The short answer
The BBC 14 is the California Board’s own template for the log that 16 CCR §§980.1 to 980.4 require. One sheet covers one chair, basin or tub for one month. Every row has a date, a time, the initials of the person who did the cleaning, and one of three boxes: After Client, End of Day or Weekly. The rule does not name the form (it says what the log must contain, not what it must look like), but the form holds exactly what the rule asks for, so it is what inspectors expect to see.
| The rule says (§980.1(c)(7) and its parallels) | On the BBC 14 |
|---|---|
| “the date and time of each cleaning” | The Date and Time columns |
| “initials of the person who completed the procedure” | The Initials column |
| “shall indicate that the cleaning was done after a client” (or at the end of the day, or weekly) | The Check One boxes: After Client, End of Day, Weekly |
| One log per chair, basin or tub (the Board’s common-violations sheet) | The Chair/Tub # line at the top of each sheet |
Download the form
Three languages, each its own PDF on the Board’s site: English, Spanish and Vietnamese. The English blank is also served here. There is a fourth version, marked for probation, that adds a certification block signed under penalty of perjury with the licensee’s printed name and license number; the Spanish version carries the same block. A shop that is not on probation uses the plain BBC 14. The three language versions are letter size, two pages: the log on page one, the Board’s four-step instructions and a filled sample on page two. The probation version is a single page.
Section A: the header
Three fields and a chair number. License Number is the establishment’s license, not a technician’s. Name of Establishment as it appears on that license. Month: one sheet per month, so the Date column needs only the day. Chair/Tub # at the top: the Board says each chair, basin or tub has its own log, so a six-chair shop with two soaking tubs runs eight sheets a month. Number the units the same way every month, and label the chairs to match.
Section B: the rows
Two blocks side by side, each with Date, Time, Initials and the three boxes. Work down the left block, then the right. A row is one cleaning. Date is the day of the month. Time is when the cleaning was finished, written at the time (the rule says “the date and time of each cleaning”, and a log filled in at closing from memory is the thing inspectors are trained to spot). Initials, not a signature: the rule asks for the initials of the person who did the cleaning, and only the probation version adds a signature. Check One: exactly one box per row, which is why a whirlpool chair that saw six clients and was closed down at night has seven rows, not one.
Which boxes, for which unit
| Unit | Rule | After Client | End of Day | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool foot spa or air-jet basin | §980.1 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pipe-less foot spa (footplate, impeller or propeller, no pipes) | §980.2 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Non-whirlpool basin, tub, footbath, sink or bowl | §980.3 | Yes | No | No |
| Disposable liner in a basin or tub | §980.4 | Yes (the basin under the discarded liner is scrubbed, rinsed and dried) | No | No |
The form’s own instructions say the same thing: End of Day and Weekly are not required for non-whirlpool basins or tubs. The common mistake runs the other way: a shop that stops logging basins because “there’s nothing to disinfect”. A liner is single use and the basin under it gets no disinfectant step, but the rule still requires the scrub-rinse-dry after every client and still requires the log entry.
The weekly row stands in for that night’s End of Day
The weekly cleaning (§980.1(e)) is the end-of-day procedure followed by disinfectant left in the unit for at least six hours, then a flush. On the night you run it, the form says Check One, so that night’s row is Weekly alone, with no End of Day row beside it. Pick a fixed weekday for it so the sheet shows four or five Weekly rows a month at regular intervals; a sheet with the weekly clean drifting from Monday to Thursday to the following Tuesday reads as improvised. How often each cleaning is due, and how the weekly one is counted, is in our guide to how often to clean a pedicure foot spa in California.
A day with no pedicures
The form’s instructions say to log a day with no pedicures as “no services performed”. Write it across the row with the date and the initials of the person verifying it, so the month has no unexplained gaps. A blank day and a missed cleaning look identical to an inspector; “no services performed” is how you tell them apart.
A chair out of service
A whirlpool or pipe-less foot spa that is not in use needs two things (§980.1(g), §980.2(f)): a notation on its log that it is not in service, and a “Not in Service” sign on the chair. Write “Not in Service” and the date on the log, hang the sign, and when the chair returns write the date it came back. The rule names the sign for whirlpool and pipe-less units only; a plain basin or tub taken out of use needs neither, though a dated note on its log costs nothing. ReadyPedi logs Not in Service and Back in Service as rows of their own and prints the sign.
Keeping it and showing it
The rule names no retention period. It says the log “shall be made available upon request by either a client or a board representative”, and the Board’s inspection brochure says to keep the logs easily accessible. In practice that means: at the shop, not at home; current month on the chair or at the desk, past months in a binder. Nothing in the rule says paper or electronic. A tablet or phone that shows the log and prints the BBC 14 satisfies “available on request” as well as a binder does; what matters is that the record exists for every unit and every cleaning and can be produced when asked. What the states that do name a period ask for is in our guide on how long to keep foot spa cleaning records, by state.
What a wrong or missing log costs
The Board’s fine schedule (16 CCR §974) lists an incorrect or missing log for a whirlpool or pipe-less unit at $100 for a first offense, $150 for a second and $200 for a third; the same for a basin or liner log at $50, $100 and $150; failing to note a chair as Not in Service, or to post the sign, at $50, $100 and $150; and incorrect disinfection of a pedicure spa at $500 per chair, each time. Every unit can be its own violation, so a four-chair shop with no logs can be four citations, not one. Each fine is assessed on the holder of the establishment license, and may also apply to the technician when they can be identified and are present.
Filling the BBC 14 from a log kept at the chair
In ReadyPedi, each chair, basin or tub is set up once as Whirlpool, Pipe-less, Basin or Liner. The tech taps the cleaning at the chair, and the date, time and initials are stamped. The app refuses two boxes on one row, and refuses End of Day or Weekly on a basin or liner. Not in Service, Back in Service and No Services Performed are each a tap. Any unit and any month prints as the Board’s own BBC 14. The steps behind each box are in our guide to how to clean a pedicure foot spa in California; the rule next to the app is on the California page, and a shop can start a free trial today.
Frequently asked questions
Is the BBC 14 mandatory in California?
No. 16 CCR §§980.1 to 980.4 say what the log must contain (date, time, initials, which cleaning) and that each unit has its own; they do not name a form. The BBC 14 is the Board’s own template with exactly those fields, so it is the safest way to keep the log and the one inspectors recognize.
Do I need a separate sheet for every chair?
Yes. The Board’s common-violations sheet says each chair, basin or tub has its own pedicure equipment log, and the BBC 14 has one Chair/Tub # per sheet.
Can I keep the log on a tablet or phone instead of paper?
The rule does not say paper or electronic; it says the log is made available on request to a client or a Board representative. An electronic log that can be shown and printed as the BBC 14 meets that. Keep it at the shop.
Do basins and disposable liners really need a log?
Yes. A basin or tub (§980.3) and a liner (§980.4) take the after-client cleaning only, but each one is logged, on its own BBC 14, with only the After Client box checked.
How long do I keep old BBC 14 sheets?
The rule names no period; it only says the log is available on request. Keep at least a year of sheets at the shop so an inspector can see a pattern, not a week.
This guide explains California’s foot-spa cleaning log in plain language and is not legal advice. The California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology’s rules are the authority on California foot-spa cleaning and recordkeeping requirements.