Chicago · Illinois licensing
The real Illinois license paths
Illinois does not use the Texas Type A or Type B scheme. There are three paths, and the one you pick decides your building, your payers, and your zoning posture. Here is the honest difference, with the real fees.
Shared Housing Establishment
$1,000 flatThe Illinois small care-home license (3 to 16 residents)
Capacity: 3 to 16 residents, at least 80% age 55 or older, unrelated to the owner and one manager
Law: 210 ILCS 9; 77 Ill. Adm. Code Part 295
See the full rules →
Assisted Living Establishment
$2,000 plus $20 per licensed unitThe apartment-style assisted living license
Capacity: At least 3 unrelated adults, at least 80% age 55 or older; no fixed upper cap in the definition
Law: 210 ILCS 9; 77 Ill. Adm. Code Part 295
See the full rules →
Supportive Living Program (SLP)
No license fee; certification by HFS (apply through the program)The Illinois Medicaid assisted-living alternative (no Texas equivalent)
Capacity: Apartment-style; residents are 65 or older (or 22 to 64 with a physical disability), Medicaid-eligible, at nursing-facility level of need
Law: 305 ILCS 5/5-5.01a; 89 Ill. Adm. Code 146
See the full rules →
Common questions
Does Illinois use Texas Type A and Type B assisted living licenses?
No. Illinois licenses an "establishment" under the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act (210 ILCS 9). The small care-home model is a Shared Housing Establishment; apartment-style is an Assisted Living Establishment. There is no Type A or Type B.
Can I run a shared-bedroom care home as assisted living in Illinois?
No. An Assisted Living Establishment in Illinois must give each resident a private apartment with a kitchenette and private bath. A shared-bedroom house must be licensed as a Shared Housing Establishment, or run through the Supportive Living Program.
What does an Illinois care-home license cost?
A Shared Housing Establishment is a flat $1,000. An Assisted Living Establishment is $2,000 plus $20 per licensed unit. The Supportive Living Program is a Medicaid certification through HFS, not an IDPH license fee.