Recent Updates
Facilities Management has been making adjustments to custodial services to align with available resources while continuing to support health, safety, and campus operations.
In April 2025, offices and cubicles transitioned to a self-service waste model. Beginning in January 2026, additional updates take effect, including reduced cleaning frequencies in conference rooms and research laboratories.
This page explains how UC Davis Custodial Services determines cleaning levels and what the campus community can expect from those services.
While our team is dedicated to delivering the highest quality of work possible, our level of service is ultimately defined by the staffing resources available. Custodial Services supports a team of roughly 215 staff members who are responsible for maintaining 1,200 buildings totaling 11 million serviceable square feet across thousands of classrooms, labs, offices, conference rooms, corridors, lobbies and other shared spaces.
To help universities set realistic expectations based on staffing capacity, the Association of Physical Plant Administrators, or APPA, established widely used standards for custodial cleanliness.
Based on our staffing relative to the size of our facilities, UC Davis is funded to operate between APPA Levels 3 and 4.
In practice, this means our focus is on maintaining safe, usable spaces, even though cosmetic conditions may vary from building to building. Given current staffing levels, the majority of campus facilities are maintained at an APPA Level 4 standard, as outlined below. Learn more about what Custodial Services cleans and when here.
APPA Service Levels
- Level 1: Orderly Spotlessness—Showpiece Facility
The floors and base moldings shine and/or are bright and clean; the colors are fresh. There is no buildup in corners or along walls.
All vertical and horizontal surfaces have a freshly cleaned or polished appearance and have no accumulation of dust, dirt, marks, streaks, smudges, or fingerprints. Lights all work, and fixtures are clean.
Washroom and shower fixtures and tile gleam and are odor-free. Supplies are adequate.
Trash containers hold only daily waste and are clean and odor-free.
- Level 2: Ordinary Tidiness—Comprehensive Care
The floors and base moldings shine and/or are bright and clean. There is no buildup in corners or along walls, but up to two days’ worth of dust, dirt, stains, or streaks can be present.
All vertical and horizontal surfaces are clean, but marks, dust, smudges, and fingerprints are noticeable upon close observation. Lights all work, and fixtures are clean.
Washroom and shower fixtures and tile gleam and are odor-free. Supplies are adequate.
Trash containers hold only daily waste and are clean and odor-free.
- Level 3: Casual Inattention—Managed Care
The floors are swept or vacuumed clean, but upon close observation, there can be stains. A buildup of dirt and/or floor finish in corners and along walls can be seen.
There are dull spots and/or matted carpets in walking lanes. There are streaks or splashes on the base molding.
All vertical and horizontal surfaces have obvious dust, dirt, marks, smudges, and fingerprints. The lamps all work, and the fixtures are clean.
Trash containers hold only daily waste and are clean and odor-free.
- CURRENT UC DAVIS LEVEL
Level 4: Moderate Dinginess—Reactive The floors are swept or vacuumed clean but are dull, dingy, and stained. There is an obvious buildup of dirt and/or floor finish in corners and along walls.
There is a dull path and/or obviously matted carpet in the walking lanes. The base molding is dull and dingy, with streaks or splashes.
All vertical and horizontal surfaces have conspicuous dust, dirt, smudges, fingerprints, and marks.
Lamp fixtures are dirty, and some (up to five percent) lamps are burned out.
Trash containers may hold old trash. They are stained, marked and smell sour.
- Level 5: Unkempt Neglect—Crisis
The floors and carpets are dull, dirty, dingy, scuffed, and/or matted. There is a conspicuous buildup of old dirt and/or floor finish in corners and along walls. Base molding is dirty, stained, and streaked. Gum, stains, dirt, dust balls, and trash are broadcast.
All vertical and horizontal surfaces have major accumulations of dust, dirt, smudges, and fingerprints—all of which will be difficult to remove. Lack of attention is obvious.
Light fixtures are dirty with dust balls and flies. Many lamps (more than five percent) are burned out.
Trash containers overflow. They are stained, marked and smell sour.