Do I need a license to run a non-medical home care agency in California?

Yes. Since January 2016, any business that arranges or provides non-medical, private-pay personal care (bathing, meals, errands, companionship, ADL help) through caregivers must hold a Home Care Organization (HCO) license from CDSS under the Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act (H&S Code §1796.10 et seq.). Operating without one exposes the business to enforcement and daily fines.

What’s the difference between an HCO and a home health agency in California?

An HCO provides non-medical personal care and is licensed by CDSS. A home health agency provides physician-ordered medical/skilled services (nursing, therapy) and is licensed separately by CDPH, often with Medicare certification. If you only do personal care, you need the HCO license, not a CDPH home health license.

Does the HCO application really require a written policies manual?

Functionally, yes. The application booklet (HCS 281) requires you to submit “Section B” documents: Personnel Policies (covering abuse reporting and hiring practices), Job Descriptions for every position, a Training Plan with a sample verification log, and a Program Description, all drafted by you. Those written policies are exactly what a P&P manual contains, and CDSS returns the entire packet if they’re missing or incomplete.

What does the HCO license cost?

The HCO license fee is $5,603 for a two-year term, and HCA Registry registration is $35 per aide for two years. Live Scan fingerprinting is billed separately. You’ll also carry ongoing costs for the $10,000 bond, workers’ compensation, and $1M/$3M liability insurance. Confirm current fees with CDSS before relying on them.

What are the background-check, TB, and training rules for caregivers?

Every affiliated aide must clear DOJ/FBI Live Scan and be on the state HCA Registry before any client contact (§1796.43), show freedom from active TB via an exam taken 90 days before to 7 days after employment (§1796.45), complete 5 hours of entry-level training before being with a client, and 5 hours of annual training thereafter (§1796.44). Note that the pre-contact background check is not aide-only: it applies to any staff member or volunteer who will have client contact or access to confidential client information (§1796.43(a)).

How long does it take to get the HCO license?

CDSS doesn’t publish a guaranteed processing time, and review only begins once a complete packet (all Section A forms, all Section B documents, original signatures, and the fee) is received; an incomplete packet is returned in full and resets the clock. Submitting a clean, complete application (where a thorough P&P manual helps) is the main thing within your control.

California · Made to order · Founding price

California home care policies & procedures, built to Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act (H&S Code §1796.10 et seq.)

California requires a written policy and procedure manual to license a non-medical home care agency. We build yours to Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act (H&S Code §1796.10 et seq.), delivered in 3 business days, fully refundable.

Order my California manual, $149 What California requires

Full refund anytime before delivery
Delivered in 3 business days
Built from your state's own .gov citations

A business document, not legal advice.

$149 one-time. Consultants charge $1,000 to $4,000 for the same document.

How home care licensing works in California

A new non-medical agency in California must obtain a Home Care Organization (HCO) license from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Home Care Services Bureau, under the Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act (Health & Safety Code §1796.10 et seq.). You file form HCS 200 with the fee and a packet of “Section A” forms plus “Section B” supplemental documents. Your written P&P manual is what satisfies the Section B documents: the Personnel Policies, Job Descriptions, Training Plan, and Program Description the application booklet (HCS 281) requires you to draft. Without them the packet is incomplete and CDSS returns the entire application.

Your written policy & procedure manual sits inside a larger licensing process. Here is the path the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Home Care Services Bureau expects, and where your manual fits.

1Form your legal entity with the California Secretary of State; corporations/LLCs attach Articles, bylaws/operating agreement, and (corporations) a board resolution authorizing the application (HCS 281 §B1).
2Complete the Section A licensing forms: Application (HCS 200), Licensee Applicant Information (HCS 215), Designation of HCO Responsibility (HCS 308), Organization Structure (HCS 309), Employee Dishonesty Bond (HCS 402), Criminal Record Statement (LIC 508), and Board of Directors Statement (HCS 9165) where applicable.
3Prepare the Section B documents (the written P&P manual): entity docs (B1), a Job Description for every position (B2), Personnel Policies covering abuse reporting and hiring practices (B3), a Training Plan with a sample verification log (B4), a Program Description (B5), and Insurance Information (B6).
4Obtain coverage: an employee dishonesty bond with third-party coverage of at least $10,000, workers’ compensation covering affiliated aides, and general & professional liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence / $3,000,000 aggregate (§1796.37, §1796.42).
5Mail the complete packet (fee plus all Section A and Section B documents with original signatures) to the CDSS Home Care Services Bureau in Sacramento. An incomplete packet is returned in full.
6After CDSS acknowledges the packet, complete the required orientation (an assessment follows) and follow the Live Scan fingerprinting instructions you receive with your HCO number.
7Complete DOJ/FBI Live Scan for the licensee, ensure every affiliated home care aide is fingerprint-cleared and on the Home Care Aide (HCA) Registry before any client contact, and background-clear any other staff or volunteer BEFORE they have client contact or access to confidential client information (§1796.43).
8CDSS reviews for compliance and issues the HCO license; once licensed, post the license and required information conspicuously where clients and aides can see them (§1796.42).

The policies California requires in your manual

These are the specific written policies the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Home Care Services Bureau reviews, each tied to the rule that requires it. Your manual is organized to cover every one in California-specific language, not a generic national template.

