California Adult Residential Facility (ARF) license: board and care for adults 18 to 59

What an ARF is, and the licenses next to it

California law puts adult board and care homes for people with disabilities under the Community Care Facilities Act. There, a “residential facility” is any family home, group care facility or similar place giving 24-hour non-medical care to people who need personal services, supervision, or help with the activities of daily living.⁠¹ Title 22 then defines the Adult Residential Facility. It is a facility “of any capacity” giving 24-hour non-medical care and supervision to people aged 18 through 59, and to people 60 and older “only in accordance with Section 85068.4.”⁠² CDSS describes the residents as people with “a mental, physical or developmental disability.”⁠⁶

The license has no size floor or ceiling; the differences come from capacity thresholds in Chapter 6 and from zoning protections that stop at six residents. Within CDSS, the Adult Care Licensing Program licenses and monitors adult residential care facilities through 14 regional offices.⁠⁷ New applications go to the Adult and Senior Care Program’s Centralized Applications Bureau (CAB) in Sacramento.⁠⁶

Choosing between an ARF and the other licenses

• Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE). For people 60 and older. CDSS notes that RCFEs are “often referred to as assisted living facilities, or board and care homes.”⁠⁶ If most of the people you plan to serve are 60 or older, you need the RCFE license. It has its own administrator certification program, and the 300-foot spacing rule does not apply to it.⁠¹³⁠¹⁹
• ARF subtypes certified by DDS. An Enhanced Behavioral Supports Home (EBSH) and a Community Crisis Home (CCH) are both licensed by CDSS as ARFs. The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) must also certify them. They serve people with developmental disabilities who need enhanced behavioral supports or crisis intervention.⁠¹⁠⁶ DDS rules for EBSHs are in Title 17, sections 59050 to 59072.⁠²⁷
• ARF for Persons with Special Health Care Needs (ARFPSHN). Up to five adults with developmental disabilities and special health care needs. DDS must approve the program.⁠⁶ It is the only adult residential facility type allowed to keep someone who needs 24-hour skilled nursing care.⁠²⁰ Its administrators meet the ARF certification rules.⁠¹³
• Social Rehabilitation Facility. For adults recovering from mental illness who temporarily need help, guidance or counseling. It needs a mental health certification from the Department of Health Care Services as well as the CDSS license.⁠⁶
• Medical Foster Home for Veterans. A newer CDSS type for up to three veterans aged 18 or older, run with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.⁠⁶⁠³¹
• Small Family Home and Group Home. These are for children, not adults. A small family home cares for six or fewer foster children with disabilities in the licensee’s own residence.⁠¹
• ICF/DD-H and ICF/DD-N. If residents with developmental disabilities need recurring nursing services or nursing supervision, the setting is an intermediate care facility. It is a 4-to-15-bed health facility licensed under section 1250, not a community care facility.⁠⁵ The Community Care Facilities Act does not apply to health facilities.⁠⁴

Arrangements that do not need an ARF license

Section 1505 exempts places that supply board and room only, as long as no resident “requires any element of care.” It also exempts recovery houses that give no care or supervision, DDS supported living arrangements, and DDS-vendored family homes caring for one or two adults with developmental disabilities in the provider’s own home.⁠⁴

Who can be admitted, including people over 60

You may admit or keep someone 60 or older only if their needs are compatible with the other clients’ and they need the same level of care and supervision. You must also be able to meet their needs. Their file must hold:⁠³

• a functional capabilities assessment and a needs and services plan that addresses any age-related needs
• a physician’s medical assessment from the last year, updated each year under the RCFE medical-assessment rules
• a letter of support from a conservator with placement authority, if there is one, and any letters from a placement officer, social worker or mental health professional saying the ARF is the most appropriate setting

You need a CDSS exception before admitting or keeping one more person over 60 if it would put the over-60 share above 50 percent of the census in a facility licensed for six or fewer, or above 25 percent in a larger facility. CDSS may also apply specific RCFE regulations, such as staff training and resident observation, to protect older clients.⁠³

You may not accept or keep anyone who:⁠³

• has a prohibited health condition
• needs inpatient care in a health facility
• needs more care than you provide
• has needs that conflict with the other clients’
• primarily needs acute psychiatric care

State law separately bars anyone who needs 24-hour skilled nursing care, except in an ARFPSHN.⁠²⁰

