Updated September 11, 2026 · About a 5-minute read
Families often use “personal care home” as a general description for a smaller residential setting that helps with everyday needs. Arizona’s official licensing terminology is more specific. The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) licenses qualifying settings as assisted living facilities. An assisted living home provides rooms to 10 or fewer residents, while an assisted living center provides rooms or residential units to 11 or more residents.
The words used in an advertisement or directory listing do not prove that a home is licensed. Before choosing care, verify the facility through Arizona’s official records and confirm that its license and approved services match the resident’s needs.
How Arizona classifies assisted living services
Arizona describes three service levels. A facility’s record may show one or more of these services:
- Supervisory care: General supervision, awareness of a resident’s functioning and needs, the ability to intervene in a crisis, and help with self-administered prescribed medication.
- Personal care: Help with activities of daily living that do not require professional training, plus certain coordination or provision of intermittent nursing services and medication or treatment administration as allowed by law.
- Directed care: Supervisory and personal care for people who cannot recognize danger, summon help, express a need, or make basic care decisions.
These descriptions are a starting point, not a care assessment. Ask the home to explain exactly which services it is licensed and staffed to provide for the prospective resident.
How to verify an Arizona home
Use AZ Care Check, the Arizona Department of Health Services’ public facility-search system.
- Search by the facility’s name, address, city, or license number.
- Confirm that the name and address match the home you are considering.
- Review the facility type, facility status, license status, maximum licensed capacity, and approved services.
- Open available inspection records and read any statements of deficiencies or plans of correction.
- Ask the home about anything that appears missing, expired, inconsistent, or unresolved.
AZ Care Check describes its facility information as primary-source verified and maintained by ADHS, while also advising users that the information is not guaranteed. Recheck the record close to the move-in date because licensing details can change.
Questions to ask before choosing a home
- Is the facility currently licensed as an assisted living home, assisted living center, or another facility type?
- What service level or levels are approved: supervisory, personal, or directed care?
- Is the resident’s current and reasonably anticipated care within the home’s licensed scope?
- What is the maximum licensed capacity, and how many residents currently live here?
- Who is on site overnight, and how are emergencies handled?
- How are medications managed, documented, and reviewed?
- Which services are included in the base price, and which cost extra?
- Can we review the residency agreement, resident-rights information, discharge policy, and complete fee schedule before signing?
- How does the home respond to falls, changes in condition, hospital visits, or a need for more care?
- May we speak with current residents or families who have agreed to be references?
Visit in person when possible. Observe cleanliness, food, staff interaction, accessibility, noise, resident engagement, and whether the setting feels safe and respectful. A directory page, website, or telephone conversation cannot replace an in-person review.
Complaints, resident advocacy, and urgent concerns
Licensing complaints about assisted living facilities can be submitted through the ADHS Licensing Services Online Complaint Forms. The ADHS residential-facilities licensing page also lists public contact information and licensing resources.
The Arizona Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program helps identify, investigate, and resolve complaints made by or on behalf of residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult foster care homes. It also educates residents and families about long-term-care issues and resident rights. The program lists local contacts by county.
Suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult can be reported to Arizona Adult Protective Services. If someone is in immediate danger or needs emergency help, call 911.
How to use this directory
PersonalCareHomes.net is an independent directory, not a placement agency, health care provider, licensing authority, or legal service. A listing does not mean that we verified, endorsed, or recommended the home. Information may come from public records or the provider and can become outdated.
Use the directory to identify possible homes, compare the information available, and use listed contact options. Then independently verify licensing, services, staffing, availability, pricing, and suitability before making a decision.
Browse personal care homes in Arizona or review our questions to ask when touring a personal care home.
Official Arizona sources
- Arizona Department of Health Services: Residential Facilities Licensing
- ADHS assisted living provider-type definitions
- AZ Care Check facility search
- ADHS Licensing Services Online Complaint Forms
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 36-401
- Arizona Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
This guide is educational and is not medical or legal advice. Rules and facility information can change; use the official resources above for current information.