Congratulations! You have discovered a fast growing industry that may bring you significant financial rewards.

In almost all of the states, by community care licensing regulation, each facility requires a facility license and some certification process in order to set up and operate the care home business. For starters, the first thing you need to do is to contact your state community care licensing office or visit their website to study their regulations. Listed below is several major state agencies’ contact information:

California
California Health & Human Services Agency
1600 Ninth Street, Room 460
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-654-3454
916-654-3343 fax
www.dhs.ca.gov

Department of Social Services
744 P Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-445-6994
916-653-3173 fax
www.dss.cahwnet.gov/cdssweb

State Commission on Aging
www.aging.ca.gov/index.html

Arizona
Arizona Department of Health Services
150 North 18th Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
(602) 542-1000
(602) 542-0883 fax
www.hs.state.az.us/index.htm

State Commission on Aging
www.azdes.gov/aaa

Nevada
State of Nevada
Department of Human Resources
Bureau of Licensure Licensure and Certification
1550 E. College Parkway, Ste 158
Carson City, Nevada 89706
(775) 684-4200
health2k.state.nv.us

State Commission on Aging
www.aging.state.nv.us

Florida
Agency for Health Care Administration
2727 Mahan Dr Bldg. 1
Tallahassee, FL 32308-5403
(850) 414-6010
1-888-419-3456
www.fdhc.state.fl.us

State Commission on Aging
elderaffairs.state.fl.us

Texas
Texas Department of Human Services
Long Term Care-Regulatory
Customer Services mail Code E-349
701 W 51st St.
PO Box 149030
Austin, TX 78714-9030
www.dhs.state.tx.us

State Commission on Aging
www.dads.state.tx.us

In California, you need to undertake the 40 hours mandatory training to become a certified administrator. If your plan is to hire an administrator to run the business for you. We still recommend you go through the training and knowing what's the business all about. After the training, you need to pass Department of social service community care licensing exam for certifications. It takes a couple of months for community care licensing to issue you an administrator certificate, which allows you to be an owner or a manager of a care facility.

There is also an 8 hours orientation provided by California Community Care Licensing for the people trying to purchase an existing care home or building up a care home from scratch. You will learn the rules and procedures during the orientation.

If you are seriously considering stepping into this field, I highly recommend that you start the certification process as early as you can. Most sellers won’t seriously consider your offer if you are not yet a certified administrator or you don’t have an administrator to work with or partner with.

An existing facility license is not transferable. Once you open escrow, the buyer/administrator has to commence the facility license application process immediately, so when escrow closes; the buyer/administrator can run the facility under his/her own facility license. It will take approximately 90 days to secure a facility license or a provisional license. Other states requirements may vary.