How to Start a Personal Care Home in PA: Form HS 633 and Inspection

To start a personal care home in PA, you need a license from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services under Title 55, Chapter 2600 of the Pennsylvania Code. That license comes at the end of a sequence: hire a qualified administrator, prepare a building that meets specific space and safety standards, run background checks on every staff member, assemble a substantial document packet, file Form HS 633 with the correct fee, and pass an on-site inspection. You cannot admit your first resident until the Department issues the license, and the home houses four or more adults who are not relatives of the operator, receiving meals, shelter, and help with tasks like bathing, dressing, and managing medications.¹

Hire a Qualified Administrator First

The administrator gates the rest of the application, so start here. Every administrator must be at least 21 years old, and the education requirement depends on the size of the home.²

For homes with nine or more residents, the administrator needs an associate degree or at least 60 credit hours from an accredited college or university. A licensed practical nurse with at least one year of related work experience also qualifies, as does anyone holding a Pennsylvania nursing home administrator license. For homes with eight or fewer residents, a high school diploma or GED works, but only if the person also has at least two years of direct care or administrative experience in human services.²

Before taking the role, the administrator must complete a Department-approved training course covering resident rights, fire safety, medication management, financial recordkeeping, and Chapter 2600 obligations. Ongoing, the position requires at least 24 hours of continuing education each year.³ The administrator also has to pass a competency examination on Chapter 2600 standards. If you’re hiring rather than filling the role yourself, verify credentials before you build a plan around a candidate.

Prepare a Building That Meets Chapter 2600

The physical site has to satisfy environmental, space, and safety rules that a licensing inspector will check line by line during the on-site visit.

Bedroom Space

Each single bedroom needs at least 80 square feet of floor space, measured wall to wall and including space taken up by furniture. Shared bedrooms require at least 60 square feet per resident. If a resident uses a wheelchair, walker, oxygen equipment, or other assistive device, the bedroom must provide at least 100 square feet per person, unless a physician’s order states the resident can manage in less.⁴

Bathrooms

Bathroom ratios count everyone who uses the facilities, not just residents. You need at least one flush toilet and one sink for every six users, and at least one bathtub or shower for every ten users, with staff and any household members living on the premises included in the count.⁵ For a home with 18 residents, three staff on duty, and one live-in household member, that means calculating for 22 users, which comes to four toilets, four sinks, and three tubs or showers.

Zoning and Occupancy

Confirm zoning before you spend on renovations. Local zoning boards decide whether a property can be used for residential care, and exceptions granted after the fact are expensive and uncertain. You also need a Certificate of Occupancy verifying the building meets construction codes. Depending on location, that certificate may come from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Department of Labor and Industry, or your local municipality.

Fire Safety

Install interconnected smoke detectors and accessible fire extinguishers throughout the building. Extinguishers need annual inspections, staff must be trained to use them, and fire drills must be conducted and documented monthly.⁴ Dining rooms and living spaces have to accommodate all residents at once and stay navigable for anyone using mobility aids, with exits and hallways clear.

Clear Background Checks for Every Staff Member

Every employee who will have direct contact with residents must pass a criminal history clearance from the Pennsylvania State Police before starting work. An employee who has lived outside Pennsylvania within the past two years also needs an FBI criminal history check.⁴ Keep the clearances on file for the inspector.

Build lead time into your hiring schedule. FBI checks can take several weeks, and no one can work with residents until results come back clean. Staff training records must also be documented and filed, because the inspector verifies that every employee received the training Chapter 2600 requires.

Assemble the Document Packet

Paperwork is where most applicants underestimate the workload. Supporting documents take real time to develop well, and generic templates get sent back.

Have your legal entity paperwork ready: incorporation documents, partnership agreement, or LLC formation papers, plus your IRS Employer Identification Number. Prepare a written description of the services your home will provide, including specific populations such as individuals with dementia or those needing mental health support. Draft a staffing plan showing how you will maintain coverage around the clock.

Several written policies must be in place before you submit:

Medication management covering how prescriptions are stored, tracked, and administered by qualified staff.
Admission agreements outlining the services provided to each resident and the resident’s financial obligations.
A resident rights policy explaining how dignity and privacy are protected and how personal choices are respected.
Emergency plans covering evacuation routes, temporary housing arrangements, and continued care during natural disasters or facility emergencies.

The Department reads these to confirm they reflect actual operations. Include copies of your administrator’s training certificates, education transcripts, and competency exam results, along with the compiled background clearances for all staff. Incomplete staff files are one of the most common reasons applications stall. You will also need a comprehensive floor plan, evidence of professional liability insurance, and financial documentation showing you can sustain operations during the initial months before occupancy generates stable revenue.

File Form HS 633 and Pay the Fee

The formal application is the Application for Certificate of Compliance, Form HS 633, available through the Department of Human Services website or regional licensing offices.⁶ It asks for basic information: facility name, location, bed count, and the names of owners or board members. Errors here slow down everything downstream.

