Is this care home licensed, and has it had complaints?
Search the home by name or license number. You’ll see its license status, how many residents it may have, and its state inspection and complaint reports. The state inspects every licensed care home at least once a year, without warning.
Checked against CDSS records (November 12, 2026) and the Health and Safety CodeHow we check
- What the record holds
- 8,620 licensed homes and 9,393 records in all, with 82,360 state reports.
Where is the license number? On the admission agreement, and on the license the home must post.
This guide is about licensed care homes for older adults (RCFEs). Child care, group homes and adult residential homes are licensed by the same division, under other rules.
Checked against CDSS records (November 12, 2026) and the Health and Safety CodeHow we check
How do I look up a care home?
- Search here by the home’s name or license number. Its page shows the status, capacity, approvals and state reports, each with its date.
- For anything that matters, confirm it on the state’s own Care Facility Search.
- If no spelling finds the home, ask it for its license number. Every licensed care home has one.
If a home caring for older adults has no license, report it to Community Care Licensing: 1-844-538-8766.
What do the license statuses mean?
| Status, in the state’s words | Records | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed | 8,569 | Holds a current license to operate. |
| Closed, Change Of Ownership | 415 | Closed under this license number; the home may continue under a new owner’s new license number. |
| Closed, Licensee Initiated | 282 | The operator closed the facility or surrendered the license. |
| Licensed/Pending Increase | 38 | Licensed and operating; an application to increase licensed capacity is pending. |
| Closed, Change Of Location | 32 | Closed because the facility moved; look for a new license at the new address. |
| Closed, Agency Initiated | 30 | The state closed the license. |
| Probationary License | 23 | The state has placed conditions on the license; the home may operate while it meets them. Read its inspection history before deciding. |
| Pending | 2 | License application under review; not yet licensed to operate. |
| Application Denied | 1 | The state denied the license application; the home is not licensed to operate. |
| Closed, Non-payment | 1 | License closed for non-payment of licensing fees. |
Two statuses are worth reading closely. Probationary License (23 homes) means the state has placed conditions on the license. Closed, Agency Initiated means the state closed it.
How often are homes inspected?
The state inspects every licensed care home at least once a year, without warning. Health and Safety Code §1569.33(e) A home must fix a cited problem within 10 days, unless its plan of correction gives another date. Health and Safety Code §1569.33(f)(2)
Inspection and complaint reports are public. Health and Safety Code §1569.33(g)(1)
What is in an inspection or complaint report?
Our copy of the record holds 82,360 state reports for 9,382 homes: 29,951 inspection reports, 25,295 complaint reports and 27,114 other documents.
A complaint report gives the allegation and the state’s finding:
- Substantiated: the state found it more likely than not that it happened.
- Unsubstantiated: there was not enough evidence to prove it.
- Unfounded: the allegation was false, could not have happened, or had no reasonable basis.
A citation is Type A or Type B. Type A is a risk that could be immediate if not corrected. Type B is a potential risk, or a problem with records, resources or required services.
We show the state’s words as written, with the date, and link the state’s own document.
What should I read closely, and what does a clean record not prove?
Read the substantiated complaints and the Type A citations in full, with their dates. Ask the home what changed after each one.
A citation does not make a home unsafe, and an empty file does not make a home good.
How do I file a complaint?
Anyone may ask the state to investigate a care home, by phone or in writing. Health and Safety Code §1569.35(a)
- Phone: 1-844-538-8766
- Email: letusno@dss.ca.gov
- Online: complaints.ccld.dss.ca.gov
Your name is not given to the home unless you ask for it to be. Health and Safety Code §1569.35(b) The state visits within 10 days of most complaints. Health and Safety Code §1569.35(c)(1) It tells you what it found, in writing, within 10 business days of finishing. Health and Safety Code §1569.35(d)
For help with a problem in a home, the long-term care ombudsman is free: 1-800-231-4024, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Where does the data come from?
Every record comes from the Department of Social Services’ Community Care Licensing Division, the agency that licenses and inspects care homes. We refresh it weekly; this page’s records date from November 12, 2026. No home pays to appear here. Nothing on this page is ranked by quality, popularity or payment. Unknowns show as “not on file”.
Questions families ask · 5
How do I find a care home’s license number?
It is on the admission agreement and on the license the home must display. Or search by the home’s name.
How often does the state inspect assisted living in California?
At least once a year, without warning, since January 1, 2019. It also visits after most complaints.
What is a Type A citation?
A violation that could pose an immediate risk to residents’ health, safety or rights if not corrected.
Can I complain without the home knowing it was me?
Yes. The state does not give your name to the home unless you ask it to.
Is a home with no complaints a good home?
The record cannot say. A citation does not make a home unsafe, and an empty file does not make a home good.
Next, step 4 of 6: Visit, and get the papers before you sign
- Request a tour
We ask the homes you choose for a visit time, and email you each answer.
- Print a visit checklist
The questions to ask at each home, to print and take with you.
- Three documents every home must give you
Before you sign, you can ask for a blank admission agreement, three years of rate increases and the ombudsman’s contacts.