New York home care license requirements
Bottom line: Yes — DOH Licensed Home Care Services Agency (LHCSA), PHHPC approval.
- License required?
- Yes
- License / pathway
- DOH Licensed Home Care Services Agency (LHCSA), PHHPC approval
- Fees (initial / renewal)
- $2,000 application; renewal Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency
From the 50-state summary. Fees shown as stated in the state entry; see each entry for conditions, conflicts, and sources.
New York 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? | An agency providing solely companionship with light housekeeping, and no nursing, home health aide, or personal care services, does not need the LHCSA license. Agencies providing covered services such as personal care generally require approval and licensure; LHCSA registration is also required for covered operation or services. [1][2][3] |
| License type / name | For covered services, the pathway is a Licensed Home Care Services Agency (LHCSA) license/operating certificate following Certificate of Need (CON) approval. The facts specifically exempt only agencies providing solely companionship with light housekeeping and no nursing, home health aide, or personal care; they do not establish whether homemaker services alone qualify for that exemption. [1][4] |
| Licensing agency | The New York State Department of Health issues the LHCSA license; the Public Health and Health Planning Council reviews/approves applications. The Department of Health is responsible for LHCSA registration and monitoring. [4][5][3] |
| Agency website | LHCSA applications are submitted electronically through NYSE-CON. The NYSE-CON information page is https://www.health.ny.gov/facilities/cons/nysecon/ [4] |
| Initial application / license fee | The LHCSA application fee is $2,000. The sources reviewed do not state an application fee for the companion-only exemption pathway. [4] |
| Renewal fee | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Renewal cycle | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Typical approval timeline | No exact LHCSA processing timeframe is given; the Department says completion is difficult to estimate because the process has multiple steps. [4] |
| Administrator qualifications | LHCSA applicants must demonstrate public need, financial resources, and satisfactory character and competence. Financial review includes available working capital of at least two months of estimated operating expenses. [5][6] |
| Caregiver background checks | Criminal history record checks apply to certain prospective unlicensed employees providing direct care or supervision at covered home care agencies; fingerprints are required before covered employees begin work. The sources reviewed do not specify a separate owner background-check requirement. [7] |
| Caregiver training hours | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Registry checks | A home care services entity must access a worker's registry information before the worker begins providing home care services. Advanced home health aides may not provide those services unless their information is posted to the registry. [7][2] |
| General liability insurance | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Workers' compensation | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Bonding (surety / dishonesty) | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Rule changes 2025–2026 | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
Source notes and conflicts
The facts describe different scopes rather than a direct conflict: sole companionship with light housekeeping and no personal care is exempt from the LHCSA license, while covered personal care and other listed home care services generally require licensure. The sources reviewed do not resolve whether homemaker services alone fall within the companionship exemption.
Sources
- Licenses | The State of New York - NY.Gov
https://www.ny.gov/services/licenses?tid=1306&page=39 - Criminal History Record Checks and Advanced Home Health ...
https://regs.health.ny.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/recently_adopted_regulations/Criminal%20History%20Record%20Checks%20and%20Advanced%20Home%20Health%20Aides.pdf - About Licensed Home Care Services Agencies
https://profiles.health.ny.gov/home_care/pages/lhcsa?facility=12701 - health.ny.gov
https://www.health.ny.gov/facilities/home_care/lhcsa/docs/application_requirements_faq.pdf - Summary of Express Terms
https://www.health.ny.gov/facilities/home_care/lhcsa/docs/adopted_regulation.pdf - August 17, 2022
https://www.health.ny.gov/facilities/home_care/dal/docs/22-14.pdf - [PDF] summary of express terms - New York Codes, Rules and Regulations
https://regs.health.ny.gov/sites/default/files/proposed-regulations/Criminal%20History%20Record%20Checks%20and%20Advanced%20Home%20Health%20Aides.pdf
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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