Last updated 2026-07-25
TL;DR
Indiana does not license a category called "assisted living" by itself. Most of what people mean by assisted living is licensed by the Indiana State Department of Health as a Residential Care Facility (a type of health facility license) or as Housing with Services. To verify a facility, use ISDH's health facility search tools or contact ISDH's Long Term Care division directly.
What is assisted living?
Assisted living is a residential care model for adults who need help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, medication reminders, and meals, but who do not need the round-the-clock skilled nursing you'd get in a nursing home. Residents typically live in private or semi-private apartments or rooms, eat in a shared dining area, and get help from staff on a schedule that fits their needs. The term "assisted living" is a marketing and industry label more than a strict legal one. Every state defines and licenses this level of care a little differently, and Indiana is a good example of why that matters. What one state calls an "assisted living facility," Indiana might license under a completely different name, with different rules attached. If you're comparing this option to other senior housing types, our guide on assisted living walks through the general model before you get into state-specific rules.
What is a group home?
A group home is a residential setting, usually a house in a regular neighborhood, where a small number of unrelated people live together and receive support services. Group homes serve a much wider range of populations than assisted living does: people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), people in mental health recovery, people in substance use recovery, and in some cases seniors who need a lower level of support than a licensed assisted living facility provides. The key difference from assisted living is scale and regulatory category. Group homes are often licensed under disability services or behavioral health rules rather than long-term care rules for the elderly. In Indiana, for example, group homes serving people with developmental disabilities are certified through the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) under the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS), a completely separate track from the health facility licensing that covers residential care for seniors. If you're weighing which model fits your goals, it's worth reading about assisted living facilities generally before picking a specific state license category. The paperwork, staffing ratios, and inspection cycles differ a lot between an IDD group home and a senior residential care facility.
What is an assisted living facility (and what does Indiana actually call it)?
An assisted living facility is a licensed residential setting that provides personal care, supervision, and support services to adults who need help with daily living but not hospital-level medical care. That's the industry-standard definition. Indiana's licensing structure, however, doesn't use "assisted living facility" as a formal license type. Indiana regulates this level of care mainly through two channels. First, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) licenses health facilities under Indiana Code 16-28, and within that broader licensing structure, a facility can operate a Residential Care component, sometimes called Residential Care Facility (RCF) licensure, with standards set out in 410 IAC 16.2 [1] [2]. Second, many properties marketed to the public as "assisted living" are licensed and operated under Indiana's Housing with Services rules, and if they accept Medicaid waiver residents, they're often certified as Housing with Services Establishments (HWSE) or comparable arrangements coordinated with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). This is exactly why a straightforward assisted living license lookup in Indiana can be confusing. You may search ISDH's licensed facility list and not see the word "assisted living" anywhere, because the legal license type is Residential Care, not "Assisted Living Facility." For background on how these categories work in general before you dig into Indiana's specific labels, see assisted living facility.
How do I do an Indiana assisted living license lookup?
To look up an assisted living or residential care facility license in Indiana, go to the Indiana State Department of Health's Long Term Care division, which oversees licensing and inspection of health facilities, including the residential care component most people mean by "assisted living" [1]. ISDH maintains facility licensing and survey (inspection) information that you can request or search, and many facility-level inspection reports are also searchable through the federal Medicare.gov Care Compare tool if the facility has any Medicare or Medicaid certification tied to it. Here's the practical path: 1. Start at the ISDH Long Term Care Division page to identify whether the facility is licensed as a health facility with a residential care component [1]. 2. Check whether the facility is separately registered as a Housing with Services Establishment, since Indiana handles that registration through a different statutory framework (IC 12-10-15) tied to FSSA and consumer protection requirements for retirement communities and supportive housing [3]. 3. Cross-reference with CMS Care Compare if you want inspection history, complaint data, and staffing information. Note this tool mainly covers nursing homes and won't show pure assisted living/residential care listings that aren't Medicare/Medicaid certified. 4. If you can't find a facility through any of these, call ISDH's Long Term Care division directly and ask them to confirm licensure status and license type by facility name and county. Indiana's licensing agency contact information is the most reliable source when a facility isn't showing up online, since directories lag behind real licensing status by weeks or months in most states. A license lookup tells you whether a facility is legally operating and what violations, if any, show up on its survey history. It does not tell you about day-to-day quality of care, staff turnover, or resident satisfaction. Treat it as one data point, not the whole picture.
