Ohio group homes · Made to order · Founding price
Starting a group home in Ohio? Here is the license, and the manual it requires.
In Ohio, a group home for adults is licensed as a Residential Facility, Class 2 under Ohio Rev. Code 5119.34; Ohio Admin. Code Chapter 5122-30. The rules mandate 20+ written policies, plans and records across oac chapter 5122-30, and the state does not supply them. We build your manual to the rule, citation by citation, delivered in 3 business days, fully refundable.
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- Built from your state's own .gov citations
A business document, not legal advice.
$199 one-time. Group-home consultants charge $1,000 to $4,000 for the same documents.
Who needs the Ohiolicense, and who doesn’t
“Group home” covers several very different legal paths in Ohio. Getting on the right one is step zero, before any application or manual.
- You need a Class 2 license if you will provide accommodations, supervision and personal care services to 3 to 16 unrelated adults, or to 1-2 unrelated persons with mental illness (OAC 5122-30-03; ORC 5119.34).
- Room and board only, for 5 or more unrelated adults with mental illness, still requires a license: that is a Class 3 residential facility. Boarding-home operators are routinely surprised by this one.
- Homes providing mental health services themselves (not just personal care) are Class 1, which carries an additional treatment-rule layer this manual does not cover.
- Homes serving people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are a separate framework under the Department of Developmental Disabilities: DODD licensure (ORC 5123.19, OAC 5123-3) or certified supported living (OAC 5123-2-08). This manual does not cover DODD settings.
- Above 16 residents you are outside the Class 2 definition and into other licensure. Verify with DBH before planning a larger home.
Which license does your home need, and which policies come with it?
Answer three questions and get the license your state’s rules point to, with the written policies that license requires, each tied to its rule citation.
Informational tool based on each state’s current rules, not legal advice and not a licensing determination. Confirm your service mix with the licensing agency.
How Ohio group home licensing works
Ohio abolished its old adult care facility license (adult family homes and adult group homes) in 2018. What most people mean by an adult group home is now a Residential Facility Class 2: a home providing accommodations, supervision and personal care services to 3 to 16 unrelated adults, licensed under Ohio Rev. Code 5119.34 and OAC Chapter 5122-30 by the Department of Behavioral Health, the agency renamed from OhioMHAS on October 1, 2025. The license fee is $75; the substance of licensure is the inspections and the written policy set, from the resident agreement’s 13 mandated elements to the grievance procedure’s 21-day resolution clock. Most older guides still teach the repealed framework and point at dead links.
- 1Apply online through the LACTS portal (Licensure and Certification Tracking System) with the Application for Residential Facility Licensure: facility class, maximum residents, maximum household members, adult vs child designation (OAC 5122-30-04). Applications also route through your local ADAMHS board (ORC 5119.34).
- 2Attach the required documentation: an approved fire inspection, a building inspection (required at 6+ residents), a floor plan and description, the license fee, and any waiver requests (OAC 5122-30-04).
- 3Complete background investigations before approval: BCI and FBI checks plus six registry/database checks for the operator and staff, re-run at least every 4 years, with the 5-tier disqualifying-offense framework (OAC 5122-30-31). There is no conditional approval while checks are pending.
- 4Prepare the written policy set surveyors review: resident rights and the grievance procedure, the 13-element resident agreement, evacuation drawings posted per floor, the disaster plan, incident reporting, medication procedures, and the records system (see the policy list below).
- 5Host the department’s on-site inspection after the application is complete, and correct any deficiencies on the timeframe the department sets.
- 6Receive the license: 2 years for Class 2 and 3 (3 years for Class 1) (OAC 5122-30-05). Calendar the renewals: the renewal application is due 90 days before expiration, and fire and water/sewage re-inspections are due within 12 months of the prior ones (OAC 5122-30-11).
Timeline: No statutory approval deadline. The practical drivers are the fire and building inspections, complete background checks (no conditional approval), and the on-site inspection. Renewals are due 90 days before the 2-year license expires.
The policies Ohio requires in your manual
These are the written policies the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), Bureau of Licensure and Certification checks, each tied to the rule that requires it. Your manual covers every one in Ohio-specific language, organized so a surveyor can trace each policy to its citation.
