Licensee must allow Community Care Licensing inspectors unrestricted access to the facility, records, and children at any time during operating hours.
Use the evidence list above as a daily-walk-through checklist. Most 1597.16(a)(1) citations come from documentation gaps that surface during routine inspection — not surprise findings. Build the habit of capturing evidence (signed forms, dated logs, training records) and most of these go away.
All 12 most-cited rules in California with corrective-action templates and severity breakdowns. PDF emailed instantly.
Licensee must allow Community Care Licensing inspectors unrestricted access to the facility, records, and children at any time during operating hours.
Inspectors typically check for: Inspector denied entry during unannounced visit; Records not made available during inspection; Licensee not present and no designated representative available; Photo/observation of children blocked; Refusal to allow private staff/child interview.
1597.16(a)(1) is the #4 most-cited rule in California, with 1,259 lifetime citations across CA DSS inspections — at least 971 distinct facilities have been cited for this rule.
High severity. High-severity citations weigh heavily in licensing decisions and can trigger inspections, probation, or adverse action.
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