North Carolina Personal Care Home Licensing Guide

Updated September 11, 2026

Families may use “personal care home” as a general term, but North Carolina’s regulatory language is more specific. The North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR), through its Adult Care Licensure Section (ACLS), licenses and inspects adult care homes and family care homes.

Under North Carolina law, an adult care home is an assisted living residence that provides 24-hour scheduled and unscheduled personal care services to two or more residents. A family care home is an adult care home with two to six residents. Adult care homes with seven or more beds and family care homes with two to six beds are licensed by ACLS. Always confirm the exact facility, license category, and current status through official state records.

How to verify a North Carolina home

1. Search the official facility database

Start with the North Carolina DHSR Facility Inspections, Ratings and Penalties search. You can search by county, city, or facility name. Match the facility’s complete name and street address with the home you are considering.

You can also review the state’s licensed facility listings, which separately identify adult care homes and family care homes.

2. Review inspections, ratings, corrective actions, and penalties

The state search may show DHSR statements of deficiencies or inspection reports, star-rating information, county Department of Social Services corrective action reports, and penalties imposed during the previous 36 months. Open the available documents and read both the findings and any plan of correction.

A star rating is one source of information—not a guarantee of current quality or suitability. North Carolina explains that months can pass between inspections and conditions may change. Tour the home and verify current conditions yourself.

3. Ask for recent inspection reports at the facility

North Carolina advises families to ask the facility for inspection reports from DHSR and the county Department of Social Services. The state says facilities must make inspection reports from the previous 12 months available to residents, families, and prospective residents and families upon request.

Adult care homes and family care homes

Adult care home: an assisted living residence providing 24-hour scheduled and unscheduled personal care services to two or more residents. Homes commonly described by the state as adult care homes have seven or more beds.
Family care home: an adult care home serving two to six residents. This is often the closest North Carolina category to what families informally call a small personal care home.
Multiunit assisted housing with services: a different assisted living model in which housing management arranges access to personal care or nursing services through licensed agencies. These programs are registered rather than licensed as adult care homes.

These terms describe regulatory categories, not quality rankings. Confirm that the license, staffing, services, and setting fit the individual’s present and reasonably anticipated needs.

How North Carolina oversight works

DHSR’s Adult Care Licensure Section issues and renews licenses, conducts inspections, and may take enforcement action. County Departments of Social Services monitor adult care facilities and investigate many complaints. The state’s facility-search page says county DSS adult services staff visit each adult care facility at least quarterly.

Questions to ask before choosing a home

Is this location licensed as an adult care home or family care home?
What is the current license number, licensed capacity, and star rating?
Does the licensed name and address match this exact property?
May we review inspection reports from the previous 12 months?
Were deficiencies or corrective actions identified, and how were they resolved?
What staff are available during the day, overnight, and on weekends?
What assistance is available with bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility, meals, and medication?
Can the home safely meet the resident’s current needs, and what happens if those needs increase?
Which services are included in the stated price, and which cost extra?
How are emergencies, evacuations, severe weather, and power failures handled?
Can you review the complete resident agreement, discharge policy, and expected charges before committing?

Use our questions to ask when touring a personal care home for a longer visit checklist.

Complaints and resident support

To report concerns about care or services in a facility regulated by DHSR, use the North Carolina DHSR Complaint Intake Unit. The current complaint numbers are 1-800-624-3004 within North Carolina and 919-855-4500 locally or from outside the state. The page also provides fax and mailing options.

The North Carolina Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program helps residents of long-term care facilities exercise their rights and works to resolve concerns between residents, families, and facilities. Its page provides county-based access to one of the state’s 16 regional Ombudsman offices.

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 North Carolina DHSR, review the official inspection record, tour the home, examine written terms, and decide whether the setting fits the individual’s needs.

Continue your search

Official sources

This guide is general educational information, not medical or legal advice. Rules, records, contact details, ratings, and provider status can change. Verify current information with North Carolina DHSR.

View all state licensing and verification guides