Last updated 2026-07-26
TL;DR
Every state has a free online database run by its health or social services department where you type in a facility name or address and get license status, capacity, inspection history, and any violations. Start with your state licensing agency's website, not a third-party review site, since those don't pull directly from regulatory records.
How do you look up an assisted living license?
Every state runs its own facility search tool, usually hosted by the health department, department of social services, or a dedicated long-term care licensing division. You search by facility name, city, or license number and the tool returns license status (active, pending, suspended, revoked), capacity, license type, and often a link to the most recent inspection report. The exact name of the tool varies a lot. California calls it the Community Care Licensing Division facility search. Florida runs it through the Agency for Health Care Administration's licensure locator [1]. Texas uses the Health and Human Services Commission's provider search [2]. None of these tools are hard to use once you find them, but Google often surfaces third-party "senior living directory" sites before the actual.gov page, so it pays to add "site:.gov" or the word "licensing" to your search. If you can't find your state's tool by searching, go straight to the agency. Most states list a licensing division under either the department of health or department of social/human services. A phone call to that division's licensing unit will get you a direct link or a fax-back inspection report if the online system is down, which happens more often than you'd think in smaller states. For operators building out a new facility, checking a competitor's or a potential acquisition's license record before you buy or lease is one of the cheaper due-diligence steps you can take. It costs nothing and takes ten minutes.
What information does a license lookup actually show you?
Most state databases show the same core fields: legal facility name, physical address, license number, license type (assisted living, adult foster care, memory care endorsement, etc.), licensed capacity, current status, and the date of the most recent survey or inspection. Many states go further and post the actual inspection report or statement of deficiencies as a downloadable PDF. Some, like California's Community Care Licensing Division, post complaint histories and substantiated citations going back several years. Others only show a summary status with no detail unless you file a public records request. Watch for status language that isn't obvious. "Provisional license" usually means the facility is operating under a corrective action plan after a violation. "License pending" can mean a new facility hasn't opened yet, or it can mean a renewal is stuck in review. "Conditional" and "probationary" mean roughly the same thing depending on the state's terminology, so if you see anything other than a plain "active" or "current" status, read the fine print or call the agency. A quick note on names: some states license the building, others license the operator, and some license both separately. If a facility changed ownership recently, the old operator's name might still show up in search results even though a new license application is in process under new management. Confirm with your state licensing agency's records unit if you see a mismatch between the name on the building and the name on the license.
What is assisted living?
Assisted living is a state-licensed residential option for adults who need help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, medication management, and meals, but who don't need the round-the-clock skilled nursing care a nursing home provides. Assisted living communities offer private or shared rooms, common dining and activity areas, and staff on site (though usually not a nurse around the clock). There's no single federal definition of assisted living. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) notes that assisted living is regulated at the state level, not federally, and the term itself, along with what services it must include, varies by state statute [3]. That's a meaningful gap for anyone comparing facilities across state lines: a Florida "assisted living facility" and a Texas "assisted living facility" are legally defined differently, licensed under different codes, and inspected on different schedules. Because of that variation, always check your specific state's statutory definition before assuming a facility does or doesn't offer a given service level. For background on state-specific licensing categories, see our guide on assisted living facility licensing frameworks.
What is a group home?
A group home is a licensed residential setting, usually a single-family style house, where a small number of residents (commonly somewhere between 4 and 16, though the cap is state-specific) live together with staff support. Group homes serve different populations depending on the state and license type: people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD), adults recovering from mental illness or substance use, or seniors who need a lower-acuity, more home-like setting than a large assisted living building. The regulatory language for "group home" differs sharply by state and by population served. A group home for adults with IDD might be licensed under a state's developmental disabilities agency, while a group home for seniors might fall under the same licensing division that oversees assisted living. Some states use the term "adult foster care" or "adult family home" for what other states call a group home, so when you're doing a license lookup, search under all the terms your state actually uses, more than "group home." If you're planning to open one, our guide on how to start a group home walks through the licensing sequence in more detail, but the short version is below.
