California Youth Sports CPR & AED Requirements: What Your League Needs to Do

California’s youth sports safety law is already on the books, and most league boards know it’s coming. The harder question is what to do, in what order, and how to keep it simple for volunteers.

This guide covers the Nevaeh Youth Sports Safety Act in plain English: what it asks of your league, the dates that matter, and a step-by-step to-do list. It also covers the older California rules your league already follows, and the extra rules for tackle football.

We’ve taught CPR and first aid in San Diego since 1998. We wrote this for volunteer league presidents, safety officers and registrars, not lawyers.

Not legal advice. This is a plain-English summary of California law as of November 2026. Your governing body may have stricter rules. For legal questions, check with your organization’s counsel.

The short version

Starting	What your league needs	Where it comes from
Already in effect	Concussion and sudden cardiac arrest steps: remove and clear athletes, yearly info sheets, coach education, and the yearly opioid factsheet	H&S Code §124235 and §124236
January 1, 2027	Coaches certified in CPR and AED use, recertified at least every 2 years	H&S Code §124238.5(b)
January 1, 2027	A written cardiac emergency response plan, reviewed with coaches and staff every year and sent to parents every year	H&S Code §124238.5(b)
January 1, 2028	AED access at every official practice and game, with AEDs maintained and tested	H&S Code §124238.5(a) and (c), as amended by AB 387

Get the free 2027 checklist

See coach training + admin portal

Which law is this, exactly?

The rules for coaches, emergency plans and AEDs come from the Nevaeh Youth Sports Safety Act, California Health & Safety Code §124238 and §124238.5. It has changed a few times:

AB 1467 (2023) created the Act. It originally required AED access at practices and games starting in 2027.
AB 310 (2025) added the coach CPR/AED certification and the written cardiac emergency response plan, both starting January 1, 2027. It also moved the AED access date to January 1, 2028.
AB 387 (2026) spells out how AED access works at fields and gyms you use. A facility with an AED must give your league access, and if there’s no AED there, your league brings one. Those parts start January 1, 2028.

If you’ve seen different dates elsewhere, that’s usually why: older articles were written before AB 310 changed the AED date.

Who the law covers

The law applies to a “youth sports organization.” That means an organization, business, nonprofit or local government agency that sponsors or runs amateur sports competitions, training, camps or clubs where kids 17 or younger take part (H&S Code §124235).

That covers most community and club programs: Little League and other baseball and softball leagues, soccer clubs, basketball and volleyball clubs, football and flag football, swim teams, camps and clinics.

School teams follow separate Education Code rules. If you run a school program, check with your district.

Requirement 1: CPR and AED certification for coaches (starting January 1, 2027)

What the law says

Your league must make sure its coaches are “certified, and recertified at least every two years, to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and operate an AED.” The law also says training “may be conducted in person or online and shall be offered by an accredited organization, consistent with national evidence-based cardiovascular care guidelines” (§124238.5(b)).

The law doesn’t define “accredited organization.” Some governing bodies set their own rules about which courses they accept, so check yours before you buy training.

Who counts as a coach

The law defines a coach as “a person appointed by the youth sports organization to supervise or instruct a participant in a sport” (§124238). Head coaches clearly fit. Many leagues include every rostered assistant coach too, to keep it simple. For more detail, read Do assistant and volunteer coaches need CPR?

Online or in person

Both are allowed under the law. Many leagues certify most coaches online and add a hands-on session for coaches who want to practice on a manikin. Before you choose, read what to check in an online CPR/AED course for youth coaches. If your board wants hands-on practice, see our on-site CPR & AED sessions for youth sports teams.

Renewal every two years

Certification must be renewed at least every two years. Record each coach’s certification date and expiration date, and put renewals on your league calendar. Here’s how to track coach certifications and renewals.

How to get it done without chasing volunteers

The step that takes the most time is usually tracking, not training. A simple plan:

Build one list of every head and assistant coach.
Decide whether the league buys seats or coaches pay their own way.
Send one link with a clear due date before your first practice.
Check completions weekly and file each certificate.

Step-by-step: How to get every coach CPR/AED certified before the season.

Certify your coaches online and track who’s done
Online CPR (adult, child and infant) and AED for coaches, with an admin portal that shows enrollment, completions and certificates. Two-year certification.
See coach training →

Requirement 2: A written cardiac emergency response plan (starting January 1, 2027)

Your league needs a written plan for what happens if someone goes into sudden cardiac arrest. The law says it must be consistent with nationally recognized, evidence-based standards and must cover four things (§124238.5(b)):

AED locations and procedures: where every AED is, and what to do in a sudden cardiac arrest
Roles: the responsibilities of coaches, administrators and athletes during the event
Training and notice: how coaches, administrators and athletes will be told about the plan and trained on it
The yearly parent message: an electronic message to parents or guardians every year with the plan (or a link to it), the AED locations, and the staff members to notify in a sudden cardiac event

The plan must also be reviewed with coaches and staff every year. A preseason coaches’ meeting is the easiest place to do it.