The non-refundable application fee is set by bed count:⁷

0–20 beds: $15
21–50 beds: $20
51–100 beds: $30
101 or more beds: $50

Mail the completed packet to the Bureau of Human Services Licensing. Licensing officers review your policies, floor plans, and documentation against Chapter 2600. If anything is missing, you will get a notice asking for corrections before the review continues.

Pass the On-Site Inspection

Once the paperwork clears, the Department schedules an inspection. A licensing inspector walks the facility to confirm the physical space matches the submitted floor plan, that safety equipment is installed and functional, and that staff files contain the required clearances and training records. The home must be in compliance with all applicable regulations before a license issues.⁷

You cannot open, operate, or admit residents until the Department completes this inspection and grants the license. After initial licensure, the Department reinspects within three months to confirm compliance under real operating conditions.⁷ Treat that window as probationary; deficiencies found during reinspection can jeopardize the license.

Line Up Insurance

The application requires proof of professional liability insurance, but you will realistically need more than one policy. Professional liability, sometimes called errors and omissions, covers claims of negligence in the care you provide. General liability covers the broader risks of operating a facility, such as a visitor slipping on a wet floor or property damage. Most carriers who work with residential care facilities offer both.

Talk to a broker experienced in residential care before you apply. Coverage limits, exclusions, and premium costs vary based on the home’s size, the populations you serve, and location.

Federal Obligations That Come With Opening

State licensing is not the only rulebook. As an employer, you take on federal payroll, wage, and housing-law duties the day you hire.

Payroll Taxes

The IRS treats personal care home staff as employees rather than independent contractors, which triggers several withholding rules. If you pay any household employee $3,000 or more in cash wages during 2026, you have to withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, combined at 15.3%. You withhold 7.65% from wages and match it with 7.65% from your own funds. Social Security tax applies to wages up to $184,500 in 2026; Medicare has no cap.⁸⁹ For any employee earning over $200,000 in a calendar year, you must also withhold an additional 0.9% Medicare tax from wages, with no employer match on that portion.

Federal unemployment (FUTA) tax kicks in when you pay total cash wages of $1,000 or more in any calendar quarter. The rate is 6.0% on the first $7,000 of each employee’s wages, but a credit of up to 5.4% typically applies if you also pay state unemployment tax, bringing the effective rate to 0.6%. FUTA is paid entirely by the employer. You are not required to withhold federal income tax from a household employee’s wages, but if an employee requests it and you agree, base the amount on Form W-4.⁸

Wage-and-Hour Rules for Care Staff

The Fair Labor Standards Act applies to personal care home employees, and residential care has some wrinkles. Staff working shifts shorter than 24 hours must be paid for all hours on duty, including sleep time during an overnight shift. For employees who live on the premises or work tours of 24 hours or more, you may be able to exclude up to eight hours of sleep time per day, but only if the employee can get at least five hours of uninterrupted sleep and adequate sleeping facilities are provided. Employees called on to perform duties during scheduled off-duty or sleep periods must be paid for that time.¹⁰ Overtime pay at one and a half times the regular rate applies over 40 hours in a workweek. Set up a payroll system or advisor who understands residential care scheduling before you open.

Fair Housing and Zoning

The Fair Housing Act prohibits disability-based discrimination in housing, including residential care. Buildings with four or more units constructed for first occupancy after March 13, 1991 must include accessible entrances and routes, usable common areas, doorways wide enough for wheelchairs, accessible switches and outlets, bathroom walls reinforced for grab bars, and kitchens and bathrooms with room to maneuver a wheelchair.¹¹

The Act also affects zoning. Municipalities cannot use land-use policies to exclude or treat groups of people with disabilities less favorably than other groups. If you meet zoning resistance based on the population you intend to serve, the Act may require a reasonable accommodation, unless the accommodation would fundamentally change the zoning scheme or impose an undue burden.¹¹ Fights over group homes are common, and federal law gives applicants leverage that many do not realize they have.

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. FAQ: Personal Care Homes (PCH) and Assisted Living Residences (ALR)
2
Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. 55 Pa Code 2600.53 – Qualifications and Responsibilities of Administrators
3
Legal Information Institute. 55 Pa Code 2600.64 – Administrator Training and Orientation
4
Legal Information Institute. 55 Pa Code 2600.101 – Resident Bedrooms
5
Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. 55 Pa Code 2600.102 – Bathrooms
6
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Application for License – Department of Human Services
7
Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin. 55 Pa Code 2600.11 – Procedural Requirements for Licensure or Approval of Personal Care Homes
8
Internal Revenue Service. Household Employer’s Tax Guide
9
Social Security Administration. Contribution and Benefit Base
10
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 33: Residential Care Facilities (Group Homes) Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
11
Department of Justice: Civil Rights Division. The Fair Housing Act