What is assisted living vs nursing home?
| Primary need served | Help with ADLs, supervision, medication reminders | Skilled nursing care, rehab, complex medical needs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staffing | Personal care aides, some licensed nursing oversight | Licensed nurses (RN/LPN) on duty around the clock | |
| Typical setting | Private or semi-private apartment | Shared or private hospital-style room | |
| Medicare coverage | Generally not covered | Covered short-term for skilled care after a qualifying hospital stay [5] | |
| Medicaid coverage | Sometimes, via HCBS waivers, not room and board | Yes, for eligible long-term nursing care | Indiana licenses nursing homes as health facilities under the same broad statutory chapter (IC 16-28) that covers residential care, but the two are inspected against very different rule sets in 410 IAC 16.2, with nursing homes held to federal Medicare/Medicaid Conditions of Participation as well [1] [2] [4]. |
The core difference is medical intensity. Assisted living (or Indiana's Residential Care Facility category) is built for people who need help with daily activities and supervision, but not skilled nursing care around the clock. A nursing home, called a skilled nursing facility (SNF) in most state and federal rules, is built for people who need daily medical care, rehabilitation, or complex chronic disease management, delivered or supervised by licensed nurses on-site 24/7 [4]. Here's a side-by-side comparison of how these two levels typically differ. Specific staffing ratios and services vary by state and by individual facility license. | Feature | Assisted Living / Residential Care | Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility |
What does assisted living provide?
Assisted living generally provides help with activities of daily living (ADLs) like bathing, dressing, toileting, and mobility, plus supervision, medication management or reminders, meals, housekeeping, laundry, and some level of social and recreational programming. It is not a medical facility in the way a nursing home or hospital is. In Indiana's Residential Care Facility framework, licensed facilities are expected to provide, at minimum, room and board, personal care services, and 24-hour on-site staff supervision appropriate to resident needs, under the standards set in 410 IAC 16.2 [2]. Facilities operating under Housing with Services registration may offer a more flexible menu of services under service contracts rather than a single licensed care standard. That's one reason costs and service levels vary so much between properties that all call themselves "assisted living" in Indiana. If you're an operator building out a service plan and policy manual, this is the point where your written policies need to match exactly what license type you hold. A Residential Care license carries different documentation and staffing expectations than a Housing with Services registration, and inspectors will check your actual practice against your specific license category, not against a generic assisted living standard.
What is the difference between assisted living and nursing home in terms of licensing and inspections?
Beyond the care differences already covered, the licensing and inspection processes for assisted living/residential care versus nursing homes are structurally different in most states, including Indiana. Nursing homes participating in Medicare or Medicaid are surveyed under federal Conditions of Participation, with unannounced state surveys typically conducted at intervals not exceeding 15 months, averaging about 12 months nationally, under 42 CFR 488.308 [6]. These surveys are exhaustive, covering everything from food safety to resident rights to medication administration, and results are published publicly through CMS Care Compare. Residential care/assisted living licensing in Indiana falls under ISDH's health facility licensing authority as well, but because there's no federal Medicaid nursing facility certification tied to most residential care beds, the inspection cadence, scope, and public reporting mechanisms differ. Confirm the current survey frequency and specific checklist directly with ISDH's Long Term Care division, since inspection protocols get updated through administrative rule changes that don't always show up quickly in secondary sources [1] [2].
Does Medicare cover assisted living facilities?
No. Medicare does not cover the cost of assisted living, residential care, or room and board in any long-term residential care setting. This is one of the most common and costly misunderstandings among families searching for senior care. CMS is explicit about this: Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing facility care only after a qualifying hospital stay, and only for skilled nursing or rehabilitation needs, not custodial or personal care assistance in a residential setting [5]. Medicare Part A may cover a limited number of days in a Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility following a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least three days, but it does not pay for ongoing assisted living, adult foster care, or group home stays [5]. Medicaid is different. Many states, including Indiana, offer Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers that can help cover the cost of personal care and supportive services delivered in residential settings, though these waivers typically still don't cover room and board costs, which residents or their families pay out of pocket [7]. If you're building a funding plan for a facility, understand this distinction early: your census model can't assume Medicare will pay for the residential stay itself, only for acute post-hospital skilled nursing episodes elsewhere in the care continuum.
