What are the home care licensing requirements in [state]?
There is no federal home care license. Each state sets its own, and many split non-medical home care from skilled home health. Search your state’s health department for ’home care agency license’ and read the rule, the application, and the fee schedule. Some states also ask for a certificate of need for skilled agencies.
Licensing is a state job. A good way to find your answer:
- Find the right agency. It is often the state health department, sometimes a department of aging or human services. Search "[state] home care agency license."
- Find the license type that matches your services. Many states have one license for non-medical personal care and a separate, tougher one for skilled home health. Georgia, for example, has a Private Home Care Provider license and a home health agency license, both from the Department of Community Health.
- Read the rule itself, not just a blog. Look for the administrator rules, background checks, training hours, policies, supervision, and how long the license lasts.
- Check the fees and the time. Georgia’s fee rule, for example, lists a $300 application fee plus license fees by service, and DCH says review takes about 60 days.
- Ask whether the state requires a certificate of need for skilled home health. Georgia does for new or expanding home health agencies.
- Check Medicaid. A state license is not Medicaid enrollment. Medicaid waiver programs often add their own rules.
Always confirm with the state agency by phone or email, and keep the answer in your files.
Sources
- Private Home Care Program · Georgia DCH
- General Licensing and Enforcement Requirements, Rule 111-8-25 (fee schedule) · Georgia DCH
- Certificate of Need fact sheet · Georgia DCH
- Georgia home care licensure (reviewed July 2026) · Vitable Health compliance library (secondary source)
Reviewed by Beth Bledsoe, Care Business Advisor®, 28 Oct 2026. Rules change. Confirm with your state Medicaid agency before you act.
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