Nevada home for individual residential care license: two residents, one director, full HCQC rules

One or two residents: where Nevada draws the line

Nevada licenses smaller homes than most states do. A home for individual residential care is “a home in which a natural person furnishes food, shelter, assistance and limited supervision, for compensation, to not more than two persons with intellectual disabilities or with physical disabilities or who are aged or infirm” ⁠¹. The HIC is classed as a “facility for the dependent” ⁠¹, and no one may operate a facility for the dependent without a license ⁠¹. So a single paying, unrelated resident is enough to trigger licensing.

Three tests decide whether this license is yours:

• Payment. The definition applies only where care is given “for compensation” ⁠¹.
• Relationship. Residents related to you “within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity” do not count ⁠¹. Caring only for relatives within that degree needs no HIC license.
• Head count. The cap is two residents. NAC 449.0118 lets the Division deny, suspend or revoke a license for “accepting for care, at any given time, more residents than the number specified in the license” ⁠².

The statute also excludes three settings that can look like a small care home: recovery houses for people recovering from alcohol or other substance use disorders, homes where community-based or supported living arrangement services are delivered, and sites providing rehabilitative residential mental health care ⁠¹. Those have their own licensing paths.

The definition says “a natural person” provides the care, but it does not say that person must live in the home. The residential facility for groups exclusion in NRS 449.017 does say “his or her own home” ⁠¹, and the HCQC checklist asks LLCs and corporations for their organizing documents ⁠⁴. The official sources do not settle whether HCQC will license an HIC held by an LLC, or one where the operator does not live in the home. Ask HCQC licensing in writing before you sign a lease.

When a different Nevada license fits instead

• Three or more residents. A residential facility for groups covers food, shelter, assistance and limited supervision for aged, infirm or disabled people. It “includes, without limitation, an assisted living facility” and excludes only “a natural person who provides care for no more than two persons in his or her own home” ⁠¹. Nevada has no separate small-home tier between two and three beds. See the Nevada residential facility for groups license guide.
• Care in the client’s own home. If you send caregivers to clients’ homes and nobody lives with you, you need a personal care agency license. If you send nurses, you need a home health agency license.
• Daytime care only. Care during the day for aged or infirm adults, with no overnight stay, is a facility for the care of adults during the day. See the Nevada adult day care facility license guide.

The director: the person the license is built around

Every HIC has a director, “whose name appears on a license issued by the Bureau as the director of record” and who is “legally responsible for the care of the residents and the daily operation of the home” ⁠². The director must ⁠²:

• be at least 21 years of age;
• have a high school diploma or its equivalent, and prove both to the Bureau; and
• “possess the appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities to meet the needs of the residents of the home.”

The HCQC checklist turns these into uploads: a resume for the director, a high school diploma (a foreign diploma “must go through NACES”), government ID proving age 21, and a current copy of the director’s elder abuse, neglect and exploitation training ⁠⁴. Unlike a residential facility for groups, an HIC has no administrator-license requirement in its rules: NAC 449.15521 sets only the age, diploma and competence standards above ⁠².

The checklist also asks for a three-year business history for each owner. That means either a resume showing three years of owning the same type of facility, or a resume plus one letter of reference ⁠⁴. This comes from NAC 449.011, which requires personal references and information on the applicant’s “financial status and business activities and associations in and out of this State during the immediately preceding 3-year period” ⁠².

What the director must make happen every day

NAC 449.15523 is short, but every item on it is checked at survey ⁠²:

• CPR and first aid on site at all times. “A caregiver, who is capable of meeting the needs of the residents and has been trained in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is on the premises of the home at all times when a resident is present.” The rule does not say the director must be that caregiver, so any time you are away while a resident is home, someone trained in both must be there.
• An assessment at admission. It must document “the abilities of the resident to function independently” and give “a complete list of the matters for which the resident requires assistance.” Update it whenever the resident’s needs change.
• Care standards. Residents must be treated with dignity and respect and must not be abused, neglected or exploited. They must receive the personal care they need, a balanced daily diet, and “protective supervision”, which NAC 449.15519 defines as supervision that “protects the residents of a home from potential danger to their physical and mental well-being” ⁠².
• Complaint contacts. Residents must be given the names and complaint phone numbers of the Bureau and the Aging and Disability Services Division.
• Posting and laundry. Post the license in a conspicuous place, and follow sanitary procedures for linens and personal laundry.

