How to Get a Personal Care Home License in Georgia: Step-by-Step Guide

By Jadely Team · Last reviewed October 29, 2026

For Care Home Operators

Opening a personal care home in Georgia is a real business with real regulation. The state licenses and inspects these homes closely, and most of the delays new operators run into come from skipping a requirement, not from the paperwork itself.

This guide summarizes the process and the main rules from Georgia's personal care home regulations (Rule 111-8-62). Use it to plan, then confirm every detail with the state before you spend money.

First: what you're actually applying for

Georgia's Department of Community Health (DCH), through its Healthcare Facility Regulation Division, licenses personal care homes. The state defines a personal care home as any dwelling, for profit or not, that provides or arranges housing, food service and one or more personal services for two or more adults who aren't related to the owner or administrator.

In practice, the state issues the home a permit. You must have a valid permit before you operate or admit any residents, and the home may not serve more residents than its approved licensed capacity.

Two things people often mix up:

• Personal care home vs. assisted living community. An assisted living community is a personal care home with 25 or more residents that is licensed to provide assisted living care. A personal care home that isn't licensed that way can't provide assisted living care or use "assisted living" in its name or marketing.
• Personal care home vs. private home care agency. Home care agencies, which send caregivers into people's own homes, fall under a separate DCH program (Private Home Care). It's a different license from a residential personal care home.

Step 1: Choose your structure and plan the home

Decide who the applicant will be. A sole proprietor applies as an individual, while an LLC or corporation applies through its governing body. Whoever applies is the licensee and signs a statement of responsibility.

Then plan the property and number of residents. This choice affects almost everything else, including the administrator qualifications, staffing and whether you need a financial affidavit.

Step 2: Clear local requirements and secure the property

The state says zoning and local requirements must be handled directly with local officials. Check with your city or county before you sign a lease or buy. Your application will need documentation that you own or lease the property.

Step 3: Make sure the building meets the physical standards

DCH inspects the physical plant, and the rules are specific. Among the requirements:

• Bedrooms: at least 80 square feet of usable floor space per resident, no more than four residents per bedroom, and at least one window to the outside. Bedrooms must be separated from halls by floor-to-ceiling walls.
• Bathrooms: at least one toilet and sink for every four residents and one bathing facility for every eight residents, with grab bars and non-skid surfaces in showers and tubs.
• Fire safety: smoke detectors wired to the home's electrical service with battery backup and audible in sleeping rooms, at least one charged 5-pound multipurpose ABC fire extinguisher on each occupied floor and in the basement, and a secondary exit from every sleeping room.
• Hot water: heated water that does not exceed 120°F.
• Accessibility: if you serve residents who use wheelchairs or scooters, you need at least two accessible exits remote from one another and a bathroom they can use independently.
• Electrical inspection: the electrical service must be inspected by a licensed electrician or local code official and declared hazard-free within six months before you file your application, with a signed copy submitted.

Also comply with fire and safety rules from the Office of Safety Fire Commissioner and any local fire ordinances.

Step 4: Line up your administrator and staff

Administrator. Must be at least 21. For homes licensed for fewer than 25 beds, the administrator needs either an associate's degree, or a high school diploma or GED plus two years of experience in a licensed personal care home or other healthcare setting. For 25 or more beds, the administrator must hold a license from the State Board of Long-Term Care Facility Administrators.

Staff.

• The on-site manager and direct-care supervisors must be 21 or older, and staff providing hands-on care must be at least 18.
• Staff must complete required training within their first 60 days, including first aid, CPR with a return demonstration, emergency evacuation, residents' rights, recognizing and reporting abuse, neglect and exploitation, and infection control.
• Direct-care staff, including the administrator or on-site manager, need at least 16 hours of training each year.
• Each employee needs a tuberculosis screening and physical exam within 12 months before employment.
• For homes with fewer than 25 beds, the minimum staffing ratio is one awake direct-care staff person per 15 residents during waking hours and one per 25 during non-waking hours, where residents have minimal care needs. Homes must staff above the minimum when residents' needs require it. An administrator, on-site manager or responsible staff person must be on the premises 24 hours a day.

Step 5: Complete background checks

Owners must complete a criminal history background check before a new license is issued. The home must also get a satisfactory fingerprint records check for administrators, on-site managers and direct-access employees under the state's criminal background check rules. DCH runs this through its Georgia Criminal History Check System (GCHEXS).

Step 6: Assemble and submit the application

The state won't act on an application until it's complete, with all required attachments and fees. The attachments include:

• A sketch, plat, photos or simple drawing of the home and grounds showing windows, doors, room measurements and bed placement
• Documentation of ownership or a lease
• Full ownership disclosure, including anyone with 10 percent or more ownership, and the registered agent for corporations
• The administrator or on-site manager's name, if known (it must be provided before the permit is issued)
• The electrical inspection report
• For homes with 25 or more beds: a financial stability affidavit from a CPA affirming the ability to operate for the next two years

Fees are set by DCH's general licensing rules (Chapter 111-8-25). Fee amounts change, so check the current schedule on the DCH site instead of relying on a blog post, including this one. For application forms and questions, DCH's personal care home program can be reached at 404-657-5700.

Step 7: Survive the inspection

Expect DCH to inspect before and after you open. Unannounced compliance inspections generally happen about every 11 to 15 months, and also when there's a complaint. If the report cites violations, you must submit a written plan of correction within 10 days of receiving it. Display your permit and your latest inspection report and plan of correction in the home, and if you have a website, link to the last 18 months of reports.

Rules that trip up new operators

• Operating before you have the permit. You can't admit residents without one.
• Admitting people the home can't legally keep. Residents generally must be ambulatory and able to get out in an emergency with minimal help. There's a limited aging-in-place exception for up to three non-ambulatory residents, with extra fire-safety conditions.
• Calling the home "assisted living." Not allowed unless you're licensed as an assisted living community.
• Memory care without certification. You can't operate a memory care center or admit memory care residents without a separate state certificate.
• Weak policies. Your governing body must have written policies on admissions, discharges, refunds, medication management, abuse reporting, emergency preparedness, staffing and more.
• Short staffing. The ratios are minimums. Inspectors expect staffing to match what residents actually need.

After you're licensed: fill your beds

A permit doesn't fill rooms. Referral sources like hospital discharge planners, placement agencies and families look for homes that are easy to find and quick to respond. You can list your home on Jadely so the people placing residents can find you, or learn more for providers.

This article is a general summary, not legal advice. Georgia's rules and fees change, and each home's situation is different. Confirm current requirements with the Georgia Department of Community Health and your local officials before you apply.

Sources

• Georgia Rules and Regulations, Chapter 111-8-62 (Personal Care Homes): https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/111-8-62
• Georgia Department of Community Health, Personal Care Homes program: https://dch.georgia.gov/divisionsoffices/hfrd/facilities-provider-information/personal-care-homes