How to start a group home (or assisted living facility) in Indiana
Starting a group home or residential care facility in Indiana means picking the right license category first, because Indiana doesn't have one universal "assisted living" license. The path differs sharply depending on who you intend to serve. For a facility serving seniors needing personal care and supervision, you'll likely pursue an ISDH health facility license with a residential care designation, governed by IC 16-28 and 410 IAC 16.2, which typically involves a formal application, background checks for owners and key staff, a life safety code inspection (often coordinated with the state fire marshal), a plan of operation, staffing plan, and a pre-licensure survey before you can admit residents [1] [2]. For a facility serving adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, you'd instead work through BDDS certification under DDRS, which has its own provider enrollment, home and community-based settings compliance requirements, and staff training standards tied to Indiana's Medicaid waiver programs. For a facility serving people in mental health or substance use recovery, licensing may run through Indiana's Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) depending on the services you provide and whether you're billing Medicaid for behavioral health services. Because these tracks use different statutes, different inspecting agencies, and different staffing rules, confirm the correct agency and license type with Indiana's licensing authorities before you sign a lease or start renovating a property. Zoning is a separate hurdle entirely. Local zoning ordinances for group homes or residential care facilities vary by city and county, and you'll want to check local planning and zoning requirements alongside state licensing, since a state license doesn't override a local zoning denial. For general steps that apply across most states before you get into Indiana's specific categories, see facility assisted living and assisted living at home if you're considering a smaller-scale residential model.
How do I start a group home step by step?
The general sequence for starting a group home, in Indiana or any state, tends to follow this order, though exact requirements and forms vary by state and by population served (confirm specifics with your state licensing agency): 1. Decide which population you'll serve (seniors needing personal care, adults with IDD, mental health recovery, substance use recovery) since this determines which state agency licenses you. 2. Confirm zoning and property requirements with your local planning department before committing to a lease or purchase. 3. Identify the specific license category and statute that applies (in Indiana, this could mean ISDH residential care licensure, BDDS/DDRS certification, or DMHA licensing depending on population). 4. Complete required background checks, often including criminal history checks and, in many states, checks against abuse and neglect registries, for owners, administrators, and direct care staff. 5. Build your written policy and procedure manual covering admissions, medication management, emergency preparedness, staffing ratios, resident rights, and incident reporting, since inspectors will check your actual operations against these documents. 6. Pass a life safety/fire code inspection, which is often a separate process from your health or human services licensing inspection. 7. Submit your license application with required fees (fee amounts vary significantly by state and license type, confirm current fees with your state licensing agency). 8. Undergo a pre-licensure survey/inspection before you're approved to admit residents. 9. Maintain compliance through ongoing inspections, staff training renewals, and license renewal cycles. This is a genuinely paperwork-heavy process. The single biggest mistake new operators make is starting the licensing application before confirming zoning will actually allow the use at their chosen property. Get the zoning answer in writing first.
What should I check before trusting a license lookup result?
A license lookup result only tells you what's on file with the state at the moment you searched, and licensing databases are not always updated in real time. Before you rely on any assisted living or residential care license lookup result in Indiana, confirm three things directly with ISDH: the current license status (active, provisional, suspended, or revoked), the specific license category (health facility with residential care designation, versus a Housing with Services registration, versus something else), and the date of the facility's most recent survey or inspection. If you're an operator rather than a consumer, the same caution applies to your own facility. Don't assume your license shows up correctly in every public database just because ISDH approved your application. Call and confirm your listing periodically, especially after any ownership change, address change, or license category change, since these administrative updates sometimes lag by weeks.
Where the paperwork gets complicated (and where a licensing kit can help)
By this point it should be clear that Indiana's licensing landscape for anything resembling "assisted living" is fragmented across at least three agencies, depending on who you serve. That fragmentation is normal across the country, but it means the actual application packet, background check forms, staffing plan templates, and policy manual requirements differ from state to state and, within Indiana, from license category to license category. If you're building your application packet and policy manual from scratch, GroupHomePath's $299 one-time State Group Home Licensing Kit gives you state-specific document templates, checklists, and policy manual starting points so you're not reinventing forms that ISDH, BDDS, or DMHA already expects to see in a specific format. It doesn't replace calling your state licensing agency to confirm current fees and forms, and it doesn't promise approval. It does save the hours most new operators burn just figuring out which agency to call first.
Frequently asked questions
What is assisted living?
Assisted living is residential care for adults who need help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, and medication reminders, but who don't need 24-hour skilled nursing. Residents typically live in private or semi-private units, get meals and housekeeping, and receive scheduled staff support. States regulate and name this level of care differently, so "assisted living" is more of an industry term than a single legal license type.
What is a group home?
A group home is a residential setting, usually a house, where a small number of unrelated people with shared support needs live together and receive care or supervision. Group homes commonly serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health needs, or substance use recovery needs, and they're licensed under different state agencies than senior assisted living facilities typically are.