The administrator certificate comes first

Every ARF must have “a qualified and currently certified administrator.”⁠³ For a new license, that certificate is on the critical path:

1. Take the 35-hour program

   The program must be CDSS-approved, with at least 35 hours of interactive instruction. It covers law and regulations, business operations, staff management, residents’ psychosocial and physical needs, medications, admission and retention, nonviolent crisis intervention, and cultural competency for LGBT residents.⁠¹²

2. Pass the state exam

   You must pass within 60 days of finishing the course, in no more than three attempts. CDSS can extend the deadline by up to 60 days for good cause.⁠³⁠¹²

3. Apply for the certificate

   File form LIC 9214 within 30 days of learning you passed. Include proof of the course, the exam result, a criminal record statement (LIC 508) and Live Scan fingerprints. CDSS will not issue the certificate until the Department of Justice confirms a criminal record clearance or exemption.⁠³

On the license application, you can send proof that you have registered for the 35-hour program. A department-issued certificate is “required prior to licensure.”⁠¹⁰ If you are both licensee and administrator, you must meet both sets of requirements.⁠¹²

Fees as published by the Administrator Certification Bureau on 2026-10-29 are $140 for the initial application, $140 for renewal and $100 for the exam.⁠¹³ The statute sets a $100 base and, from July 1, 2021, allowed it to rise 10 percent a year, up to 40 percent. A late renewal adds a $300 delinquency fee,⁠¹² which the bureau is temporarily waiving for renewals blocked by problems with the new CCLD Public Portal.⁠¹³

The certificate lasts two years. Renewal needs 40 hours of continuing education, no more than half of it self-paced. Up to 24 hours of continuing education that DDS requires and a regional center approves can count toward the 40.⁠¹² If a certificate lapses for more than four years, you must retake the full program and exam.⁠¹²

Beyond the certificate, Title 22 sets these qualifications by size:⁠³

CDSS does not require experience verification for a one-to-six-bed ARF.⁠¹⁰ Within six months of starting, the administrator also needs four hours of HIV and tuberculosis training, renewed every two years.⁠³ CDSS must be told of any change of administrator within 30 days.⁠¹²

Zoning and the 300-foot rule

Six or fewer residents

Article 7 of the Community Care Facilities Act protects homes serving six or fewer residents:⁠¹⁴

• Residential use. A facility serving six or fewer is “a residential use of property.” Its residents and operators count as a family under zoning law. A city or county may not require a conditional use permit, variance or zoning clearance that a family dwelling of the same type in the same zone would not need.⁠¹⁵
• Kinds of dwelling. “Family dwelling” covers single-family houses, units in duplexes and apartment buildings, condominiums, townhouses, cooperatives and mobilehomes.⁠¹⁵
• Who counts. The six does not include the licensee, the licensee’s family or staff.⁠¹⁴
• Local fees. No business taxes, local registration fees or use permit fees that other family dwellings do not pay, and no fee for enforcing fire inspection rules other than those Section 13235 allows.⁠¹⁶ The fee statute separately bars any local business license, fee or tax on a licensed facility serving six or fewer.⁠²¹
• Occupancy and deeds. Using a family dwelling this way is not a change of occupancy under state housing law or local building codes, though the fire-safety rules in Sections 13143 and 13143.6 still apply where relevant.⁠¹⁵ For deeds and covenants signed on or after January 1, 1979, it counts as a single-family residential use.⁠¹⁸ A fire clearance cannot be denied because the home does not meet a local ordinance it is exempt from.⁠¹⁷

Local height, setback, lot and sign rules still apply, but only if they are identical to those for other family dwellings in the zone.⁠¹⁵ Above six residents, CDSS’s review includes “ensuring that a conditional use permit is obtained.” It tells applicants to have the permit in hand before filing.⁠⁶

Overconcentration

ARFs carry a constraint the RCFE license does not. CDSS “shall deny” a new residential facility license if granting it would leave two residential facilities 300 feet or less apart, measured from the outside walls. RCFEs and foster family homes are not counted. The department may approve a shorter distance if the city or county agrees.⁠¹⁹

At least 45 days before approving the application, CDSS notifies the city or county planning agency, which may ask for denial on overconcentration grounds.⁠¹⁹ CAB sends this notice for ARF applications.⁠⁸ Buying an existing ARF at the same address is not subject to the rule.⁠¹⁹ Before you sign a lease, find out whether another licensed residential facility is within 300 feet.

