Louisiana adult residential care provider (ARCP) license: levels, rules and steps

Who needs an ARCP license in Louisiana

Louisiana law defines an adult residential care provider by what it does: any facility, agency, residence, person or group “which provides adult residential care for compensation to two or more adults who are unrelated to the licensee or operator.”⁠³ Adult residential care can include lodging, meals, medication administration, intermittent nursing, help with self-administered medication, personal hygiene, transfers and walking, dressing, housekeeping and laundry.⁠³ Under the licensing rule, every ARCP must offer at least help with activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), lodging and meals.⁠²

So the trigger is two unrelated adults and payment. Caring for a single unrelated adult in your home falls outside the definition. Two unrelated residents already require a license.

LDH “does not require, and will not issue” ARCP licenses for lodging and meals only, or for homeless shelters.⁠² A boarding house that serves meals but gives no personal help is outside the program. Once your staff help residents bathe, dress or take medication, you are in it.

Operating without a license is a misdemeanor. The penalty is a fine of up to $100 for each day, capped at $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both.⁠⁷ LDH can also order an unlicensed operator to cease and desist immediately. If the operator keeps going, LDH must seek an injunction in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court, and the operator then owes LDH’s attorney fees, costs and damages.⁠⁷ An unlicensed provider also cannot be reimbursed under Medicaid for this care.⁠⁴

The older names still in use

Before July 1, 2010, the Department of Children and Family Services licensed adult residential care homes. On that date the statute moved licensing to LDH.⁠⁴ The current rule took effect August 15, 2015, and folded the old home types into ARCP levels: Level 1 for personal care homes, Level 2 for shelter care homes, Level 3 for assisted living facilities, and Level 4 for the new “adult residential care provider” module.⁠²⁠⁵ You will still see “personal care home” and “assisted living” in local use. Legally, though, they are all ARCP licenses.

Neighbouring Louisiana licenses

• A day program with no overnight stay falls under the Louisiana adult day health care license, or the adult day care module of the home and community-based services license.
• Personal care delivered in clients’ own homes falls under the home and community-based services provider license.
• Nursing visits to people in their own homes fall outside this license, which covers care delivered to residents of the provider’s own premises.⁠³ The Louisiana state overview lists the license that applies.

Choosing your level

The level decides your building, your director’s qualifications, your nursing obligations and what you may advertise. The rule requires an ARCP to “market itself only as the level licensed.”⁠² Your initial license states the maximum number of apartments or residents you may serve.⁠²

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Source: LDH ARCP page and LAC 48:I.6803, 6843, 6845.⁠¹⁠²

Kitchenettes count even if they are “rendered nonfunctional for reasons of safety.” Apartments inside a specialized dementia care program do not need kitchenettes at all.⁠²

At every level, staff may administer medications only if they are medical personnel, licensed nurses, or medication attendants certified (MACs) employed by or contracted with the ARCP. Unlicensed staff may only assist residents with self-administration, and only after documented training that is repeated every year.⁠² Only Level 4 may provide intermittent nursing services. No level may admit someone so unstable that they need continuous monitoring by licensed staff.⁠²

Facility Need Review and Level 4

Louisiana’s Facility Need Review (FNR) is the state’s certificate-of-need-style screen. For FNR purposes, “ARCP” means a Level 4 provider. The FNR rule now states that “facility need review approval is not required for any ARCP that is initially licensed August 1, 2022 or thereafter.”⁠⁸ However, LDH’s ARCP fee note still describes a Level 4 application as coming “after Facility Need Review approval.”⁠¹ LDH’s FNR page still lists the conversion of Medicaid-approved nursing facility beds to ARCP units among the topics the FNR rule covers.⁠⁹ The sources do not reconcile these statements, so if you plan a Level 4 community, ask HSS in writing, before you file, whether any FNR step applies to your project and whether the Level 4 application will be held for FNR approval.