What is an assisted living facility (and what does it provide)?
An assisted living facility is the licensed building or program itself, the physical place where residents live and receive personal care services under a state license. It typically provides help with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, eating), medication administration or reminders, three meals a day, housekeeping, laundry, transportation to appointments, and social or recreational programming. What it does not typically provide is skilled nursing care. Assisted living staff are usually not required to include registered nurses on every shift (state minimums vary widely), and residents who need IV therapy, wound care beyond a basic level, or ventilator support usually have to move to a nursing home or receive additional home health services layered on top. Staffing ratios and required services are set by each state's licensing rules, so a facility in one state might be required to have an awake overnight staff member while a neighboring state only requires staff to be "on call." Confirm with your state licensing agency for the exact minimum service package required for a basic assisted living license versus an enhanced or memory-care endorsement. For a side-by-side look at how different states define capacity limits, staffing minimums, and service scope, see assisted living facilities and facility assisted living licensing comparisons.
What is the difference between assisted living and a nursing home?
| Regulated by | State licensing agency | State licensing + federal Medicare/Medicaid certification [4] |
|---|---|---|
| Typical resident need | Help with ADLs, medically stable | Skilled nursing, rehab, or complex medical needs |
| Nursing staff | Varies by state, not required 24/7 in most states | RN coverage required under federal rule |
| Medicare coverage | Generally not covered [5] | Short-term skilled stays covered under Part A, conditions apply [5] |
| Medicaid coverage | Varies, often via HCBS waiver | Covered for eligible long-term stays in all states |
The core difference is medical acuity. Assisted living is built for people who need help with daily activities but are medically stable. Nursing homes (also called skilled nursing facilities) are built for people who need ongoing medical care, rehabilitation after a hospital stay, or a level of nursing supervision that assisted living staff aren't licensed to provide. Nursing homes are certified to accept Medicare and Medicaid payment for skilled care and must meet federal requirements under 42 CFR Part 483, which sets specific standards for things like registered nurse coverage, physician oversight, and resident rights [4]. Assisted living facilities are licensed entirely under state law and have no equivalent federal certification requirement, which is part of why the definitions vary so much state to state. Cost structure differs too. Nursing home care is billed as a medical service and can be covered by Medicare for short, medically-necessary stays (see below) or by Medicaid for long-term stays if the resident qualifies financially and medically. Assisted living is billed mostly as room-and-board plus a care fee, and coverage sources are much more limited. | Feature | Assisted living | Nursing home |
Does Medicare cover assisted living facilities?
No. Medicare does not cover the cost of room and board or personal care services in an assisted living facility. CMS states plainly that "Medicare doesn't cover long-term care (also called custodial care) if that's the only care you need" and long-term custodial care is what most assisted living provides [5]. Medicare Part A may cover a short stay in a skilled nursing facility following a qualifying hospital stay of at least three days, but that's a nursing home benefit, not an assisted living benefit, and it's capped at 100 days per benefit period with a coinsurance charge starting on day 21 [5]. It does not extend to assisted living rent or personal care fees. Medicaid is a different story, though still limited. Many states use a Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver to help cover the cost of personal care services (not room and board) in an assisted living setting for financially eligible residents . Coverage, eligibility rules, and waiver waitlists vary enormously by state, so anyone counting on Medicaid to help pay for assisted living needs to check their specific state's waiver program directly, not assume national rules apply.
