Six ways to license a house in Texas. One of them fits yours.
You have a house, or you are about to buy one, and nobody will give you a straight answer on which license it can actually hold. So here they all are on one screen, simplest first, including the one that needs no state license at all. Every row is the real number: the exact government fees, the revenue per resident per month, how long the path takes, and how many residents a house can hold on that license. Compare them, then let us match you to yours.
One thing to be clear about: 16 is not the limit of assisted living.
Texas licenses an assisted living facility as Small (16 residents or fewer) or Large (17 or more), under 26 TAC §553.3. Both are the same Type A or Type B license. There is no state maximum on a Large facility, which is exactly how Texas has communities running well over a hundred residents. The numbers below are what a house can hold, because a house is what this site is about. If you are buying a building instead of a house, you are in the Large class and the ceiling is set by your square footage, your fire code, and your staffing, not by the state.
| Facility Type | Who It Serves | State License | Startup Cost | Path | Residents A House Can Hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Foster Care | Seniors | Not required | $340+ gov't fees | Fastest path | 3 (hard cap) |
| Boarding Home | Seniors | Not required | $340+ gov't fees | Fastest path | No state cap |
| HCS Group Home | IDD adults | Not required | $1,090+ gov't fees | Standard path | 4 (program cap) |
| Type A ALF | Seniors | Required | $760+ gov't fees | Advanced path | 16 as a Small facility. No state cap above that. |
| Type B ALF | Seniors | Required | $760+ gov't fees | Advanced path | 16 as a Small facility. No state cap above that. |
| ICF/IID | IDD adults | Required | $1,360+ gov't fees | Advanced path | Set by bed allocation, not a cap |
Adult Foster Care Home
Care for 1–3 adults in your own home
Someone who wants to live alongside the people they care for — your existing home, no commercial build-out required
Boarding Home Facility
Room & board for 3+ seniors — no personal care required
Someone who wants to provide housing without a medical care license — operate a home, not a clinical facility
HCS Group Home (IDD)
Medicaid-funded home for 3–4 adults with intellectual disabilities
Someone committed to serving the IDD population — Medicaid pays reliably, no ALF license required, small residential setting
Type A Assisted Living Facility
Up to 16 ambulatory seniors with a state license
Someone ready to build a real licensed care business with 4–16 residents
Type B Assisted Living Facility
Memory care & higher-acuity seniors — 24/7 awake staff required
Someone targeting the memory care market — higher rates, larger demand, more operational complexity
ICF/IID — Intermediate Care Facility
Dual-licensed Medicaid group home for high-support IDD individuals
An operator with professional staff resources who wants to serve the highest-acuity IDD population with full Medicaid backing
Still not sure which one your house can hold?
Answer 6 questions about your property and your budget. You get the one license type that fits, and the steps to open it.
Match Me To My License →Already know your type? Run a real property through the Deal Engine →