Nursing Home F-Tag Lookup

Decode any CMS inspection citation: what the tag requires, how serious the letter is, and where it is cited most.

392,725 citations242 F-tags51 statesCMS data February 2026

The scope & severity grid, decoded

Every citation gets one letter from A to L. The row is how much harm; the column is how many residents. Percentages show where the last three inspection cycles of citations landed nationwide.

SeverityScope

IsolatedOne or a few residents

PatternMore than a few, not most

WidespreadMost or all residents

Level 4Immediate jeopardySerious injury, harm, or death was caused or likely

J1.7%6,976 citations

K0.6%2,370 citations

L0.2%695 citations

Level 3Actual harmAt least one resident was harmed

G3.2%13,273 citations

H0.1%499 citations

I0%18 citations

Level 2No actual harmPotential for more than minimal harm

D62.5%262,091 citations

E22.7%95,113 citations

F6.8%28,588 citations

Level 1Minimal harmPotential for only minimal harm

A0%0 citations

B1.2%5,195 citations

C1.1%4,634 citations

Level 1 (A–C)
Level 2 (D–F)
Level 3 (G–I)
Level 4 (J–L)
Can trigger “substandard quality of care”

Most-cited F-tags nationwide

Ranked by citations in the last three inspection cycles. The harm bar is the share of those citations rated G or worse.

All 169 F-tags with their own page

How to read a citation

Every line on an inspection report has the same three parts. Once you can read them, a 40-page survey turns into a short list of what went wrong and how badly.

The tag number names the federal requirement (42 CFR Part 483) the facility failed to meet. The same number means the same rule in every state.
The letter is the scope and severity: how much harm (A–L runs from minimal to immediate jeopardy) and how many residents were affected.
The correction date is when the state accepted the facility’s plan of correction. A missing date means the fix is still pending.

Source: CMS Provider Data Catalog, Nursing Home Health Citations, standard surveys and complaint investigations from the current three inspection cycles. Facilities can dispute citations through CMS’s IDR and IIDR processes.

Look up a tag

What is the scope and severity grid?

A 12-cell grid CMS uses to rate every nursing home deficiency. Rows are severity (no actual harm with minimal potential, no actual harm with more than minimal potential, actual harm, immediate jeopardy) and columns are scope (isolated, pattern, widespread). Letters A through L walk the grid; D is the most common, G or higher means a resident was harmed, and J through L mean immediate jeopardy.

What is an F-tag?

F-tags are the numbered federal requirements for nursing homes in 42 CFR Part 483. A citation is written against the tag the facility violated: F684 is quality of care, F689 is accident prevention and supervision, F880 is infection control. The same tag means the same requirement in every state.

Which F-tags are cited most often?

Nationally, quality of care (F684), accident hazards and supervision (F689), infection prevention and control (F880), care plans (F656), and resident dignity and rights tags top the list. This page ranks every tag by citations in the last three inspection cycles and shows the ranking for each state.

How do I find the citations for a specific nursing home?

Use the Nursing Home Report Card lookup: search the facility by name, city, or ZIP and every citation from the last three inspection cycles is listed with the tag, date, severity letter decoded, and correction date.

Can a facility dispute a citation?

Yes. Facilities can request Informal Dispute Resolution (IDR) with the state or Independent IDR (IIDR) with CMS. A citation that is overturned is removed from Care Compare in a later data release; the data here reflects what CMS currently publishes.