All 50 States and the District of Columbia regulate Assisted Living facilities within their borders. When you have a question about what an assisted living residence must do, may do, or can't do, asking the nurse or administrator in the facility won't always get you the most accurate answer.

Your best resource is the state code itself. You will get a definitive answer when you go to the source. It's sometimes very helpful to be able to read out and print the actual regulation when you're trying to advocate for your elder.

Some states have exceptionally well thought out and detailed operating codes. Others are a little light and could probably use some beefing up. The people who enforce these codes and we, the ultimate consumers, have to work with what we've got. Here are links to all the assisted living state regulatory codes as they currently stand. You might find this to be a very interesting exercise:

Assisted Living Codes & Regulations