Policies and procedures for the administration and management of the facility, the umbrella requirement a surveyor can cite for any gap
OAC 5122-30-19(A)
Written delegation of authority when the operator delegates duties, retained at the facility
OAC 5122-30-19(B)
Written resident rights policy listing every right in the rule
OAC 5122-30-22.1(C)(1)
Written grievance procedure: understandable, disability-accommodating, 21-day resolution, 3-business-day written acknowledgment, outside-filing information, with grievance records kept at least 3 years
OAC 5122-30-22.1(C)(2)-(3), (I)
Conspicuous posting of the rights policy, grievance procedure, and the rights advocate’s name and contact
OAC 5122-30-22.1(D), (H)
Written resident agreement with 13 required elements: services, itemized charges, refunds, deposits, 30-day notice of increases, house rules, visitation and roommate policies, and the no-payeeship statement
OAC 5122-30-24(C)(1)-(13)
Written evacuation plan drawings showing exit routes, explained to each resident and posted on every floor, with documented quarterly drills on each shift
OAC 5122-30-12(I)-(J)
Written disaster plan for location-appropriate contingencies, with documented training and drills
OAC 5122-30-12(K)
Incident reporting system with review and analysis, reports to the department within 24 hours, and an ongoing incident log
OAC 5122-30-16(C)
Abuse and neglect reporting procedures: immediate reports to law enforcement and county protective services
OAC 5122-30-16(D)-(F)
Written medication disposal procedures with 2-staff verification, plus records of assisted self-administration (date, time, dosage) and central locked storage
OAC 5122-30-28(F)(3), (D), (F)-(G)
Written individualized personal care service plan within 14 days of admission
OAC 5122-30-26(F)
Facility and resident records set: roster, emergency information, signed agreements, medication lists, care plans, staff TB and training records, incident reports, retained 3 years
OAC 5122-30-23
Transfer and discharge notice: 30-day advance written notice with the reason, date, resolution attempts, hearing rights and ombudsman contact
OAC 5122-30-27(D)(1)
Staff training documentation: in-person first aid and CPR, resident rights, grievance and abuse-reporting training within 30 days of hire, with renewals and 6 hours of continuing education per licensure period
OAC 5122-30-20(C)-(E)
Background investigation records: BCI/FBI plus six registry checks before employment, re-checked at least every 4 years
OAC 5122-30-31
Informational summary of what Ohio regulations require, not legal advice. Citations are provided so you can verify each against the source; confirm current requirements with the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), Bureau of Licensure and Certification.
See what you actually get
A finished, formatted manual organized to the rule, not a generic national template. A page from your Ohio manual:
Contents: required policies
OAC 5122-30-19(A) Policies and procedures for the administration and management of the facility, the umbrella requirement a surveyor can cite for any gap
OAC 5122-30-19(B) Written delegation of authority when the operator delegates duties, retained at the facility
OAC 5122-30-22.1(C)(1) Written resident rights policy listing every right in the rule
OAC 5122-30-22.1(C)(2)-(3), (I) Written grievance procedure: understandable, disability-accommodating, 21-day resolution, 3-business-day written acknowledgment, outside-filing information, with grievance records kept at least 3 years
Key Ohio facts to know before you apply
The names you searched for are dead terms
Adult care facility, adult family home and adult group home were repealed from Ohio law in 2018, and the old OAC Chapter 5122-33 rules are rescinded. The current license is the Residential Facility Class 2 under OAC Chapter 5122-30. Most guides online, and even legacy agency pages, still teach the repealed framework.
The agency itself was renamed in 2025
OhioMHAS became the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health on October 1, 2025. Expect dead links across older resources; applications run through the LACTS portal and the DBH Bureau of Licensure and Certification.
The license costs $75; the paperwork is the product
A Class 2 license is a $75 nonrefundable fee for a 2-year term (OAC 5122-30-04, -05). The real work of licensure is the fire and building inspections, the background-check regime, and the 20+ written policies and records the rules require.
No administrator degree or exam
Ohio requires no administrator credential for a Class 2 home. Staff must be 18+, TB-tested within a year before hire, and trained in first aid and CPR (in person, not online), resident rights and abuse reporting within 30 days of hire (OAC 5122-30-20).
Capacity is set by space math
80 square feet per resident in single bedrooms, 60 in shared, maximum 2 residents per bedroom in Class 2, 60 square feet of common living space per household member, and fixture ratios of 1 toilet and sink per 6 and 1 tub or shower per 8 (OAC 5122-30-14). The license states your capacity accordingly.
Room-and-board homes get caught by Class 3
Providing only room and board to 5 or more unrelated adults with mental illness still requires a license (Class 3). Unlicensed-facility enforcement runs under OAC 5122-30-06 and -10.
A fraction of the start-up consultant’s price.
Group-home consultants and course sellers charge $1,000 to $4,000 for these documents. Every manual is made to order: built from your facility details, organized to your state’s rules, and delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery.
Group Home P&P Manual
Founding price$199one-time
Founding price · $249 after the first 25 agencies
A complete written policy & procedure manual built to your state's group home licensing rules, with the rule citation next to every policy, ready for your application and survey.
- Every mandated policy, keyed to its rule citation
- Admission agreement with your state's required elements
- Medication, infection-control & emergency procedures
- Incident, abuse-reporting & records policies surveyors check
- Editable Word + PDF, organized to your state's rule chapter
Policy Updates
$99/yr
Rules change: Georgia amended its chapter in May 2025, Texas in September 2024, and Ohio renamed its licensing agency in October 2025. We track your state and send updated policy language when the rules move.
- Annual re-verification of every citation in your manual
- Updated policy language if your state's rules change
- Annual policy-review and re-attestation reminders
Delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. This is a self-prepared operational document you adopt for your own facility, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of license approval.
Ohio group home licensing FAQ
Sources
- codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5119.34
- codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/chapter-5122-30
- codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-5123-2-08
- dbh.ohio.gov
Ohio requirements last reviewed 2026-07-07. Regulations change, so verify current requirements with the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), Bureau of Licensure and Certification before relying on them.