Illinois license type
Shared Housing Establishment
The Illinois small care-home license (3 to 16 residents)
A Shared Housing Establishment is the Illinois license for a small residential care home with 3 to 16 residents (at least 80% age 55 or older) in a single house, regulated by IDPH under the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act (210 ILCS 9) and 77 Ill. Adm. Code Part 295. The license fee is a flat $1,000. It is the Illinois equivalent of a Texas-style residential assisted living, but unlike Texas it does not use the Type A or Type B scheme, and only a licensed health care professional may administer medication.
Reviewed by Erika Crossley, senior living AI specialist · Information last verified June 2026
License fee
$1,000 flat
Nonrefundable application and license fee, per 77 Ill. Adm. Code 295.500(e).
Capacity
3 to 16 residents, at least 80% age 55 or older, unrelated to the owner and one manager
Model
A single residence (a house) with shared or private bedrooms. This is the small-home model, and it is a different license from apartment-style assisted living.
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 converting a house into a small residential care home, the closest Illinois match to a Texas-style residential assisted living.
Building and physical plant
- —A house with shared or private bedrooms is allowed; the apartment-with-kitchenette rule that applies to assisted living establishments does not apply here.
- —Must meet the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code for small residential board and care (16 or fewer), with two means of egress and emergency lighting.
- —Sprinklers are generally not required in an existing small home unless IDPH or the fire authority rates evacuation as impractical, which then triggers full sprinkler protection. Where residential sprinklers are used the standard is NFPA 13D.
- —Must meet the Illinois Accessibility Code (71 Ill. Adm. Code 400) and ADA for accessible bathrooms, door widths, and ramps.
- —IDPH Design and Construction reviews the plans before licensure; a plan-review fee applies on larger projects (no fee under $100,000 of work).
Staffing and training
- —At least one staff member on site at all times; for residents who cannot self-evacuate, enough awake staff to move everyone to safety.
- —The manager must be at least 21 with a high school diploma and two years of relevant management or progressive experience.
- —Every direct-care worker must clear a Health Care Worker Background Check before working (225 ILCS 46), verified through the IDPH Health Care Worker Registry.
- —Documented orientation within 10 and 30 days of hire, plus at least 8 hours of ongoing training every 12 months.
- —Medication follows the three-tier model: only a licensed health care professional may administer; unlicensed staff may give reminders or supervise self-administration under a licensed professional.
How residents pay
- —Private pay is the core, at roughly $6,000 to $6,500 per resident per month in the Chicago metro.
- —VA Aid and Attendance can subsidize a veteran resident with no facility restriction.
- —For Medicaid census, the separate Supportive Living Program is the route, but it requires an apartment-style building and a competitive HFS certification.
Strengths
- The lowest-cost license to enter, at a flat $1,000.
- A normal house works; no apartment or kitchenette build-out required.
- The cleanest fit for the small residential care-home model.
Watch-outs
- Capped at 16 residents.
- Private pay or VA only unless you separately pursue Supportive Living for Medicaid.
- Zoning usually requires a special use permit; it is rarely allowed by right.
The official Illinois sources
Straight to the regulator and the statute, verified June 2026.