About Start a Care Business

Care licensing is split across health departments, human services agencies, aging departments and education departments, and each state draws the lines differently: a home caring for six children may need a license in one state and nothing in the next, and the same small adult care home goes by a different name almost everywhere. We bring these rules together in one format, so that someone planning a care business can see what their state requires and compare it with others.

The site covers 7 types of care business in all 50 states and DC: the license type pages compare every state, 51 states have a full hub, and 301 guides explain individual licenses step by step. The state list links every hub.

Start a Care Business is an independent publication. We are not a government agency or a licensing agency, and we do not sell consulting, training, franchises or application services.

How we research

Only official sources count: state statutes and administrative codes on legislature or secretary-of-state sites, licensing agency pages, official application forms and fee schedules, and federal agencies such as CMS and the Administration for Children and Families. We do not use consultancies, law-firm blogs, franchise sites or other guides as sources.

• Sources for every fact. Each requirement a reader might act on, such as a fee, a capacity limit or a training requirement, is tied to a numbered source listed at the end of the guide, and the comparison tables link to the agency page for each state.
• Separate verification. Before a guide is published, every figure and rule in it is checked against its source a second time, separately from the drafting.
• Dated reviews. Each guide and state hub shows the date it was last checked against its sources, and each source shows the date it was checked.
• Regular re-checks. Every guide is reviewed at least every 90 days, and sooner when an agency announces a change.
• Open questions stay open. When an official source does not settle a point, we say so and mark the state as being confirmed rather than guess.

A guide is a starting point: the licensing agency’s own requirements always take precedence, and local zoning, business license and fire safety rules apply on top of the state license.

Editorial team

Guides and tables are researched and written by the Start a Care Business editorial team directly from the sources above, and verified separately as described in the research method.

Corrections

If you find an error or an outdated requirement, use the “Report an error” link at the end of any guide or contact us. We check every report against the official source, correct the page when needed and update its review date.

Publisher

The company that publishes Start a Care Business is identified in our privacy policy. You can reach us at [email protected].