Fire clearance and residents who cannot walk out

Every ARF needs a fire clearance from the city or county fire department, the fire protection district or the State Fire Marshal. You name the fire authority in your application, and CAB orders the clearance with form STD 850.⁠¹¹⁠⁸ The fire authority then contacts you to schedule the inspection.⁠⁸

You must tell CDSS in advance if you plan to admit people who are 65 or older or nonambulatory, so that a fire clearance covering them is in place first.⁠¹¹ Bedridden residents are allowed only in a facility with the appropriate clearance. You must notify the fire authority within 48 hours of admitting or keeping one. An illness or recovery from surgery lasting 14 days or less does not count as bedridden. For people with developmental disabilities, CDSS decides bedridden status in consultation with DDS.⁠²⁰ Using secured perimeters needs a separate fire clearance under Title 17.⁠¹¹

The CDSS application sequence

CAB processes ARF, EBSH, CCH and ARFPSHN applications. It expects the whole process to take 90 to 120 days.⁠⁶ Delays come from missing documents, background checks, fire clearance timing and construction.⁠⁸

1. Component I orientation

   An online orientation specific to ARFs. The fee is $50 plus a $4.85 processing fee ($54.85), and it is non-refundable. You have 30 days of access to the course and the completion certificate.⁠⁹

2. Prepare the property, money and administrator

   CDSS says to file only once construction is finished, start-up funds are secured and any conditional use permit is obtained. The application must include the orientation certificate, the administrator certificate and the fee.⁠⁶

3. Submit the packet and fee

   Mail it to the Centralized Applications Bureau, 744 P Street, MS 9-14-8201, Sacramento, CA 95814, with the facility address written on the check. The fee is not refundable.⁠⁸⁠⁶

4. Preliminary review and background checks

   CAB assigns a facility number and sends an acceptance letter listing missing items. The applicant and every adult living in the facility need a criminal record clearance or exemption, processed through Live Scan and the Guardian system.⁠⁸

5. Full review

   This covers the fire clearance request, the 300-foot overconcentration notice, a financial review (three months of operating funds for a new facility), a credit check and your compliance history. It ends with the Component II readiness interview.⁠⁸

6. Fire clearance inspection

   ⁠⁸

7. Pre-licensing inspection and Component III

   The regional office inspects the site. You then attend an in-person session on operations and record keeping and correct anything the analyst lists.⁠⁸⁠⁹

8. Final review and license

   ⁠⁸

What goes in the packet

CDSS’s application instructions (LIC 281, 11/25) list these forms for an ARF:⁠¹⁰

• the application (LIC 200), applicant information (LIC 215), designation of facility responsibility (LIC 308) and administrative organization (LIC 309)
• the client cash resources affidavit (LIC 400) and surety bond (LIC 402)
• the monthly operating statement and financial schedules (LIC 401, 401a, 403, 403a, 404, 420)
• the personnel report and records (LIC 500, LIC 501) and staff health screening (LIC 503)
• an emergency disaster plan (LIC 610D), a facility sketch showing exits (LIC 999) and the fire inspection request (LIC 9054)

Chapter 6 adds three requirements. Your financial plan must show start-up funds covering the first three months of operation, and CDSS may ask for written proof. You must give the administrator’s background and certification. The plan of operation must include an infection control plan (LIC 9282) and written arrangements with any consultants or community resources you will rely on.⁠³⁠⁶

If you will hold residents’ cash, you need a bond. It is $1,000 for up to $750 a month, $2,000 for $751 to $1,500, $3,000 for $1,501 to $2,500, and another $1,000 for each further $1,000.⁠¹¹

The house and the staffing rules

Physical plant

• No more than two clients per bedroom.⁠³
• Rooms commonly used for something else cannot be bedrooms. That includes halls, garages, unfinished attics and basements, and sheds.⁠³
• A bedroom cannot be the passage to another room or bathroom, and it must leave room for wheelchairs, walkers or oxygen equipment.⁠³
• At least one toilet and washbasin for every six people living in the home, counting family and staff. At least one tub or shower for every ten.⁠³
• At 16 or more beds, you also need a business office, a private office for the administrator, and a visitor reception area with its own restroom.⁠³

