Illinois license type
Assisted Living Establishment
The apartment-style assisted living license
An Assisted Living Establishment is the Illinois license for apartment-style assisted living, regulated by IDPH under 210 ILCS 9 and 77 Ill. Adm. Code Part 295. Each resident must have a private unit with a kitchenette and private bath. The license fee is $2,000 plus $20 per licensed unit. Because of the apartment requirement, a shared-bedroom house cannot be licensed as assisted living in Illinois; it must be a Shared Housing Establishment instead.
Reviewed by Erika Crossley, senior living AI specialist · Information last verified June 2026
License fee
$2,000 plus $20 per licensed unit
Nonrefundable, per 77 Ill. Adm. Code 295.500(e).
Capacity
At least 3 unrelated adults, at least 80% age 55 or older; no fixed upper cap in the definition
Model
Apartment-style. Each resident has a private unit with a kitchenette and a private bathroom (or a private bath with a shared bathing room). This is the rule that separates it from the small-home Shared Housing license.
License term
One-year license; a two-year renewal is available to compliant establishments.
Governing law
210 ILCS 9; 77 Ill. Adm. Code Part 295
Best for
Operators building or running apartment-style assisted living where each resident has a private unit.
Building and physical plant
- —Each resident must have a private apartment unit with a kitchenette and private bath; shared bedrooms are not permitted under this license.
- —Must meet the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code for residential board and care, with two means of egress and emergency lighting.
- —New construction is generally sprinklered throughout; existing buildings follow the existing-occupancy chapter as the renovation scope triggers.
- —Must meet the Illinois Accessibility Code (71 Ill. Adm. Code 400) and ADA.
- —IDPH Design and Construction plan review before licensure, with a plan-review fee scaled to project cost (capped at $30,000) and a 45-day review clock.
Staffing and training
- —At least one staff member awake, on duty, and on site 24 hours a day, with current CPR certification.
- —The manager must be at least 21 with a high school diploma and two years of relevant management or progressive experience.
- —Health Care Worker Background Checks on every direct-care worker before they start (225 ILCS 46).
- —Orientation within 10 and 30 days, plus at least 8 hours of ongoing training every 12 months.
- —The three-tier medication model: licensed health care professional to administer; unlicensed staff limited to reminders and supervised self-administration.
How residents pay
- —Private pay, roughly $6,000 to $6,500 per resident per month in the Chicago metro.
- —VA Aid and Attendance for veteran residents.
- —Medicaid only through the separate Supportive Living Program certification.
Strengths
- No 16-resident cap; this is the model for scale.
- Private apartments command premium private-pay rates.
Watch-outs
- Higher build cost: every unit needs a kitchenette and private bath.
- Higher license fee ($2,000 plus $20 per unit) and the awake-24-hour staffing mandate.
- A converted single-family house rarely fits this license; it usually points you to Shared Housing.
The official Illinois sources
Straight to the regulator and the statute, verified June 2026.