Ohio home care license requirements
Bottom line: Yes — ODH Nonmedical Home Health Services license.
WATCH Watch item: ODA rule 173-39-02.1 (Medicaid provider certification) effective Oct 1, 2026; substance Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency.
- License required?
- Yes
- License / pathway
- ODH Nonmedical Home Health Services license
- Fees (initial / renewal)
- $250 initial; $250 renewal (3-yr license)
From the 50-state summary. Fees shown as stated in the state entry; see each entry for conditions, conflicts, and sources.
Ohio 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 home health agency providing nonmedical home health services must hold a current, valid nonmedical home health services license or a skilled home health services license. The cited rules define nonmedical services to include home health aide and personal care services. [1][2][3] |
| License type / name | Ohio Department of Health (ODH) nonmedical home health services license. A skilled home health services license also authorizes nonmedical services. ODA provider certification is a separate, program-specific pathway for services regulated by Chapter 173-39, not a substitute general agency license. [1][4][5] |
| Licensing agency | Ohio Department of Health (ODH) administers the home health services license. The Ohio Department of Aging (ODA/AGE) administers the separate certification program under Chapter 173-39. [6][7][5] |
| Agency website | The sources reviewed do not state an ODH licensing website. For the separate ODA certification program, the listed website is https://aging.ohio.gov [5] |
| Initial application / license fee | $250, non-refundable, payable by cashier's check or postal money order to the Treasurer, State of Ohio. [6][1] |
| Renewal fee | $250; the renewal fee is due in accordance with the initial application fee provisions. [6][1] |
| Renewal cycle | The license is valid for three years. A renewal application is timely if submitted at least 90 days before expiration. [6][1] |
| Typical approval timeline | The sources reviewed do not state an ODH initial-license processing timeline. Separately, for ODA certification, the designee must review a complete application and notify ODA of its recommendation within 90 days, unless ODA approves an extended deadline. [8] |
| Administrator qualifications | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Caregiver background checks | For ODH licensure, an agency application includes the primary owner's fingerprints and the agency's written criminal-records-check policy. Agencies must request criminal-records checks for direct-care position applicants and conduct periodic checks for direct-care employees, subject to stated exemptions. [6][1] |
| Caregiver training hours | No general training-hour requirement for the ODH agency license is stated in the sources reviewed. Separately, ODA-certified personal-care PCA qualifications may include a training and competency-evaluation program of at least 30 hours; PCAs and homemaker aides must complete at least six hours of ODA-approved in-service training every 12 months. [5] |
| Registry checks | No general agency-license registry requirement is stated. Separately, ODA's homemaker-aide competency evaluation refers to specified statuses on ODH's nurse aide registry; a Medicaid waiver home care attendant qualification option also refers to active or good-standing registration on that registry. [5][9] |
| General liability insurance | For ODA certification, providers other than participant-directed providers must carry at least $1 million in commercial liability insurance, including coverage for individuals' losses due to theft or property damage. A non-agency provider may use the stated professional-liability alternative; this is not identified as a general ODH license requirement. [5] |
| Workers' compensation | For ODA certification, agency providers must attest to compliance with workers' compensation laws regarding recruitment and employment. The sources reviewed do not state a coverage amount or policy requirement, or establish this as a general ODH license requirement. [5] |
| Bonding (surety / dishonesty) | A $20,000 surety bond issued by a company licensed to do business in Ohio is required for a nonmedical applicant that was not providing services immediately before September 30, 2021. [6][4] |
| Rule changes 2025–2026 | The Chapter 173-39 page lists Rule 173-39-02 as effective April 1, 2025; Rule 173-39-01 as effective November 1, 2025; and Rule 173-39-02.1 as effective October 1, 2026. The sources reviewed do not describe the substance of Rule 173-39-02.1. [5] |
Sources
- Chapter 3701-60 - Ohio Administrative Code
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/chapter-3701-60 - codes.ohio.gov
https://codes.ohio.gov/assets/laws/administrative-code/authenticated/3701/0/60/3701-60-02_20230127.pdf - Rule 3701-60-01 - Ohio Administrative Code
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-3701-60-01 - Section 3740.03 - Ohio Revised Code
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3740.03 - Chapter 173-39 - Ohio Administrative Code - Ohio Laws
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/chapter-173-39 - Rule 3701-60-03 - Ohio Administrative Code | Ohio Laws
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-3701-60-03 - Section 3740.04 - Ohio Revised Code
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3740.04 - [PDF] Rule 173-39-03 ODA provider certification - Ohio Administrative Code
https://codes.ohio.gov/assets/laws/administrative-code/authenticated/173/0/39/173-39-03_20210110.pdf - codes.ohio.gov
https://codes.ohio.gov/assets/laws/administrative-code/authenticated/5160/0/44/5160-44-27_20240101.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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