How do you start a group home? (Step-by-step overview)
Starting a group home means getting a state license before you can legally accept residents, and the process runs through several fixed stages regardless of which state you're in. 1. Pick your population and license type. A group home for adults with IDD, a mental health group home, an adult foster care home, and a senior residential assisted living facility are usually licensed under different divisions with different rules. Decide who you're serving before you do anything else. 2. Find your state licensing agency and read the actual regulation. Not a summary blog post, the actual administrative code section. Every state publishes this on its department of health, human services, or social services website. 3. Check zoning before you sign a lease. Group homes often qualify for reasonable-accommodation protections under the Fair Housing Act for small residential-style homes, but local occupancy limits, fire code, and building classification still apply and vary by jurisdiction. Confirm with your local planning or zoning office before committing to a property. 4. Complete required training and background checks. Most states require an administrator or operator to complete a specific training course or exam, plus fingerprint-based background checks for all staff. 5. Write your policy and procedure manual. States require documented policies covering medication management, emergency and disaster planning, resident rights, incident reporting, staffing plans, and admission/discharge criteria. This is usually the single most time-consuming part of the application. 6. Submit the license application with required fees, floor plans, and fire marshal or health inspection sign-offs. Fees and required attachments vary by state; confirm current amounts with your state licensing agency before budgeting. 7. Pass your pre-licensing inspection. A state inspector visits the physical location to confirm it meets life safety, physical plant, and staffing requirements before issuing the license. That sequence is consistent nationally even though the specific forms, fees, and timelines differ by state. If you want a structured way to organize the paperwork stage instead of assembling policy templates and checklists from scratch, our State Group Home Licensing Kit bundles the state-specific application checklist, sample policy manual sections, and staffing plan templates into one $299 one-time purchase, built to work alongside your state's actual regulation, not replace reading it.
How do you check a facility's license status before moving in or hiring?
Before choosing a facility for a family member, or before accepting a job as an administrator or caregiver, run the state license lookup and read the most recent inspection report, more than the status flag. A facility can show "active" while sitting on a list of uncorrected deficiencies from its last survey. Look specifically for: substantiated complaints in the last 12 to 24 months, any pattern of repeat citations for the same issue (medication errors and staffing shortfalls are the two most common repeat findings across states), and whether the license has changed hands recently without a corresponding new inspection on file. If the state's online system only shows a summary, most states allow you to request the full survey report through a public records request or by calling the regional licensing office directly. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the state's records process, so build in lead time if you're making a placement decision on a deadline. For operators doing due diligence on an acquisition or partnership, pulling the license history isn't optional. A revoked or suspended license in the building's past, even under prior ownership, can affect zoning approval or your own licensing application down the line in some states.
What's the difference between checking a license and checking a facility's reputation?
A license lookup tells you whether a facility is legally authorized to operate and whether it has documented violations on file with the state. It does not tell you about staff turnover, food quality, resident satisfaction, or the intangible "does this feel like a good place" factor that only a site visit can answer. Treat the license lookup as the first filter, not the last step. A clean license history is a minimum bar, not a guarantee. Conversely, a facility with a citation or two isn't automatically disqualifying, since minor paperwork citations (a missing signature on a med log, for instance) are common and get corrected quickly. Pattern and severity matter more than a single flagged item. For families evaluating options, combining the state license lookup with an in-person tour and a look at senior assisted living facilities near me style directories (as a starting list, not a final source) tends to produce a better shortlist than relying on either one alone.
What if a facility doesn't show up in the license lookup at all?
If a facility that claims to provide assisted living or group home care doesn't appear in your state's licensing database, that's a serious red flag, not a search error. It usually means one of three things: the facility is operating under a name different from its legal license holder, it's licensed under a category you haven't searched (adult foster care instead of assisted living, for example), or it's operating without a license at all. Unlicensed operation is a real and documented problem. State agencies periodically publish cease-and-desist actions against unlicensed care homes, and residents placed in unlicensed facilities generally have far less protection if something goes wrong, since the facility isn't subject to routine inspection or complaint investigation. If you can't find a facility after searching under multiple license categories and name variations, call your state's licensing division directly and ask them to confirm status by address rather than by name. That sidesteps the naming-mismatch problem and gets you a direct answer instead of a guess.
Frequently asked questions
What is assisted living?