NRS 449.199 also bars an HIC from housing anyone who “does not meet the requirements for admission to the facility or home.” The one exception is a person related within the third degree of consanguinity to a resident, who may stay regardless ⁠¹.

The house itself

The HIC rules contain no square-footage, bedroom-size or bathroom-ratio figures. NAC 449.15525 requires that ⁠²:

• the interior and exterior be “clean and free of hazards and offensive odors”;
• the home have appropriate, well-maintained furnishings, at least one functional, portable fire extinguisher, a first-aid kit, clean and adequate equipment to prepare, serve and store food, and space and equipment for handling linens and laundry; and
• the temperature stay comfortable and safe. Portable heaters are prohibited.

The larger test comes from outside the HIC rules. NAC 449.011 requires evidence that the home “complies with all safety, health, building and fire codes,” and “if there are any differences between the state and local codes, the more restrictive standards apply.” The application also needs a copy of the certificate of occupancy ⁠². Before HCQC can issue a license, it “must receive a satisfactory report of inspection of the facility from the State Fire Marshal or the local fire department.” Agencies that serve clients in their own homes are exempt from that inspection, but HICs are not ⁠². The checklist asks for a floor plan with dimensions ⁠⁴. Neither the HIC rules nor the HCQC pages list the State Fire Marshal standards (smoke alarms, exits, evacuation ability) applied to an HIC, so ask the Fire Marshal’s office which code edition and occupancy classification it will use before you buy or lease the house. HCQC also posts a technical bulletin on first aid and CPR for HICs on its HIC page ⁠³.

Zoning: protected as a house, but you still need local paperwork

Nevada’s planning statute requires every city and county ordinance to include a “home for individual residential care” in its definition of “single-family residence.” It also says an HIC “shall not be deemed to be a home that is operated on a commercial basis for any purpose relating to zoning” ⁠⁷. A local government therefore cannot zone a licensed two-resident home out of a residential neighborhood as a business use.

That does not remove the local step. The HCQC checklist requires a copy of your local (city or county) business license, conditional use verification form, or special use permit. It must show the facility’s business name and physical address, and “payment receipts do not meet this requirement” ⁠⁴. Zoning also matters at every renewal: NRS 449.089 lets the Division refuse to renew a license if the home has not “conformed to all applicable local zoning regulations” ⁠¹.

The surety bond, even at two beds

NRS 449.065 requires a surety bond from each HIC, at initial licensing and at every renewal ⁠¹:

The bond is payable to the Aging and Disability Services Division. It covers residents aged 60 or older who are found to have “suffered property damage as a result of any act or failure to act” by the home to protect their property ⁠¹. The checklist adds formatting rules: the bond must name the home’s DBA and full physical address, be signed by the owner, and carry the bond company’s original seal ⁠⁴.

Three provisions matter for small operators:

• The license is “suspended by operation of law” when bond coverage lapses ⁠¹.
• The Administrator “may exempt … a home for individual residential care” from the bond if it would cause “undue hardship” ⁠¹.
• With the Administrator’s approval, you can deposit certain bank obligations or U.S. government securities with a Nevada bank or trust company in place of the bond ⁠¹.