Building, fire safety and the new generator law

For an ARCP, building approval comes before licensing. The initial packet cannot be filed without the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) letter approving your architectural plans and the OSFM on-site inspection report approving occupancy.⁠²

• Plan review. You must submit architectural plans and construction documents to the OSFM for new construction, additions, substantial rehabilitation, or any building “not previously and continuously used as an ARCP.”⁠² New construction must follow the Louisiana Uniform Construction Code in effect at original licensure.⁠²
• Occupancy class. If you serve four or more residents who cannot evacuate on their own, the building must meet the requirements for limited care health care occupancies. Every Level 4 must meet them regardless of residents.⁠² The pre-residency screening must record each applicant’s ability to evacuate, so your admissions policy and your occupancy class need to match.⁠²
• Shared buildings. An ARCP that shares a building with another business must be physically and programmatically distinct and have its own signed entrance.⁠²
• Waivers. LDH’s secretary may waive physical environment requirements that do not conflict with OSFM or OPH rules. Waivers do not transfer on a change of ownership.⁠²

Source: LAC 48:I.6889 and 6891.⁠²

The rule also requires an outdoor recreation area with walkways and benches, lit to at least five foot-candles. ARCPs licensed after the 2015 rule must have a covered entrance for drop-off.⁠² Level 1 homes are exempt from the public-restroom requirement.⁠² Level 3 and 4 apartments need individually lockable entrances, with a master key available to staff, and no more than two residents each.⁠²

Generators: Act 740 of 2026

Until 2026, the rule required backup power only of Level 4: emergency lighting, designated outlets and temperature control.⁠² Act 740 (SB 145) took effect June 1, 2026 and enacted R.S. 40:2166.11.⁠¹¹ It requires all licensed ARCPs to have a generator or “alternative electrical power source.” That includes mobile generators, shared campus systems, contracted generators and other engineered solutions.⁠¹⁰ The source must be able to run all of the following at once:⁠¹⁰

• life safety systems
• lighting and medical equipment in resident care areas
• the water and sewer systems
• medication refrigeration
• dietary services
• laundry
• systems that keep indoor temperatures clinically safe

You need fuel for at least 72 hours at full load. It can be stored on site or delivered before the emergency under contract. Natural gas counts if you have a direct municipal line or a large enough propane tank.⁠¹⁰ Providers without a permanent generator must have a rapid-connect system and update their emergency operations plan every year.⁠¹⁰

The deadline is July 1, 2027. LDH may grant one extension of up to 12 months for “extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances,” but not to a provider that cannot show substantial compliance or good-faith effort.⁠¹⁰ The OSFM decides compliance and may require plan review and inspections.⁠¹⁰ LDH may adopt rules, including emergency rules.⁠¹⁰ As of 2026-10-12 we found no implementing rule in the Chapter 68 compilation (April 2024), which still requires backup power only of Level 4, so ask HSS and the OSFM how they will measure compliance and what documents they expect. If you are building now, design the generator into the plans you send to the OSFM.

Money you must show before applying

The statute requires “financial viability,” and the rule sets the documents.⁠³⁠²

• Assets or credit. You need verified assets, or a letter of credit from a federally insured, licensed lender, equal to $100,000 or three months of operating cost, whichever is less.⁠²⁠³
• General liability. At least $300,000 per occurrence.⁠²
• Professional liability. At least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 annual aggregate. Instead, you may self-insure at least $100,000 if you are enrolled in the Louisiana Patient’s Compensation Fund. A self-insured ARCP outside the Fund needs $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate.⁠²
• Workers’ compensation as state law requires.⁠²
• Certificate holder. Every policy and certificate must name LDH/HSS as certificate holder.⁠²

You must keep this coverage in force at all times. A lapse can lead to revocation or sanctions.⁠²

The initial application, step by step

1. Get building approvals first. Obtain the OSFM plan-approval letter and occupancy inspection, and the Office of Public Health (OPH) health inspection report. All three go in the packet.⁠²
2. Assemble the packet. It must include all of the following:⁠²
   • the LDH application form (posted under “Licensing/Renewal Application” on the ARCP page⁠¹)
   • the non-refundable fee
   • the OSFM and OPH reports
   • criminal background checks on all owners
   • proof of financial viability and insurance
   • a CLIA certificate or waiver if you do any lab testing
   • the disclosure of ownership form (HSS-1513L)
   • a floor sketch
   • your days and hours of operation
   • an organizational chart
3. Pay and mail. New applications at any level pay $600 plus $5 per unit, as published on 2026-10-12.⁠¹ The statute defines a unit as a “room or station.”⁠⁵ Pay by company check, cashier’s check or money order payable to LDH.⁠¹ LDH asks that express packages go by USPS Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express, not FedEx or UPS.⁠¹
4. Cure gaps within 90 days. LDH will not process an incomplete packet. If LDH asks for missing items, you have 90 days. After that the application closes, and you must start over with a new fee.⁠¹⁠²
5. Call for the survey within 90 days of packet approval. Once LDH approves the packet, you must notify it that you are ready for the initial licensing survey within 90 days, or the application closes.⁠¹⁠² Do not file the packet until staff, policies and furnishings will be ready inside that window.
6. Pass the announced initial survey. The statute requires LDH to inspect on site after it receives the completed application and fee.⁠⁶ The initial survey is announced. Follow-up surveys are not.⁠² If you comply, LDH issues a full license. If deficiencies threaten residents, LDH denies the license.⁠² If the deficiencies do not threaten residents, LDH may issue a provisional initial license for up to six months. You then file a plan of correction with completion dates no more than 60 days after the survey exit. If a follow-up survey still finds problems, the license expires and you must reapply with a new fee.⁠²
7. Admit residents only after the license is issued. “No resident shall be provided services” until the survey is passed and the license is in hand.⁠²

