Requirements
Nursing home generator requirements, and the homes cited for them
2,165 nursing homes were cited under the generator rule (K918) in inspections from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026.
Data: CMS's Oct 2026 file, released Oct 28, 2026. Next file due Dec 2, 2026.
Public government records · No patient data · Every row links to the source
One load-bank test on a 125–200 kW set ($900–1,500) covers 3½ to 6 months at list price. Price guide
The requirements in one paragraph
Under CMS's Life Safety Code tag K918, a nursing home's generator (or other alternate power source) must be able to supply power within 10 seconds. Generator sets are inspected weekly, run under load for 30 minutes 12 times a year at 20 to 40 day intervals, and run for 4 continuous hours once every 36 months, with maintenance and testing to NFPA 110 and written records kept (Form CMS-2786R, page 42). Federal law says each skilled nursing facility "shall be subject to a standard survey not later than 15 months after the date of the previous standard survey", and that the statewide average interval "shall not exceed 12 months" (42 U.S.C. 1395i-3(g)(2)(A)(iii)). In CMS's Oct 2026 file, released Oct 28, 2026, 2,165 nursing homes were cited under K918 in inspections from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026.
K918 testing requirements, word for word
K918 Electrical Systems – Essential Electric System Maintenance and Testing
The generator or other alternate power source and associated equipment is capable of supplying service within 10 seconds. If the 10-second criterion is not met during the monthly test, a process shall be provided to annually confirm this capability for the life safety and critical branches. Maintenance and testing of the generator and transfer switches are performed in accordance with NFPA 110.
Generator sets are inspected weekly, exercised under load 30 minutes 12 times a year in 20-40 day intervals, and exercised once every 36 months for 4 continuous hours. Scheduled test under load conditions include a complete simulated cold start and automatic or manual transfer of all EES loads, and are conducted by competent personnel. [...] Written records of maintenance and testing are maintained and readily available. [...]
6.4.4, 6.5.4, 6.6.4 (NFPA 99), NFPA 110, NFPA 111, 700.10 (NFPA 70)
How often homes are inspected
The interval quoted above is the Medicare rule. The Medicaid rule for nursing facilities sets the same 15 and 12 months (42 U.S.C. 1396r(g)(2)(A)(iii)).
K918 is cited at fire-safety inspections, and CMS's Inspection Dates file shows each home's last one. Inspections reach CMS's files after they happen: the Oct 2026 fire-safety file was processed Oct 1, 2026, and the newest inspection in it is dated Sep 23, 2026. So the date it shows can be older than the real one. No CMS file says when the next inspection will be, so we never guess at one.
Why homes get cited under K918
An inspector can cite K918 for any part of the rule: the 10-second start, the weekly inspection, the monthly load test, the 4-hour test every 36 months, or the written records. CMS's public file shows the tag, not which part the inspector found.
58% of the homes cited (1,264 of 2,165) had also been cited under K918 at an earlier inspection in CMS's file. An earlier citation counts only if it was not disputed.
Offer the next test, not a fix
94% of K918 citations (2,050 of 2,178) say "Deficient, Provider has date of correction". The date of correction is the fix date the home reports.
So the useful offer is the next monthly load test, the 4-hour test due every 36 months, or a maintenance agreement that keeps the written records ready.
Counts: K918 citations at inspections dated Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 17, 2026 in CMS's Fire Safety Deficiencies file, Oct 2026 release (released Oct 28, 2026; next file due Dec 2, 2026).
What it costs
$249/month per territory. Founding firms: $149/month, locked for 12 months.
A territory is one shop, one trade and one radius: 25, 60 or 100 miles, same price. Founding price for the first 20 firms, then the list price. Month to month, no contract.
One load-bank test on a 125–200 kW set ($900–1,500) covers 3½ to 6 months at list price. Source: onpointgen.com price guide, May 23, 2026
14 days free, no card. When the trial ends without a plan, export locks and your data stays readable.
What a citation does not prove
It shows an inspector cited the home under K918 on that date. It does not prove that the generator would not start, or that the issue is still open. Where the data comes from
Questions buyers ask
Do nursing homes have to have a backup generator?
The federal rule for nursing homes in Medicare and Medicaid (42 CFR 483.73(e)) says: "The LTC facility must implement emergency and standby power systems based on the emergency plan set forth in paragraph (a) of this section." On testing, it says: "The LTC facility must implement the emergency power system inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements found in the Health Care Facilities Code, NFPA 110, and Life Safety Code."
At the fire-safety inspection, K918 asks: "The generator or other alternate power source and associated equipment is capable of supplying service within 10 seconds." It also sets the weekly, monthly and 36-month tests quoted on this page.
What does a K918 citation tell you?
That an inspector cited the home under the generator rule, not which part was found. K918 covers the generator's start and its tests and written records, so the generator itself, a missed or unrecorded monthly load test, or no record of the 4-hour test can each lead to a citation. CMS's public file shows the tag only.
94% of K918 citations in inspections from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 (2,050 of 2,178) say "Deficient, Provider has date of correction", which means the home has reported a correction date. We show the status exactly as CMS lists it.
Source: CMS Fire Safety Deficiencies (ifjz-ge4w), Oct 2026 file: 2,050 of 2,178 K918 rows, inspections Oct 2025 to Sep 2026; waiver, Fire Safety Evaluation Survey and "No revisit needed" rows left out.
Do you cover hospitals or assisted living?
No. Only Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing homes are in CMS's file. When CMS's hospital file lists the same street address, the card says so, because the generator and fire systems there may be the hospital's.
See the cited homes near your shop
Type your ZIP at the top of the page, or open the Los Angeles sample. 14 days free, no card.