PA Assisted Living & Personal Care Home License Search
Check whether a Pennsylvania personal care home is on the current PA Department of Human Services licensed list. Search all 994 DHS-licensed personal care homes — 61,744 licensed beds across 434 cities — by facility name, city, street, or ZIP.
How to verify a PA care home license
- Search the facility above. A match means it is on the current DHS personal care home list we load from PA Open Data.
- Confirm license status, license type, and expiration in the DHS Human Services Provider Directory.
- Ask the administrator for the most recent DHS inspection report and any plan of correction. Our inspection report guide explains how to read citations.
- Make sure the name and address on the license match the building you toured — operators sometimes run several sites.
Which PA license covers what
| Setting | Licensed by | Regulations |
|---|---|---|
| Personal care home | Dept. of Human Services | 55 Pa. Code Ch. 2600 |
| Assisted living residence | Dept. of Human Services | 55 Pa. Code Ch. 2800 |
| Nursing home | Dept. of Health | 28 Pa. Code |
This search covers personal care homes. More on the differences: personal care home vs assisted living and vs nursing home.
Browse licensed homes by city
- Philadelphia (45)
- Pittsburgh (38)
- Allentown (16)
- York (16)
- Lancaster (15)
- Erie (15)
- Harrisburg (14)
- Bethlehem (13)
- Mechanicsburg (10)
- Chambersburg (10)
- West Chester (9)
- Uniontown (9)
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if an assisted living facility is licensed in Pennsylvania?
Most places marketed as "assisted living" in PA are licensed by the Department of Human Services as personal care homes (55 Pa. Code Chapter 2600). Search the name above to see if it is on the current DHS personal care home list, then confirm the license status and any recent inspection findings in the official DHS Human Services Provider Directory.
What if the facility doesn't show up in this search?
It is not automatically unlicensed. It may be a licensed assisted living residence (a separate DHS license under Chapter 2800), a nursing home licensed by the Department of Health, or listed under a different legal name. Ask the facility for its license certificate and check the official DHS directory before you sign anything.
Where does this license data come from?
Every listing comes from the Pennsylvania Open Data "Licensed Personal Care Homes — Current Statewide" dataset published by DHS. PA Care Finder does not license or inspect homes; the state does.
Is a personal care home the same as assisted living in PA?
Not legally. Personal care homes (Chapter 2600) help with daily living such as bathing, dressing, and medications. Assisted living residences (Chapter 2800) are a separate, newer license that allows more supplemental health care services. Many families use "assisted living" for both, which is why checking the actual license type matters.