The license is valid only for the named owner and the specific address. It cannot be sold or transferred, and it must be posted on the premises.⁠⁴ For questions, LDH lists Kaci Owens as the ARCP contact (225-342-6298, [email protected]) as of 2026-10-12.⁠¹

Director, nurses and direct care staff

Louisiana sets no numeric staff-to-resident ratio for ARCPs. Instead, the rule requires staff “sufficient in number” to meet each resident’s scheduled and unscheduled needs under their person-centered service plan (PCSP), plus these fixed minimums:⁠²

• At least one employee awake and on duty 24 hours a day, every day. This is also a condition of staying licensed.⁠²
• A staff member trained in CPR and first aid on duty at all times.⁠²
• A posted work schedule showing actual coverage for every 24-hour day.⁠²
• No staff member may work at two ARCPs on the same shift. Off-site on-call staff do not count toward coverage.⁠²
• In Levels 2 to 4, one person may hold two positions, but not on the same shift. Only in Level 1 may one person cover several positions on the same shift.⁠²
• A designated person must run the recreational and social program.⁠²
• Criminal history checks for employees follow R.S. 40:1203.2.⁠²

Every director must be at least 21 and on site at least 20 hours a week. Someone must be designated in charge whenever the director is away.⁠² A Level 4 director must also complete an approved assisted living director program of at least 12 hours. The program must start within six months and finish within 12 months of appointment. Two years as an assisted living director substitutes for it.⁠² All directors need 12 approved continuing education units a year.⁠²

Nursing. Level 4 providers, and any ARCP that administers medications through staff, must have enough RNs and LPNs to carry out every PCSP around the clock.⁠² Level 4 must employ or contract with an RN nursing director, who need not be on site but must be on call.⁠² Where staff give medications, a pharmacist must review every regimen monthly and an RN must review administration charting monthly. The ARCP may not stock or dispense medications itself.⁠²

Training. All staff must finish orientation within 14 days of hire, covering at least these topics, which are repeated every year:⁠²

• residents’ rights
• abuse and neglect reporting
• emergency and evacuation procedures, including fire extinguishers
• sanitation and food safety
• reporting changes in a resident’s health
• infection control

Direct care staff also need:⁠²

• a documented competency check before they carry out any PCSP
• CPR and adult first aid within 90 days of hire
• 12 hours of annual training

Dementia training applies to every employee within 90 days of hire, using an LDH-approved curriculum.⁠² Outside a dementia program, direct-care employees need 2 hours. Inside a specialized dementia care program, direct-care staff need 8 hours within 90 days and 8 hours every year, and staff with regular but non-hands-on contact need 4 hours, then 2 a year.⁠²

Admissions, care plans and who you cannot serve

Before a resident signs a residency agreement, you must complete a dated pre-residency screening. It covers physical and mental status (including fall risk), ADL and IADL needs, and the person’s ability to evacuate.⁠² After move-in, the rule sets three deadlines:⁠²

• the assessment within seven days
• the PCSP within 30 days
• a documented PCSP review at least every 90 days

The rule bars residency agreements with people who have any of these conditions:⁠²

• unstageable, stage 3 or stage 4 pressure ulcers
• feeding tubes
• ventilator dependency
• a CPAP or BiPAP device they cannot self-administer, unless a third party is always present to run it
• coma
• continuous IV or TPN
• wound vac therapy
• active tuberculosis
• any condition requiring restraints