Day and night staffing

Chapter 6 requires enough staff to meet client needs. It sets numbers only in specific situations. When a client who relies on others for all activities of daily living is present, you need at least one direct care staff member for every three such clients. For regional center clients, the regional center can require more.⁠³

Night supervision, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., scales with size:⁠³

Night staff must be trained in the facility’s emergency procedures and in first aid.⁠³ All direct care staff need first aid training.⁠²⁴ CDSS’s 2025 training guide for ARFs lists what else staff need:⁠²⁵

• emergency and disaster preparedness, infection control and emergency intervention, at hire and every year
• on-the-job training in reporting dependent adult abuse, delayed egress and food service
• for direct care staff, training in restricted health conditions and hospice care

At 16 or more beds you must also designate employees for planned activities and for food service, with more requirements at 50 beds.⁠³

Fees, as published on 2026-10-29

ARFs fall under the “other community care facilities” rows of the statutory fee table. You pay the application fee with the packet and an annual fee on each anniversary of the license.⁠²¹ CDSS’s posted schedule, labeled “Fee Increase Effective 1/1/15,” shows the same figures and lists Adult Residential Facility among the residential types.⁠²²

The table continues up to $12,100 and $6,050 for 701 or more.⁠²¹ Other statutory fees:⁠²¹

• a $50 orientation fee
• $25 to change licensed capacity
• half the application fee to move to a new address, or when control of a corporate licensee changes
• a late fee of 50 percent of the annual fee
• a $200 fee when a plan of correction is not carried out on time
• a probation monitoring fee equal to the annual fee

CDSS will not waive or refund fees except for a documented Department error or genuine overpayment.⁠²³

For a six-bed home with an administrator who is not yet certified, the published state costs come to:

• $54.85 for the online orientation⁠⁹
• $100 for the exam and $140 for the certificate⁠¹³
• $908 for the application, then $454 a year⁠²¹

That total leaves out the 35-hour course itself, which you take from a CDSS-approved vendor.⁠¹²

How ARFs get paid

Regional centers (DDS)

Adults with developmental disabilities receive services through California’s regional centers. To be paid by a regional center, you must first be vendored. Since March 1, 2026, new vendorization applications go through DDS’s online Provider Directory to the regional center for your catchment area. That center reviews the minimum requirements within 15 calendar days, checks the full application for completeness within 30 days, and decides within 45 days of receiving a complete application. If approved, you get a vendor number and service code that other regional centers also use.⁠²⁶

Vendorization is governed by Title 17, Division 2. DDS states that being vendored “does not guarantee that individuals will be referred or placed” with you.⁠²⁶

DDS sets the monthly rates regional centers pay for residential services and posts its 2026 rate models separately for each regional center.⁠³⁴ Adult residential facilities are priced under service code 915 (staff-operated, Levels 2 to 6) and 905 (owner-operated), each split between homes of four or fewer beds and five or more.⁠³⁵ For residents on SSI/SSP, DDS lists the board and care portion effective January 1, 2026 as $1,444.07 and personal and incidental needs as $182.00, the same figures CDSS publishes below.⁠³⁴

SSI/SSP residents

Residents who receive Supplemental Security Income and the State Supplementary Payment pay under the non-medical out-of-home care (NMOHC) standard. CDSS’s estimated standard for a licensed facility, effective January 1, 2026, is $1,626.07 a month. That is $994.00 SSI plus $632.07 SSP.⁠²⁸ It breaks down as follows:

• $1,444.07 is payable to the facility for basic services: room and board of $706.07 and care and supervision of up to $738.00.
• $182.00 is a personal and incidental needs allowance that must go to the resident.
• A resident with other income can be charged $20 more if the admission agreement says so.⁠²⁸

For SSI/SSP residents, an ARF must provide basic services at that rate with no extra charge. A private room can carry an extra charge only if a double room was offered and the arrangement is in the admission agreement, and the charge is capped at 10 percent of the board and room portion of the SSI/SSP grant.⁠³

