those interests down.²

Memory care: current rule and the new license

Today, a facility that advertises special care for Alzheimer's disease or related disorders must meet the standards in s. 429.178, including awake staff and this one:

"(2) Offer activities specifically designed for persons who are cognitively impaired."s. 429.178, Florida Statutes

Section 429.178 is set to be repealed once AHCA adopts rules for the new memory care services license. Those rules must cover admission criteria, "the minimum level of care, services, and activities" for memory care residents, training, safety and contracts.⁵⁶ Watch for AHCA's rulemaking; the details of assessment and activities for memory care may change.

What surveyors tend to look for

Going only by what the rules say to document:

• A complete medical examination in the right window, with omitted Form 1823 items filled in within 30 days.
• Evidence that the admission decision considered strengths, needs and preferences.
• A posted calendar with at least 12 hours over 6 days, and proof of resident input into activities.
• For ECC residents, preliminary and 14-day service plans addressing social needs and preferences, reviewed quarterly.
• For facilities advertising Alzheimer's care, activities designed for cognitively impaired residents.

Gathering preferences and interests well

• Ask open questions early. "Tell me about a job you loved." "What did Sunday look like when you were raising kids?" Answers point to activities a checklist misses.
• Include family, especially for residents with cognitive impairment.
• Record what brings comfort and what to avoid.
• Feed it into the calendar. Florida asks you to consult residents on activities; individual interest notes are good evidence of that.
• Revisit on significant change and at each ECC quarterly review.

How Porchlight can help

Porchlight helps you gather interests, routines and life-story material in the resident's own words. A resident taps one large button on a tablet, a life question is read aloud and shown in large type, and the answer is recorded and transcribed. There are 800+ human-written questions by life chapter; any can be skipped, and nothing is scored. Staff can record profile facts, including topics to avoid, and get a "Know Your Resident" briefing with conversation starters. Family get a private page to listen and reply. Your assessments, service plans and compliance remain your facility's responsibility.

Frequently asked questions

Does Florida require assisted living facilities to assess resident preferences?

Yes, as part of admission. Fla. Admin. Code R. 59A-36.006 requires the administrator to base the admission decision on an assessment of the strengths, needs, and preferences of the individual. Florida does not prescribe a form for it or require a life history.

When is AHCA Form 1823 due?

The medical examination must be completed within 60 days before or within 30 days after admission, on AHCA Form 1823 or the practitioner's own form. A new exam is required at least every 3 years or after a significant change.

How many hours of activities must a Florida ALF offer?

Scheduled activities must be available at least 6 days a week for a total of at least 12 hours per week, in keeping with each resident's needs, abilities and interests. Watching television does not count unless it is a special one-time event.

Do all Florida assisted living residents need a service plan?

Not under the standard license rules. Residents receiving extended congregate care services need a preliminary service plan before services begin and a written service plan within 14 days, reviewed quarterly.

What are Florida's memory care rules for assisted living?

A facility advertising Alzheimer's special care must offer activities designed for cognitively impaired residents under s. 429.178. The 2026 Legislature created a memory care services license, and AHCA must adopt rules for it by June 1, 2027.