A current resident who develops one of these conditions may stay for up to 90 days, but only if all of the following hold:⁠²

• the resident, physician and provider agree
• the physician certifies the condition is temporary
• an outside provider delivers the extra care

That outside provider cannot be the ARCP or a business affiliated with its owners or board members.⁠² Level 4 is the exception, because it may deliver the extra services itself.⁠² Hospice residents may remain at any level if everyone agrees their needs can be met.⁠²

The rule also sets terms for leaving and for what you must provide:⁠²

• Discharge notice. At least 30 days’ written notice, or 15 days for nonpayment.⁠²
• Disaster charges. Your written fee information for prospective residents must include a formula for any extra charges during hurricanes, floods and other disasters.⁠²
• Required services. You must provide or coordinate laundry, housekeeping, transportation (provided or arranged), socialization and a recreational program.⁠²

Advertising dementia care

Any level may run a specialized dementia care program. You must notify LDH when you open or close it. If you advertise or market the program, you must also:⁠²

• keep written policies and admission criteria available to staff, residents and the public
• give inquirers a written disclosure covering staffing, training, the building, activities and program fees
• provide a secured outdoor area

Locked doors need OSFM approval, and a secured unit must meet the limited health care occupancy requirements.⁠²

Renewal, surveys and changes

The license runs one year and expires on the last day of the twelfth month.⁠⁴ File the renewal packet at least 30 days before expiry. It must include:⁠²

• current fire marshal and OPH reports
• the renewal fee
• updated proof of financial viability and insurance

If the license lapses before a complete packet arrives, LDH treats it as a voluntary non-renewal, and you have no right of appeal.⁠² The statute also adds a $100 delinquent fee from 12:01 a.m. the day after expiration.⁠⁵ To renew, you must have served at least two unrelated residents in the preceding 12 months.⁠² The statute caps the renewal fee at the same $600 plus $5 per unit.⁠⁵ Providers that the Department of Children and Family Services licensed as of June 30, 2010, and that keep the same level, still renew at $250. A change of level costs $600 plus $5 per unit.⁠¹⁠⁵

After licensure, surveys are unannounced and happen at intervals LDH chooses.⁠² LDH may issue a provisional license of up to six months to an existing ARCP in any of these cases:⁠²

• more than three validated complaints in a license year
• a deficiency that put a resident at risk of serious harm or death
• uncorrected deficiencies after 60 days

You must report changes to LDH in writing on these deadlines:⁠²

• Name, address or phone. Five business days before the change.
• Director, assistant director or nursing director. Within 10 business days.
• Change of ownership. Within five business days of the transaction. The buyer files all new-license documents and pays the fee.

An ARCP under provisional licensure, revocation or denial of renewal cannot change ownership.⁠²

Each ARCP must also keep an emergency preparedness plan, developed with the parish Office of Emergency Preparedness, and present it on request.⁠² A provider without a permanent on-site generator must update the plan every year to cover its mobile or contracted power, rapid-connect system and fuel agreements, and submit it to LDH on request.⁠¹⁰

For the other care licenses in the state, see the Louisiana state overview and the assisted living license overview.

Sources

1. 1
   Louisiana Department of Health, Health Standards Section, Adult Residential Care Provider (ARCP) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Louisiana Department of Health, LAC 48:I, Chapter 68, Adult Residential Care Providers (minimum licensing standards, April 2024 compilation) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   Louisiana State Legislature, La. R.S. 40:2166.3 (Definitions) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   Louisiana State Legislature, La. R.S. 40:2166.4 (Licensure of adult residential care providers) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   Louisiana State Legislature, La. R.S. 40:2166.5 (Rules and regulations; licensing standards; fees) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   Louisiana State Legislature, La. R.S. 40:2166.6 (License issuance; application; on-site inspection) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   Louisiana State Legislature, La. R.S. 40:2166.7 (Operation without license; penalty) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   Louisiana Department of Health, LAC 48:I, Chapter 125, Facility Need Review (April 2025 compilation) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   Louisiana Department of Health, Health Standards Section, Facility Need Review Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
10. 10
    Louisiana State Legislature, Senate Bill No. 145, 2026 Regular Session, enrolled (Act No. 740) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
11. 11
    Louisiana State Legislature, Résumé Digest, Act 740 (SB 145), 2026 Regular Session Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

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