Recent and pending changes

• Administrator portal. CDSS is replacing its databases with a Facility Management System and a public portal. The first phase lets prospective administrators create an account and schedule certification exams. It was planned for summer 2026, with the full portal expected by summer 2027.⁠³²
• Annual fee glitches. The old licensing system was shut down from August 13 to 17, 2026. CDSS will reverse late fees caused by the transition if you contact your analyst or regional office.⁠³³
• Mandated reporting rules. Effective July 14, 2026, CDSS updated the general licensing regulations (Chapter 1, which applies to ARFs) to match the statute on reporting elder and dependent adult abuse. CDSS says the update adds no new requirements.⁠³⁠³⁰
• Seizure medication. AB 1172 (2025) lets ARF administrators and authorized volunteers give intranasal emergency antiseizure medication to a client diagnosed with seizures, under specified conditions. CDSS must adopt training standards by January 1, 2028.⁠²⁹
• Disasters. SB 582 (2025) applies to ARFs and lets Adult and Senior Care licensees request inactive license status during emergencies, under specified conditions.⁠²⁹
• Veterans. In June 2026, CDSS announced Medical Foster Homes for Veterans as a new facility type, and CAB now lists it among the types it processes. This is a separate license if you plan to serve up to three veterans with VA involvement.⁠³¹⁠⁶

The most recent pages of the ARF regulations themselves (Chapter 6) were issued under Manual Letter CCL-23-10, effective July 1, 2023.⁠³ For other California care licenses, see the California state page.

Sources

1. 1
   California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1502 (community care facility definitions) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   California Department of Social Services, California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 6, Chapter 1, Articles 1-2 (General Licensing Requirements) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   California Department of Social Services, California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 6, Chapter 6 (Adult Residential Facilities) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1505 (exemptions) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1250 (health facility definitions) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   California Department of Social Services, ASCP Centralized Applications Bureau Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   California Department of Social Services, Adult Care Licensing Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   California Department of Social Services, Steps to Obtaining an ASCP License Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   California Department of Social Services, Online Orientations (Adult and Senior Care) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
10. 10
    California Department of Social Services, Application Instructions for a Facility License (LIC 281, 11/25) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
11. 11
    California Department of Social Services, California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 6, Chapter 1, Articles 3-4 (General Licensing Requirements) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
12. 12
    California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1562.3 (ARF administrator certification) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
13. 13
    California Department of Social Services, Administrator Certification Bureau Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
14. 14
    California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1566 (counting six or fewer persons) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
15. 15
    California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1566.3 (six or fewer: residential use) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
16. 16
    California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1566.2 (six or fewer: local taxes and fees) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
17. 17
    California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1566.4 (fire clearance and exempt ordinances) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
18. 18
    California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1566.5 (deeds and covenants) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
19. 19
    California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1520.5 (overconcentration) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
20. 20
    California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1566.45 (bedridden clients and skilled nursing) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
21. 21
    California Legislative Information, Health and Safety Code section 1523.1 (licensing fees) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
22. 22
    California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing fee schedule (fee increase effective 1/1/15) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
23. 23
    California Department of Social Services, Licensing Fees Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
24. 24
    California Department of Social Services, California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 6, Chapter 1, Articles 5-6 (General Licensing Requirements) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
25. 25
    California Department of Social Services, PIN 25-11-ASC: Adult Care Facilities Reference Guides to Administrator, Staff, and Volunteer Training Requirements Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
26. 26
    California Department of Developmental Services, Vendorization Process Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
27. 27
    California Department of Developmental Services, Enhanced Behavioral Supports Homes Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
28. 28
    California Department of Social Services, PIN 25-19-CCLD: Estimated SSI/SSP Payment Standards Effective January 1, 2026 Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
29. 29
    California Department of Social Services, PIN 25-09-ASC: 2025 Chaptered Legislation Affecting Adult and Senior Care Facilities Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
30. 30
    California Department of Social Services, PIN 26-05-ASC: Section 100 Regulation Package on Elder and Dependent Abuse Mandated Reporting Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
31. 31
    California Department of Social Services, PIN 26-04-ASC: Announcing a New Adult and Senior Care Facility Type, Medical Foster Homes for Veterans Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
32. 32
    California Department of Social Services, PIN 26-10-CCLD: Community Care Licensing Division Public Portal Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
33. 33
    California Department of Social Services, PIN 26-12-CCLD: New Facility Management System Late Fee Review Guidance Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
34. 34
    California Department of Developmental Services, Complete Rate Models by Regional Center Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
35. 35
    California Department of Developmental Services, DDS Vendor Rate Study: Rate Models for Alta California Regional Center (updated 2/10/2026) Checked 29 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

Was this information accurate? Report an errorPrint or save as PDF