Step-by-step, with an outline and a sample parent email: How to write your league’s cardiac emergency response plan.

Requirement 3: AED access at every practice and game (starting January 1, 2028)

Starting January 1, 2028, athletes must have access to an AED during every official practice or match (§124238.5(a)). An “official practice or match” means any scheduled session with live action or drills, or a game (§124238).

AB 387 (2026) explains how this works at shared fields and gyms:

If the facility has an AED. A public or private facility with permanent sports infrastructure that has an AED must make sure your league can get to it during practices and games the facility permits.
If there’s no AED at the facility. Your league must make sure an operational AED is available for the entire practice or match.
Maintenance. Both facilities and leagues must keep their AEDs maintained and tested according to the manufacturer’s instructions and FDA rules.
Working together. Facilities must work with leagues to keep installed AEDs accessible, and to find ways to share the cost of maintaining or installing them.

Your options, from asking the facility to buying or renting your own: Youth sports AED requirements in California: buy, rent or share?

Rules your league already follows

These California rules have been in effect for years. They sit alongside the new requirements.

Concussion and sudden cardiac arrest (H&S Code §124235)

Remove any athlete with a suspected concussion or head injury, or who faints, for the rest of the day. They can’t return without written clearance from a licensed healthcare provider. A diagnosed concussion means a return-to-play protocol of at least seven days.
Notify a parent or guardian (athletes 17 and under) about the injury, symptoms and any treatment.
Every year, give each athlete a concussion and head injury information sheet and a sudden cardiac arrest information sheet, signed and returned before practice or play. Email is allowed.
Every year, offer concussion and sudden cardiac arrest education to coaches, administrators and officials. Each must complete it at least once before supervising athletes.

Opioid factsheet (H&S Code §124236)

Every year, give each athlete the CDC Opioid Factsheet for Patients and collect a signed acknowledgment before practice or competition.

Tackle football has extra rules

The California Youth Football Act (AB 1 of 2019, H&S Code §124241) has stricter rules for tackle football programs. Among them:

Coaches must receive first aid, CPR and AED certification every year.
At least one independent, non-rostered person certified in first aid, CPR, AED and concussion protocols must be at every practice location.
An EMT, paramedic or higher-level licensed medical professional must be at every game.

If you run tackle football, follow the stricter rule.

Your league’s to-do list

Before January 1, 2027

Build your coach roster (name, team, email)
Get every coach CPR/AED certified, and record certification and expiration dates
Write your cardiac emergency response plan
Review the plan with coaches and staff
Email parents the plan (or a link), AED locations and the staff contacts

Every season

Certify new coaches when they’re appointed
Collect signed concussion, cardiac arrest and opioid factsheet acknowledgments
Check for coach certifications expiring before the season ends

Every year

Review the emergency plan with coaches and staff
Send the parent message

Before January 1, 2028

List every field and gym you use, and ask each one about its AED
Line up an AED for any location without one
Assign AED checks, and maintain each AED per the manufacturer’s instructions

Get the whole list on two printable pages
Our free 2027 California Youth Sports Safety Checklist covers coach certification, your emergency plan, the parent notice, AEDs and record-keeping.
Download the free checklist →

How A-B-CPR can help

We’re a San Diego CPR and first aid training company, teaching since 1998. For youth sports leagues, we offer:

Online CPR and AED training for coaches with an admin portal for your league. → See coach training
On-site, hands-on skills sessions at your field or gym, or at our San Diego training center. → On-site sessions for teams
AEDs to buy or rent, including event rentals for tournaments. → AEDs · AED rental

Questions? Call 619-281-3304.

Frequently asked questions

When do California youth sports coaches need CPR certification?

Starting January 1, 2027, youth sports organizations must make sure their coaches are certified in CPR and AED use, and recertified at least every two years.

Can coaches get certified online?

The law says training can be in person or online, offered by an accredited organization following national evidence-based guidelines. The law doesn’t define “accredited organization,” so check your governing body’s rules too.

Do we need an AED at every practice?

Starting January 1, 2028, athletes must have access to an AED during every official practice or match. If the facility has an AED, it must give your league access. If it doesn’t, your league must bring an operational one.

What has to be in our cardiac emergency response plan?

AED locations and procedures, the roles of coaches, administrators and athletes, how people are notified and trained, and a yearly electronic message to parents. Review it with coaches and staff every year.

Does this apply to assistant coaches?

The law covers anyone the organization appoints to supervise or instruct participants. Many leagues include every rostered assistant coach.

Does this apply to school teams?

School teams follow separate Education Code rules. This guide is for community and club youth sports.

Is this legal advice?

No. It’s a plain-English summary of state law. Your governing body may have stricter rules.

Sources

Official sources for the requirements summarized on this page:

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