North Dakota home care license requirements
Bottom line: No state license identified — HHS Qualified Service Provider (QSP) agency enrollment.
- License required?
- No state license identified
- License / pathway
- HHS Qualified Service Provider (QSP) agency enrollment
- Fees (initial / renewal)
- Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency
Note: The guide's 50-state summary lists no state license found, while the detailed entry below says whether a license is required is not confirmed in official sources (the guide’s UNVERIFIED grade). Treat this as unresolved and confirm with the state before you serve clients.
From the 50-state summary. Fees shown as stated in the state entry; see each entry for conditions, conflicts, and sources.
North Dakota 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? | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency — the sources reviewed do not establish whether an ordinary non-medical home-care agency needs a separate state license. The statement that QSPs do not need a special certificate or license does not resolve agency licensing. [1][2] |
| License type / name | For personal care and authorized HCBS services, the described pathway is agency enrollment as a Qualified Service Provider (QSP) through the ND HHS QSP Enrollment Portal. QSP enrollment allows an agency to provide approved services and bill the department; the sources reviewed do not establish a separate license for ordinary non-medical home care. [3][4][5][6] |
| Licensing agency | North Dakota Department of Health & Human Services (ND HHS) administers QSP enrollment. [4][6] |
| Agency website | https://www.hhs.nd.gov/qsp [6] |
| Initial application / license fee | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Renewal fee | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Renewal cycle | QSP enrollment revalidation is required every five years. This is QSP revalidation, not a stated agency-license renewal cycle. [2][4] |
| Typical approval timeline | No official timeline published — check with the agency |
| Administrator qualifications | For the QSP agency pathway, agency applicants must include at least two employees who provide direct services, and agencies must ensure employees meet QSP standards before providing personal care services. Employee competency may be documented through a qualifying North Dakota license or certification, or an SFN 749 signed by a listed health professional. [6][3][4] |
| Caregiver background checks | The sources reviewed specify criminal-background-check questions for employees providing respite in adult foster care, and BCI background checks and fingerprint screening for Adult Foster Care and respite providers in an AFC home. They do not establish a general background-check requirement for ordinary home-care agency staff. [4][7] |
| Caregiver training hours | QSP Orientation and Fraud, Waste and Abuse training are required before application approval; agencies must ensure direct-service employees receive FWA training. No training-hour total is stated in the sources reviewed. [4][6] |
| Registry checks | North Dakota uses Direct Care Careers (Connect to Care) as a QSP registry and to help QSPs access training. [2] |
| General liability insurance | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency — the sources reviewed do not state a general liability-insurance requirement for ordinary home-care agencies; they specify liability insurance for Environmental Modification QSP contractors. [7] |
| Workers' compensation | For QSP agency enrollment, applicants must submit verification of Workforce Safety and Insurance coverage; revalidation instructions require current coverage verification. The sources reviewed do not state a broader requirement for ordinary non-QSP agencies. [4][6] |
| Bonding (surety / dishonesty) | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency — the sources reviewed do not state a bonding requirement for ordinary home-care agencies; bonding is specified only for Environmental Modification building contractors. [7] |
| Rule changes 2025–2026 | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
Source notes and conflicts
The booklet says QSPs do not need a special certificate or license, while the current QSP page expressly does not state whether ordinary non-medical home-care agencies need a separate license. These facts do not conflict, but the QSP statement should not be treated as confirmation that agencies are exempt from licensing.
Sources
- Live At Home Longer
https://www.hhs.nd.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Adult%20and%20Aging/live-at-home-longer-booklet-exclusion.pdf - Adults and Aging Qualified Service Providers (QSP)
https://www.hhs.nd.gov/human-services/providers/adults-and-aging/qualified-service - Provider Qualifications 535-05-55
https://www.nd.gov/dhs/policymanuals/53505/Content/535_05_55.htm - NORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ...
https://www.hhs.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/nd-qsp-agency-qsp-user-guide.pdf - Definitions 535-05-10 - North Dakota State Government
https://www.nd.gov/dhs/policymanuals/53505/Content/Archive%20Documents/2025%20ML%203911,%203915,%203956/535_05_10%20ML3915.htm - [PDF] Qualified Service Provider (QSP) – Agency
https://www.hhs.nd.gov/sites/default/files/documents/qsp-revalidation-instructions-agency-exclusion.pdf - Qualified Service Provider Enrollment 525-05-45-10
https://www.nd.gov/dhs/policymanuals/52505/Content/Archived%20Documents/2026%20ML%203964,%203972,%203975/525_05_45_10%20ML%203975.htm
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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