Free fire escape plan · California
California runs its own workplace safety program, so most private employers answer to Cal/OSHA’s Title 8 rules rather than federal OSHA, and buildings follow the 2025 California Fire Code. Any floor plan, photo or sketch of a home or workplace can become a free draft with routes to the exits and a meeting point. What follows covers the parts that weigh most in California: buildings near brush, smoke days and earthquakes.
A planning draft, not an inspection or approval. Your city or fire district enforces the fire code locally and may add amendments, so check with them before you post it.
Cal/OSHA and Title 24
California is one of the states with its own OSHA-approved plan. It covers private workplaces, with some exceptions, plus state and local government employers (OSHA).
Since July 1, 1991, “every employer shall establish, implement and maintain an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program” in writing (Title 8 §3203). Your evacuation map and drill notes fit naturally alongside it.
Title 8 §3220 describes a written emergency action plan that covers evacuation procedures and exit route assignments and how everyone is accounted for after leaving. Employers with 10 or fewer employees may share the plan orally (§3220).
A written fire prevention plan lists the potential fire hazards, how those materials are handled and stored, and ignition sources such as welding and smoking, with the same oral option for 10 or fewer employees (§3221).
The 2025 California Building Standards Code (Title 24) took effect January 1, 2026 (Building Standards Commission). Its Part 9 is the 2025 California Fire Code (ICC). Ask your city or fire district which local amendments apply to your building.
Brush and smoke
Many California warehouses, shops and homes back onto open hillsides. A fire escape plan still starts inside, but the outside half of it changes when one side of the property is dry brush.
Assembly point · the generator
A floor plan, a CAD export, a phone photo or a sketch all work. The draft adds routes, exits, safety symbols and a meeting point; the brush edge, the gas meter and smoke-day notes can go on as text labels in the editor.
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PNG, JPG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, SVG, AVIF, WebP, PDF, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODP, ODS, DXF, DWG - Hand-drawn sketches work too!
No floor plan handy? Try the included floor plan with real AI generation — no upload needed. This may take a minute or longer.
Yes — you can generate your first OSHA-aligned evacuation map draft completely free. Just upload a floor plan and our AI drafts a professional map in about 30 seconds. No credit card required.
Our AI drafts maps that follow OSHA 29 CFR 1910.36–37 and NFPA 101 Life Safety Code standards. Every map includes clearly marked exits, fire extinguisher locations, assembly points, and directional evacuation arrows. Supervisor review is required before posting to your facility.
We accept PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP, BMP, TIFF, AVIF, HEIC, SVG, PDF, DOC/DOCX, PPT/PPTX, XLS/XLSX, ODT, ODP, ODS, DXF, and DWG floor plans. Office and CAD files are converted securely before processing; PDF uploads let you choose the source page.
Most maps are generated in 20–40 seconds. Complex multi-floor plans may take slightly longer. You see the preview instantly — create a free account (no credit card) to download the file.
Yes — every generated map opens in a free drag-and-drop editor where you can move, resize, and recolor exit signs, routes, and equipment icons. Enterprise features like multi-floor support and branded maps are available on paid plans.
Yes. All uploads are encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and processed in secure cloud environments. We do not share your floor plans with third parties.
Every result is a draft. Walk it on site and check it against the California Fire Code as your city enforces it before you post it.
Before and after
The plain plan shows the office, three rows of pallet racks, a forklift charging area and two dock roll-ups. The draft adds routes through four doors, the safety symbols and a meeting point on the paved lot away from the brush.
What the draft adds to a warehouse plan
After the shaking
An earthquake plan starts the opposite way from a fire plan. Ready.gov’s advice is that if you are inside, you stay and do not run outside, avoid doorways, and drop, cover and hold on (Ready.gov).
Three largest cities
Each of California’s three largest cities runs its own fire department, and that is where questions about your building, local amendments and inspections go.
| City | 2024 population estimate | Worth asking about | Where to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 3,878,704 | Whether your property sits in a hillside or brush area with its own clearance rules, and which local amendments apply. | Los Angeles Fire Department |
| San Diego | 1,404,452 | Inspection and permit requirements for your type of business, and which amendments to the California Fire Code the city has adopted. | San Diego Fire-Rescue |
| San José | 997,368 | Plan review for a new tenant space or a change of use, and whether your building needs a posted evacuation map. | San José Fire Department |
Population figures are U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates (Census Bureau). San José edges out San Francisco, at 827,526, for third place. Outside these cities, your county fire department or local fire district answers the same questions.
Keep planning
Trade guides for California shops, a nearby western state and the state’s workplace page.
Questions
Yes. Whether it’s a tilt-up warehouse, a storefront or a house, upload its plan, a photo or a sketch and preview a watermarked draft without an account. A free account needs no credit card and comes with 5 free floor-plan uploads per month, with up to 5 regenerations per upload and the editor. Exports keep a draft label until you complete the posting review.
For most private businesses, yes. The California State Plan covers private workplaces in the state, with some exceptions, and also state and local government employers. Its own standards include the Injury and Illness Prevention Program and heat exposure rules.
Title 8 §3220 describes a written emergency action plan covering evacuation procedures, exit route assignments and accounting for everyone afterward, and employers with 10 or fewer employees may share it orally. Separately, every California employer must keep a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program under §3203.
The map itself stays the same. The rule, Title 8 §5141.1, applies when the AQI for PM2.5 reaches 151 or more and workers could be exposed, so it is worth noting who checks the AQI, who moves outdoor crews inside and where they go. Enclosed buildings with filtered air and closed windows and doors are exempt.
Yes, as a separate note. Ready.gov says to stay inside during shaking, avoid doorways and drop, cover and hold on, then move to an open area away from buildings, trees, streetlights and power lines once outside. Test the exit doors before you rely on them, and mark the gas meter and shutoff on the map.
The 2025 California Fire Code, Part 9 of the Title 24 California Building Standards Code, which took effect January 1, 2026. Cities and fire districts may add local amendments, so ask your local fire department which version covers your building.
Illustrations on this page use fictional layouts made for this page. They are not customer plans or live generator results.
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