What is an assisted living facility?
An assisted living facility is a licensed residential setting providing personal care, supervision, and daily living support to adults who don't need hospital-level medical care. Indiana doesn't use this exact license name; comparable care is licensed as a Residential Care Facility component of a health facility license through the Indiana State Department of Health, or registered as Housing with Services.
What is assisted living facility in Indiana specifically called on state records?
On Indiana State Department of Health records, this level of care usually appears under health facility licensing with a residential care designation, governed by Indiana Code 16-28 and 410 IAC 16.2. Some properties marketed as assisted living are instead registered as Housing with Services Establishments through a separate statutory framework tied to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration.
What is assisted living vs nursing home?
Assisted living serves people who need help with daily activities and supervision but not ongoing skilled medical care. A nursing home (skilled nursing facility) serves people needing daily medical care, rehab, or complex health management, delivered by licensed nurses around the clock. Nursing homes are held to federal Medicare/Medicaid Conditions of Participation; most assisted living settings are not.
What does assisted living provide?
Assisted living typically provides help with bathing, dressing, mobility, and toileting, plus medication reminders, meals, housekeeping, laundry, and social programming, delivered by personal care staff with 24-hour on-site supervision. It is not a medical facility; skilled nursing, IV therapy, and complex wound care are generally outside its scope unless specifically arranged.
What is the difference between assisted living and nursing home costs and coverage?
Assisted living costs are usually paid out of pocket or through long-term care insurance, with Medicaid HCBS waivers sometimes covering personal care services but not room and board. Nursing home care can be covered by Medicare for short skilled stays after a qualifying hospital stay, and by Medicaid for eligible long-term nursing care, per CMS guidance.
Does Medicare cover assisted living facilities?
No. Medicare does not cover assisted living, residential care, or room and board in any long-term residential setting. Medicare Part A may cover a limited number of days in a Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay, but it never pays for ongoing assisted living or group home stays, according to CMS.
How to start a group home in Indiana?
Decide which population you'll serve, since Indiana licenses residential care for seniors through ISDH, IDD group homes through BDDS/DDRS, and behavioral health residential settings through DMHA. Then confirm zoning with your local planning department, complete background checks, build your policy manual, pass a life safety inspection, and submit your license application before admitting residents.
How do I start a group home if I don't know which license category applies?
Start by calling the Indiana State Department of Health's Long Term Care division or, for disability services, the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services, and describe exactly who you plan to serve and what services you'll provide. They can tell you which statute and license category applies before you spend money on a property or an application.
How do I run an Indiana assisted living license lookup?
Start with the Indiana State Department of Health's Long Term Care division, which oversees health facility licensing including residential care. Cross-check with CMS Care Compare for any Medicare/Medicaid certified components. If you can't find a facility, call ISDH directly and ask them to confirm licensure status and category by facility name and county.
Why doesn't a facility show up when I search for "assisted living" in Indiana's licensing database?
Because Indiana doesn't use "assisted living facility" as an official license category. The facility may be licensed as a health facility with a residential care designation, or registered as a Housing with Services Establishment. Search by the facility's legal name and cross-check both categories, or call ISDH's Long Term Care division for a direct confirmation.
Is a Housing with Services Establishment the same as a licensed assisted living facility?
Not exactly. Housing with Services registration in Indiana covers residential communities that offer supportive services under service contracts, coordinated through the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, and it's a different regulatory track than ISDH's health facility residential care licensure. Confirm which framework applies to a specific property directly with the relevant state agency.
Sources
- Indiana State Department of Health, Long Term Care Division: ISDH's Long Term Care division licenses health facilities, including residential care components
- Indiana Administrative Code, 410 IAC 16.2 (Health Facility Licensure): Residential care facility standards and licensure requirements are set under 410 IAC 16.2
- Indiana Code 12-10-15, Residential Care for Elderly Individuals and Housing with Services: Housing with Services registration for retirement communities and supportive housing operates under IC 12-10-15
- Indiana Code 16-28, Health Facilities: Health facilities including nursing homes and residential care are licensed under IC 16-28
- Medicare.gov, Skilled Nursing Facility Care Coverage: Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing facility stays only after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay, and does not cover assisted living or custodial care
- 42 CFR 488.308, Standard Survey Frequency: Nursing facilities participating in Medicare/Medicaid must be surveyed at intervals not exceeding 15 months
- Medicaid.gov, Home and Community-Based Services: Medicaid HCBS waivers can help cover personal care services in residential settings but generally do not cover room and board