Assisted living is a state-licensed residential setting for adults who need help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, and medication management but don't need round-the-clock skilled nursing care. Services and definitions are set by each state, not the federal government, so specifics vary depending on where the facility is located.
What is a group home?
A group home is a small licensed residential setting, often a converted single-family house, where a limited number of residents live together with staff support. Group homes serve different populations (IDD, mental health, recovery, seniors) depending on the license type and the state's regulatory category for that population.
What is an assisted living facility?
An assisted living facility is the licensed building or program where residents receive help with daily activities, meals, medication management, and housekeeping under state oversight. It's distinct from a nursing home because it doesn't provide the skilled nursing or medical care level nursing homes are required to staff.
What does assisted living provide?
Typical assisted living services include help with bathing, dressing, toileting, and mobility, medication administration or reminders, three daily meals, housekeeping and laundry, transportation, and social activities. It generally does not include skilled nursing, IV therapy, or complex wound care, which require a nursing home or added home health services.
What is the difference between assisted living and a nursing home?
Assisted living serves medically stable adults who need help with daily activities; nursing homes serve people needing skilled nursing care, rehab, or complex medical supervision. Nursing homes must meet federal certification standards under 42 CFR Part 483 to bill Medicare and Medicaid; assisted living is regulated only at the state level.
Does Medicare cover assisted living facilities?
No. CMS states that Medicare doesn't cover long-term custodial care, which is what most assisted living provides. Medicare Part A may cover a short skilled nursing facility stay after a qualifying hospital stay, but that benefit applies to nursing homes, not assisted living room-and-board or personal care fees.
How do I start a group home?
Pick your resident population, identify the correct state licensing agency and read its administrative code, confirm zoning before leasing a property, complete required operator training and background checks, write a compliant policy manual, submit your application with required fees and inspections, and pass the state's pre-licensing site inspection.
How do I look up an assisted living license?
Search your state's health department, department of social services, or long-term care licensing division website for a facility or provider search tool. Enter the facility name, address, or license number to see license status, capacity, license type, and often a link to the most recent inspection report.
What does 'license pending' mean on a facility lookup?
It usually means either a new facility hasn't finished the licensing process and isn't open yet, or an existing facility's renewal application is still under state review. It doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong, but confirm current operating status directly with the state licensing agency before assuming the facility can accept residents.
Can I see a facility's inspection report online?
Many states post inspection reports or statements of deficiencies as downloadable documents directly in their license lookup tool. If your state's system only shows a summary status, you can usually request the full report through a public records request or by calling the regional licensing office.
Is assisted living the same in every state?
No. CMS notes that assisted living is regulated at the state level with no single federal definition, so licensed capacity, required staffing, services included, and even the terminology (assisted living, residential care, adult foster care) differ from state to state.
What's the difference between a group home and an assisted living facility?
Group homes are typically smaller, house-style settings serving specific populations like IDD or mental health residents, often licensed under a disability or behavioral health agency. Assisted living facilities are usually larger and licensed for seniors needing help with daily activities, typically under a state's aging or health licensing division, though overlap and terminology vary by state.
Does Medicaid pay for assisted living?
In many states, Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers can cover personal care costs in assisted living for financially eligible residents, though room and board usually isn't covered. Eligibility rules and waiver availability differ by state, and some states have waitlists, so check your state Medicaid agency directly.
Sources
- Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Florida Health Finder facility locator: Florida's assisted living facility license lookup is run through the Agency for Health Care Administration
- Texas Health and Human Services, Provider search / long term care facility search: Texas HHSC maintains licensing information for assisted living facilities
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 42 CFR Part 483: Federal requirements for nursing home participation in Medicare and Medicaid, including nursing staff standards
- Medicare.gov, Skilled nursing facility care coverage: Medicare does not cover long-term custodial care and only covers short-term skilled nursing facility stays under specific conditions
- Medicaid.gov, Home & Community-Based Services 1915(c): Medicaid HCBS waivers can help cover personal care services in assisted living settings for eligible residents