Updated September 11, 2026
Families often use “personal care home” to describe a smaller residential setting that helps with meals, bathing, dressing, toileting, medication support, and other daily needs. In Texas, a qualifying residence may be regulated as an assisted living facility (ALF), even when it looks and feels like a private home.
Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) says an ALF can be a large apartment-style setting or a private residence. Texas law generally defines an ALF as an establishment that provides food and shelter to four or more people unrelated to the proprietor and provides personal care or medication-related assistance. Always verify the exact regulatory status of a home with Texas HHS.
How to verify a Texas home
1. Search the official Texas HHS directory
Open the Texas HHS Long-Term Care Provider Search. Search by provider name, license number, postal code, city, county, or program type.
2. Match the record carefully
Compare the official record with the home’s name and full street address. Similar names can belong to different locations. If a provider gives you a license number, confirm that the number belongs to the same location you are considering.
3. Review the available regulatory information
Open the provider’s state record and review the information available there. Texas HHS also publishes an assisted living facility directory, closure information, and violations data. Ask the home about any information you do not understand and confirm current services directly.
Type A and Type B facilities
Texas HHS licenses assisted living facilities based partly on residents’ ability to leave during an emergency and whether nighttime attendance is needed.
- Type A facilities serve residents who do not require routine attendance during sleeping hours and who can follow directions in an emergency.
- Type B facilities serve residents who require staff assistance to leave, cannot follow emergency directions independently, and require nighttime attendance.
These categories are not quality ratings. They describe the needs a facility is licensed to serve. Ask the home and Texas HHS whether the license type is appropriate for the person’s current and reasonably anticipated needs.
Questions to ask before choosing a home
- What is the facility’s current Texas license number and license type?
- Does the licensed name and address match this exact location?
- What needs can the home safely accommodate during the day and overnight?
- How are emergencies, evacuations, and severe weather handled?
- What help is available with bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility, meals, and medication?
- Which services are included in the stated price, and which cost extra?
- What staffing is available on each shift?
- Under what circumstances might a resident need to move to a different setting?
- How are concerns, incidents, and family communication handled?
- Can you review the resident agreement, policies, and total expected charges before committing?
Use our questions to ask when touring a personal care home for a longer visit checklist.
Complaints and resident support
Texas HHS says complaints about care or treatment by a Regulatory Services provider—including allegations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation—can be reported to Complaint and Incident Intake at 800-458-9858. Calls are answered Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; messages left outside those hours are returned by the next workday. Families may also use the Texas HHS online complaint route.
The Texas Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates for the rights of nursing home and assisted living residents and can help residents and families understand rights and work through concerns.
Call 911 when someone faces an immediate life-threatening emergency.
What PersonalCareHomes.net does—and does not—verify
PersonalCareHomes.net is an advertising directory, not a government agency, placement service, inspection organization, or licensing authority. A directory page may contain public-record information or details supplied by a provider. A listing’s presence does not mean that we inspected, licensed, approved, or endorsed the home.
Before choosing care, confirm licensing and regulatory information with Texas HHS, tour the home, review written terms, and decide whether the setting fits the individual’s needs.
Continue your search
- Browse personal care homes in Texas
- Search personal care homes by ZIP code
- Learn how to choose a personal care home
Official sources
- Texas HHS: Assisted Living Facilities
- Texas HHS: How to Become an ALF Provider
- Texas HHS: Long-Term Care Provider Search
- Texas HHS: Complaint and Incident Intake
- Texas Long-Term Care Ombudsman
This guide is general educational information, not medical or legal advice. Rules, records, contact details, and provider status can change. Verify current information with Texas HHS.