# Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria License #425850140 · Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County · Licensed for 330 — Large care community · a licensed care home (RCFE) Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria is a large care community in Santa Maria — a licensed residential care facility for the elderly (RCFE), the licence category behind “assisted living” and “board and care.” It is licensed for 330 residents since 2021. Dementia care is not on file. - Care approvals on file: Wheelchair · Hospice · Bedridden — State licensing record · September 27, 2026 - Starting rate: $3,500 a month — Listed by the home on A Place for Mom · September 9, 2026 Full page: A citation does not make a home unsafe, and an empty file does not make a home good. ## Quick answers about Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria ### Is Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria licensed? The state lists this license as “Licensed,” per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. ### How many residents is Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria licensed for? 330 residents — a large community, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. ### Has Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria been cited? 0 Type A and 1 Type B citation since 2021, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. Those records count 14 state visits over the same years. ### Is Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria still open? This license was on the CDSS roster as of September 28, 2026. ### What does Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria cost? $3,500 a month to start — listed by the home on A Place for Mom · September 9, 2026. The home lists this starting rate on A Place for Mom, seen September 9, 2026. Among 9 other homes of a similar licensed size across Santa Barbara County that publish a starting rate, the middle half runs $3,925 to $6,934 a month, and the middle figure is $5,800 (n = 9 other homes publishing a starting rate). Each of those is a home’s own published figure, gathered on its own date in September 2026 — not an average of ours, and not a survey. Similar size means small and mid-size homes counted together, and large communities counted on their own, because they are different markets. A home outside the band is not overcharging or underpricing: a starting rate covers different things in different homes, which is the first thing to ask about. The price is made in the phone call. Nothing here is a quote, an offer or a discount. A starting rate is the room and the base care. California homes commonly bill care levels, medication management, supplies, transport and a second person in the room as extras. Many also charge a one-time fee at move-in. Ask for that list in writing before anything is signed. Only prices a home put out itself count here: its own website, a listing it supplied, or a price a listing site says the home confirmed. Prices a site shows without saying where they came from are left out. ### Does Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria take Medi-Cal? On Medi-Cal’s Assisted Living Waiver: this home is not on the DHCS participation list dated September 23, 2026. Ask the program about current options. The waiver pays for care services, not room and board. ### Who holds the license? The license is held by Mg at Santa Maria, LP ; Shi-IV Merrill Gp, LLC ; M, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. [See the homes licensed to Shi-IV Merrill Gp, LLC — at least 4 on the state roster.]() ### Is there a hospital nearby? Marian Regional Medical Center is 1 mile away in a straight line, per the CDPH licensed-hospital list dated September 16, 2026. [See licensed care homes near it.]() ### Can Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria keep a resident on hospice? Hospice care is approved on this license, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. ## Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria license and inspection record - Name on the license: “MERRILL GARDENS AT SANTA MARIA”, per the CDSS roster as of May 25, 2025. - License #425850140. The state lists this license as “Licensed,” per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. - Licensed for 330 residents — a large community, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. - Licensed to Mg at Santa Maria, LP ; Shi-IV Merrill Gp, LLC ; M, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. - First licensed in 2021, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. - 14 state inspection visits since 2021, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. - 0 Type A and 1 Type B citation on file since 2021, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. The same records count 14 state visits in that period. - 5 complaints and 3 substantiated allegations on file since 2021, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. One complaint can carry several allegations. - The most recent state visit on file is September 17, 2025, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026. - Type A citation: a violation that poses an immediate risk to health, safety or personal rights if it is not corrected - Type B citation: a violation that could become a risk if not corrected, or one involving records, resources or required services California writes these definitions for every licensed home, not for this one. [CDSS citation definitions (PDF)]() ## Sources - CDSS Community Care Licensing — status, capacity, license holder, the first-license year, citations, complaints and visits, per CDSS records as of September 27, 2026: [See the state’s own record]() - CDSS licensing roster — the listing, as of September 28, 2026 - DHCS Assisted Living Waiver participant list, as of September 23, 2026: - CDPH licensed-hospital list, dated September 16, 2026