Delaware home care license requirements
Bottom line: Yes — DHSS/DHCQ Personal Assistance Services Agency (PASA) license.
- License required?
- Yes
- License / pathway
- DHSS/DHCQ Personal Assistance Services Agency (PASA) license
- Fees (initial / renewal)
- $250 initial; $100 annual
From the 50-state summary. Fees shown as stated in the state entry; see each entry for conditions, conflicts, and sources.
Delaware requirements, item by item
Bracketed numbers link to the official sources at the bottom of this page.
Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency We could not confirm this item on an official state source during our review, so we did not estimate it.
| Item | What the guide found |
|---|---|
| License required? | Yes. A license is required before establishing, conducting, or maintaining a Delaware personal assistance services agency (PASA). [1][2] |
| License type / name | Personal Assistance Services Agency (PASA), Regulation 3345: Delaware’s non-skilled, non-medical home-care agency license for companion, homemaker, and personal assistance services. A separate license is required for each agency office. [1][2] |
| Licensing agency | Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Division of Health Care Quality (DHCQ), Office of Health Facilities Licensing and Certification (OHFLC). [2][3] |
| Agency website | Official DHCQ PASA licensed-agency listing: https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhcq/dhcq/personal-assistance-services-agencies/ [4] |
| Initial application / license fee | $250 nonrefundable initial application/licensure fee. [5][6] |
| Renewal fee | $100 annual licensure fee. [7][6] |
| Renewal cycle | Annual; the license is effective for 12 months. Existing agencies must apply at least 30 calendar days before expiration. [3][6] |
| Typical approval timeline | An initial license is valid for 90 calendar days, and an on-site survey must occur during the agency’s first 90 days of operation. No fixed application-review or checklist-response timeframe is provided. [1][2] |
| Administrator qualifications | The director must have at least an associate degree and 2 years of healthcare or home-care supervisory experience. Directors in place as of June 1, 2020 are exempt from this qualification requirement. [3][2] |
| Caregiver background checks | Agency employees must complete criminal background checks; fingerprinting is done by Delaware SBI after binder review. The renewal application also attests to criminal background checks and drug testing for employees and contractors. [2][7] |
| Caregiver training hours | No numeric training-hour total is stated. Direct care workers must complete agency orientation before providing services and pass a competency test before care and annually thereafter. [3][1] |
| Registry checks | The renewal application attests that employees and contractors have completed child and adult abuse checks. The 2025 FAQ says a child abuse check is required even when the agency serves only adults. [7][2] |
| General liability insurance | Regulation 3345 requires $1 million comprehensive general liability per occurrence and $500,000 single-limit coverage. [3] |
| Workers' compensation | The agency must disclose its and the direct care worker’s workers’ compensation status and coverage, or lack of coverage, to consumers. The supplied regulation does not state a coverage minimum or affirmatively require coverage. [3] |
| Bonding (surety / dishonesty) | The application calls for proof of insurance and bonding as required by Section 7.0, but the supplied current regulation text does not specify a bond type or amount. [3][8] |
| Rule changes 2025–2026 | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
Source notes and conflicts
Bonding: current supplied application/regulation text calls for proof of bonding as required under Section 7.0 but gives no type or amount; the 2007 final regulation says a proposed $50,000 performance bond was deleted and would not be required. The sources reviewed do not establish whether the current application language requires a bond in a particular circumstance.
Sources
- 3345 Personal Assistance Services Agencies - Delaware Regulations
https://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title16/3345 - Opening a Home Health Agency - Delaware Division of Health Care Quality
https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhcq/dhcq/opening-a-home-health-agency/ - [PDF] TITLE 16 HEALTH AND SAFETY DELAWARE ADMINISTRATIVE ...
https://regulations.delaware.gov/api/AdminCode/title16/3345/f2a7042f-856e-4959-99d2-fb63c57d7a3c - Personal Assistance Services Agencies – DHSS
https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhcq/dhcq/personal-assistance-services-agencies/ - of 2 State of Delaware Office of Health Facilities Licensing ...
https://dhss.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/11/PASA_Part_1_-Licensure_Application_Rev_10-31-2022.pdf - title 16 - Delaware Code Online
https://delcode.delaware.gov/title16/c001/sc02/ - [PDF] Licensure Renewal Application for 3345 Personal Assistance ...
https://dhss.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/dhcq/pdf/PASA_Licensure_Renewal_Application_Rev_11182022.pdf - regulations.delaware.gov
https://regulations.delaware.gov/api/register/june2020/89299c83-59a1-4549-81ee-f495ee509afb
Limits: fees and forms change often. Agencies sometimes post conflicting figures (a statute vs. an older form); those conflicts are shown, not resolved by guessing. Confirm the current fee with the agency before filing. This guide is a research reference, not legal advice.
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