Updated September 11, 2026
Pennsylvania uses “personal care home” as an official licensing category. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), through the Bureau of Human Services Licensing, licenses and inspects personal care homes (PCHs) and assisted living residences (ALRs).
Pennsylvania describes a personal care home as a residence providing shelter, meals, supervision, and assistance with personal care tasks for adults who cannot safely live independently but do not need 24-hour nursing care. A PCH may be licensed for as few as four people or as many as several hundred. Always verify the exact location, license type, capacity, and current license status through official DHS records.
How to verify a Pennsylvania home
1. Search the official Human Services Provider Directory
Start with the Pennsylvania DHS Human Services Provider Directory. You can search by facility name, city, county, ZIP code, region, service type, and license status. The state says the directory is refreshed daily.
Match the provider’s complete licensed name and service-location address with the home you are considering. Similar names may represent different locations. Confirm that the license status is current and that the listed capacity and service type match what the provider tells you.
2. Open the inspection and violation history
When available, open the provider’s inspection or violation history from the directory. Review the dates, cited requirements, descriptions of any violations, plans of correction, and later reports. Pennsylvania says it inspects each personal care home annually and investigates complaints.
An inspection report documents conditions observed at a particular time. It is useful evidence, but it is not a guarantee of present quality or suitability. Recheck the directory near the planned move-in date and visit the home yourself.
3. Ask the regional licensing office about unresolved questions
If the directory does not answer a licensing question, use the Bureau of Human Services Licensing contact page. Pennsylvania’s regional licensing offices cover all 67 counties and can address questions about a specific facility’s licensing status and history.
Personal care homes and assisted living residences
- Personal care home (PCH): provides housing, meals, supervision, and assistance with activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living for adults who do not need 24-hour nursing care. PCHs are governed by 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2600.
- Assisted living residence (ALR): offers the care available in a PCH but is designed to provide greater opportunities to age in place, exercise decision-making, and obtain supplemental health care services. ALRs have additional physical-site and staffing requirements and are governed by 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2800.
- Domiciliary Care home: a separate Pennsylvania Department of Aging program in which a certified provider shares a private home with no more than three eligible residents. Local Area Agencies on Aging certify and oversee these homes.
These categories are not quality ratings. Confirm that the facility’s current license, staffing, services, physical setting, and admission criteria fit the individual’s needs.
Questions to ask before choosing a home
- Is this location licensed as a personal care home or assisted living residence?
- What is the current license number, license status, and licensed capacity?
- Does the official provider name and address match this exact location?
- May we review the most recent inspection reports and plans of correction?
- Were violations identified, and how were they corrected?
- What staff are present during the day, overnight, and on weekends?
- Is a nurse on site or on call, and what health services can the residence arrange?
- What assistance is available with bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility, meals, and medication?
- Can the home safely meet the resident’s present 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, abuse reports, and resident support
For concerns about the quality of care in a Pennsylvania PCH or ALR, use the DHS Personal Care Home and Assisted Living Residence complaint page. Complaints may be submitted through the Bureau of Human Services Licensing online form, by calling 1-877-401-8835, or by emailing the address listed on the official page.
The Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program assists residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and personal care homes with concerns involving quality of life, resident rights, medications, staffing, discharge, and other issues. Call 717-783-8975 to connect with a local Ombudsman.
Suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or abandonment of an eligible adult may be reported through Pennsylvania’s statewide abuse hotline at 1-800-490-8505, available 24 hours a day. 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 Pennsylvania DHS, review available inspection records, tour the home, examine written terms, and decide whether the setting fits the individual’s needs.
Continue your search
- Browse personal care homes in Pennsylvania
- Search personal care homes by ZIP code
- Learn how to choose a personal care home
Official sources
- Pennsylvania DHS: Personal Care Homes
- Pennsylvania DHS Human Services Provider Directory
- Pennsylvania Personal Care Home FAQ
- PCH and ALR Licensing Contact Information
- PCH and ALR Complaints
- Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
This guide is general educational information, not medical or legal advice. Rules, records, contact details, and provider status can change. Verify current information with Pennsylvania DHS.