Training and health screening before anyone gives care

• Elder abuse training. The applicant must complete training “to recognize and prevent the abuse of older persons before a license … is issued.” Training completed within the year before you apply counts. The director must complete it before the home provides care, and every employee before giving care, and all must repeat it annually. The home pays for it ⁠¹. Each renewal application must state that everyone is in compliance ⁠¹. HCQC links the Elder Abuse/Adult Protective Services course from its training page ⁠⁹.
• Initial license applicant training. HCQC lists “initial license applicant mandatory training” as a step in applying for an HIC license ⁠³. The course sits behind a state e-learning login and the sources do not describe its content or length, so ask HCQC licensing what it covers and how long it takes.
• Safe injection attestation. By statute, the Division “shall not issue or renew a license for a home for individual residential care” unless the applicant attests to knowing and following CDC guidelines on safe injection practices ⁠¹. HCQC posts the attestation form on the HIC page ⁠³.
• Infection control. As a facility for the dependent, an HIC must run an infection control program and review it at least annually. It must also adopt an infection control policy based on a recognized body such as the CDC, and keep an emergency preparedness plan that covers emerging infectious diseases ⁠². You must name a primary and a secondary person responsible for infection control. Each must complete “not less than 15 hours of training” within 3 months of being named, “and annually thereafter,” and certificates must be kept for 3 years ⁠². Separately, each unlicensed caregiver must complete evidence-based infection control training every year. HCQC’s own course takes “less than 30 minutes” ⁠⁸. The person in charge must also update a written infectious disease plan every year and give a copy to each employee and resident ⁠¹.
• Tuberculosis. NAC 441A.375 names homes for individual residential care directly. Before an employee or contractor gives direct care, they need a provider’s certification that they are free of active tuberculosis, plus a TB screening test from the preceding 12 months. Screening repeats annually unless a documented risk determination sets a lower frequency, and anyone with a past positive test needs a chest X-ray within 6 months of starting ⁠⁶. NAC 441A.380 also requires staff to ask a person before admission about tuberculosis symptoms, such as a cough of more than 3 weeks, blood in the sputum, unexplained fever, night sweats or weight loss, and about close contact with someone who has active tuberculosis ⁠⁶.

Background checks: owners first, employees only after licensing

Each applicant submits fingerprints for an FBI report and authorizes a check of child abuse and neglect registries in every jurisdiction lived in during the past 5 years ⁠¹. HCQC requires a background check for each owner with 10 percent or more ⁠⁴. Owners start by taking the Nevada Automated Background Check System (NABS) tutorial, “about 1 hour and 20 minutes” plus a quiz, and emailing the certificate to HCQC licensing ⁠⁵. Accounts for HCQC’s courses run through NEOGOV, which “may take a few days to process” ⁠⁹. If you have a criminal record, NRS 449.03008 lets you petition the Division first. It must say within 90 days whether your history would disqualify you ⁠¹.

Employee checks come later. HCQC says you “must receive your license … before you can open an account with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to begin background checking your employees” ⁠⁵. After that, within 10 days of hiring anyone, you must get their written statement about disqualifying crimes, their fingerprints, and registry authorizations ⁠¹.

Applying to HCQC, in order

1. Form the business and get a Nevada state business license

   HCQC accepts only a copy of the license itself, “no receipts or screenshots from SilverFlume,” and the registered name and Nevada business ID must match your application ⁠⁴.

2. Secure the house

   Upload a fully executed lease that names the facility and address and proves you may run the home there, or the recorded deed if you own it ⁠⁴.

3. Get the local business license or use permit

   for the address ⁠⁴.

4. Complete owner and director training

   This means NABS for owners, elder abuse training for the applicant and director, and the initial applicant training listed by HCQC ⁠³⁠⁴⁠⁵.

5. Buy the surety bond

   in the form HCQC specifies ⁠⁴.

6. Apply online and pay

   Create an account in the state licensing system linked from the HIC page and upload the checklist items ⁠³⁠⁴. Pay the nonrefundable fee ⁠². Applications are valid for 1 year. If you have not met every requirement by then, you must reapply and pay again ⁠².

7. Fire inspection

   Once all other checklist items are uploaded, HCQC staff send an inspection request to the State Fire Marshal. You then upload the Certificate of Compliance ⁠⁴.

8. Initial on-site survey

   The Bureau surveys the home after it receives a completed application and fee and “before the issuance of a license” ⁠². The investigation covers “the premises, facilities, qualifications of personnel, methods of operation and policies of the applicant” ⁠².

9. License issued

   Only then can you open your DPS account and fingerprint employees ⁠⁵. Post the license and admit residents.

The rules give no processing time for an HIC application.

Fees as published on 2026-10-12

Initial fees are nonrefundable ⁠². You can split renewal fees into two equal payments. File a complete renewal application with the first half, the $100 billing fee, and a signed payment agreement and confession of judgment by November 1. The second half is due by April 15 ⁠². The bond premium, local license, fingerprinting and training costs are separate, and the state does not publish them.