Abuse-reporting procedures: personnel policies documenting employees’ duty to report suspected elder/dependent-adult and child abuse to the proper agencies

HCS 281 §B3; H&S Code §1796.42

Hiring practices: informing employees that employment requires Live Scan clearance, a prior-conviction statement, TB clearance, and HCA Registry registration

HCS 281 §B3

Job descriptions for every classification (employees, volunteers, home care aides) with duties and lines of supervision

HCS 281 §B2

Training plan: 5 hrs entry-level (2 hrs orientation + 3 hrs health & safety incl. infection control and emergencies) and 5 hrs annual, plus a sample training verification log

HCS 281 §B4; H&S Code §1796.44

Program description: business hours, basic and optional services (incl. transportation if any), the abuse-reporting response procedure, and the counties/area served

HCS 281 §B5

Insurance documentation: general & professional liability ($1M/$3M), workers’ compensation, and the $10,000 employee dishonesty bond

HCS 281 §B6; H&S Code §1796.37, §1796.42

Informational summary of what California regulations require, not legal advice. Citations are provided so you can verify each against the source; confirm current requirements with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Home Care Services Bureau.

See what you actually get

A finished, formatted manual organized to the rule, not a checklist or a generic template. A page from your California manual:

Illustrative: a page from your California manual, delivered as editable Word + PDF

California Home Care Agency · P&P ManualHome Care Services Consumer Protection Act (H&S Code §1796.10 et seq.)

Contents: required policies

HCS 281 §B3; H&S Code §1796.42 Abuse-reporting procedures: personnel policies documenting employees’ duty to report suspected elder/dependent-adult and child abuse to the proper agencies

HCS 281 §B3 Hiring practices: informing employees that employment requires Live Scan clearance, a prior-conviction statement, TB clearance, and HCA Registry registration

HCS 281 §B2 Job descriptions for every classification (employees, volunteers, home care aides) with duties and lines of supervision

HCS 281 §B4; H&S Code §1796.44 Training plan: 5 hrs entry-level (2 hrs orientation + 3 hrs health & safety incl. infection control and emergencies) and 5 hrs annual, plus a sample training verification log

Self-prepared operational document, not legal advice · [Your Agency]Contents · p. 1

See the full sample manual →

Key California facts to know before you apply

Licensing agency & legal basis

CDSS, Community Care Licensing Division, Home Care Services Bureau, under the Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act, H&S Code §1796.10 et seq. (effective January 2016).

Non-medical vs. skilled split

Non-medical personal-care agencies are licensed as HCOs by CDSS; medical/skilled home health agencies are separately licensed by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The HCO license does NOT authorize skilled nursing.

License fee & 2-year term

The HCO license fee is $5,603 for a 2-year term; HCA Registry registration is $35 for 2 years. Live Scan fees are separate. (Verify current amounts with CDSS before relying on them.)

Mandatory insurance & bond

A $10,000 minimum employee dishonesty bond with third-party coverage, workers’ compensation covering affiliated aides, and $1,000,000 / $3,000,000 general & professional liability (§1796.37, §1796.42).

Background, TB & HCA Registry

Every affiliated aide must pass DOJ/FBI Live Scan, be on the HCA Registry before client contact (§1796.43), and show freedom from active TB via an exam taken 90 days before to 7 days after employment, repeated periodically (§1796.45). The pre-contact background-check requirement also covers any other staff or volunteer with client contact or access to confidential client information (§1796.43(a)).

Caregiver training

Affiliated aides need 5 hours of entry-level training before any client presence (2 hrs orientation + 3 hrs health/safety) and 5 hours annually; both may be completed online (§1796.44).

A California manual, not a national template

Free templates and national sample manuals miss the California-specific language and citations reviewers look for. Every manual we build is organized to Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act (H&S Code §1796.10 et seq.) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Home Care Services Bureau application, and delivered as editable Word + PDF you can brand with your agency name.

Shopping an instant-download provider? CarePolicy.US alternative or WiseCaregiving alternative.

Founding price

A fraction of the start-up consultant’s price.

Start-up consultants charge $1,000–$4,000 to assemble these documents by hand, and instant template shops are instant because they sell everyone the same generic document. Every manual is made to order: built from your agency details, organized to your state's rules, and delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. Founding pricing is limited to the first 25 agencies; after that the State P&P Manual is $199.

State P&P Manual

Founding price

$149one-time

Founding price · $199 after the first 25 agencies

A complete written policy & procedure manual built to your state's home care licensing requirements, ready to submit with your application.

Client rights, grievance & complaint-resolution policies
Infection control, safety & emergency-preparedness procedures
Personnel / HR policies incl. mandated abuse-reporting
Service delivery, supervision & care-plan procedures
Editable Word + PDF, organized to your state's checklist

Order, $149

Agency Launch Bundle

Best value

$349one-time

Founding price · $449 after the first 25 agencies

Everything you need to open: the P&P manual plus the employee handbook, client packet, and the forms surveyors expect to see in use.

Everything in the State P&P Manual
Employee handbook + job descriptions + org chart
Client admission packet & service agreement
Required forms: incident, supervisory visit, competency
Editable Word + PDF for every document

Order, $349

Policy Updates

Add-on

$99/yr

Keep your manual current. Once a year we re-verify every citation and send updated language if your state's rules change, plus policy-review reminders timed to your annual compliance tasks.

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
Version-controlled re-downloads anytime
Email support for policy questions

Offered after your manual is delivered.

Delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. This is a self-prepared operational document you adopt for your own agency, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of license approval.

California home care licensing FAQ

Sources

California requirements last reviewed 2026-06-30. Regulations change, so verify current requirements with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Home Care Services Bureau before relying on them.

Ready to submit a license-ready manual?

Order your state P&P manual now, built to your state and delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. Or see a sample section by email first.

Order my state manual, $149

Want to judge the quality first? We’ll email you a sample section from a state P&P manual.