California community colleges assign teaching loads according to district policy. In order to identify prevalent standards for assigning teaching loads, a survey by mail of 102 California community colleges was conducted. Responses were received from 73 institutions (72 percent). Although a survey of the literature reveals that a 15-clock hour load is considered optimal, and the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office supports this standard, many deviations from this norm were found. In such disciplines as English, foreign language, and other academic areas, faculty had clearly defined patterns of assignment, from 15 to 20 hours. The most inconsistencies were found in occupational education instructors' assignments, with hours ranging from 14 to 35 per week. On the basis of the review of the literature and an analysis of the survey results, a number of conclusions are drawn, and two recommendations are made: (1) State agencies and academic departments should establish and maintain realistic proposals of expected teaching loads; (2) Continuous assessment should be done regarding correlation of faculty teaching loads in each discipline. Survey results are tabulated in the body of the paper, and the survey instrument and list of respondents are appended. (Author/NHM)