Surveys, renewal and enforcement

Under NRS 449.089, a license “expires 1 year after the date on which it was issued” and may be renewed annually ⁠¹. NAC 449.0116 requires the renewal application “on or before November 15 of the calendar year in which the license expires.” If you file late without good cause, you pay a 50 percent surcharge up to December 31. If you miss expiry entirely, you must apply for a new license ⁠². The rules set a license term of 1 year from issuance and a November 15 renewal deadline in the calendar year of expiry; they do not say how the two fit together for a license issued mid-year, so ask HCQC for your license’s expiration date and the date it expects your renewal.

After the initial survey, the Bureau must survey the home “not less than once every 3 years” ⁠². If you receive a statement of deficiencies, you must return a plan of correction within 10 days ⁠². Changes need notice. A sale of the property is reported in writing within 10 days, and a change of ownership, location or services is reported immediately ⁠². A change of name, administrator (for an HIC, the director) or bed count requires a new application and the $250 fee ⁠².

Running a home without a license is a misdemeanor. The Division can serve a cease-and-desist order and go to court if you do not stop or apply within 30 days. A court can impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for a first offense and $10,000 to $25,000 for a repeat ⁠¹.

Resident agreements and records

Sign a written agreement with each resident “that sets forth the basic rate for the services of the home and the charges for any optional services” ⁠². Keep a separate file for each resident for 5 years after they permanently leave. It must hold their name, address, date of birth and Social Security number, contacts for their physician and a responsible person, the results of a general physical examination, and the up-to-date needs assessment ⁠². On request, you must give the resident or their parent or guardian an itemized statement of charges ⁠¹.

How HIC care is paid for

HCQC’s 2012 fact sheet listed private pay, Veterans Administration benefits and long-term care insurance as HIC payment sources. At that time it counted about 155 licensed homes serving more than 300 residents statewide ⁠¹⁰. Neither the HIC rules nor the HCQC pages say whether any Nevada Medicaid waiver pays HIC providers for residential care. Ask HCQC and the Aging and Disability Services Division before you plan around Medicaid residents.

What changed recently

• Agency name. 2025 amendments to NRS chapter 449 moved licensing to the Health Care Purchasing and Compliance Division of the Nevada Health Authority ⁠¹. The licensing website still says “Health Care Quality & Compliance” and the background-check page still refers to the Division of Public and Behavioral Health ⁠³⁠⁵.
• Elder abuse training. NRS 449.093 was amended in 2025 ⁠¹. It now requires the applicant, the person in charge and every caregiving employee to train before care begins and every year after ⁠¹.
• Infection control. NAC 449.0109, effective December 29, 2022, added the infection control program, the two designated infection control persons and the emergency preparedness plan ⁠². AB 217 (2021) and regulation R063-21 brought in annual infection control training for unlicensed caregivers ⁠⁸.
• The HIC rules themselves (NAC 449.15511 to 449.15529) date from regulation R131-99, effective November 29, 1999; the section histories show no amendments since ⁠².

Sources

1. 1
   Nevada Legislature, Chapter 449, Nevada Revised Statutes: Medical Facilities and Other Related Entities Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Nevada Legislature, Chapter 449, Nevada Administrative Code: Medical Facilities and Other Related Entities (NAC 449.15511 to 449.15529, Homes for Individual Residential Care; general licensing and fee rules) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   Nevada Health Authority, Health Care Quality and Compliance, Home for individual residential care Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   Nevada Health Authority, Health Care Quality and Compliance, Licensing Checklist for Home for Individual Residential Care (HIC) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   Nevada Health Authority, Health Care Quality and Compliance, Background Check Requirements Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   Nevada Legislature, Chapter 441A, Nevada Administrative Code: Infectious Diseases; Toxic Agents (NAC 441A.375, tuberculosis) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   Nevada Legislature, Chapter 278, Nevada Revised Statutes: Planning and Zoning (NRS 278.02377) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   Nevada Health Authority, Health Care Quality and Compliance, Unlicensed Caregiver Infection Control Training Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   Nevada Health Authority, Health Care Quality and Compliance, Training & Education Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
10. 10
    Nevada State Health Division, Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance, Homes for Individual Residential Care in Nevada (fact sheet, 2012) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

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