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Guide · California

How to check a California license

Before you choose a facility, an agency or a caregiver, look up the license at the state agency that issued it. It is free, it takes a few minutes, and it shows things a brochure will not.

Last reviewed October 2, 2026. Facts are linked to the official sources listed at the end of the page.

Where to look

Skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, hospices, adult day health centers, hospitals
California Department of Public Health (CDPH), through Cal Health Find.1, 2
Assisted living and board and care (RCFE), adult residential facilities, adult day programs, home care organizations
California Department of Social Services (CDSS), through its Community Care Licensing facility search.4, 14
An individual home care aide
The CDSS Home Care Aide Registry. A search needs the aide's first name, last name and Personnel ID, so ask the aide or agency for it. The registry lists applicants as well as registered aides, so check that the status says registered.5
Nurses, therapists and other licensed professionals
The Department of Consumer Affairs License Search, which covers licenses issued by its boards, including the Board of Registered Nursing.6
Certified nurse assistants, home health aides
CDPH certifies them through its Licensing and Certification Program; contact the program to confirm a certificate.1
Physicians
Medical doctors (MD): the Medical Board of California license search.7 Osteopathic physicians (DO): the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, which the DCA License Search covers.6

What the record shows

  • Cal Health Find (CDPH) shows a facility's ownership, license and certification status, including whether it accepts Medicare or Medi-Cal, and its history: complaints, facility-reported incidents, state enforcement actions and deficiencies found by inspectors.2 You can search by ZIP code, city or county.3
  • The CDSS facility search holds five years of information on each facility, and complaint investigation reports are available there.4
  • The Medical Board profile gives information about the licensee, and administrative actions or enforcement documents the Board posts are added to the profile.7

Medicare quality ratings

For nursing homes, home health agencies and hospices that take Medicare, Medicare Care Compare adds quality information:

  • Nursing homes have one overall rating of 1 to 5 stars, plus separate ratings for health inspections, staffing and quality measures. CMS suggests using the ratings together with a visit and with the State Ombudsman program.8
  • Home health agencies have two star ratings: quality of patient care, and patient survey results.9
  • Hospice quality measures are publicly reported on Care Compare.10

Five quick steps

  • Get the exact name and address of the facility or agency, and its license number if it has one.
  • Search for it at the agency that issued the license (the table above).
  • Confirm that the license is current, and that the address and the type of license match what you were told. An assisted living license is not a skilled nursing license.
  • Read the history: complaints, citations and deficiencies, and their dates.
  • Visit in person when you can, and ask about anything in the record.

If something is wrong

  • A CDSS-licensed facility, or someone operating without a required license: call the Community Care Licensing complaint hotline at 1-844-538-8766 (1-844-LET-US-NO), email letusno@dss.ca.gov, or file online.11, 15 The local licensing office makes an unannounced visit to investigate within 10 days of receiving a complaint.12
  • A CDPH-licensed facility: file an online complaint through Cal Health Find.3
  • A resident of a long-term care facility: call the Statewide Ombudsman Hotline, 1-800-231-4024, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ombudsman services are free and complaints are confidential.13
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first.

How we use these checks

Before we include any provider in the options we organize, we check its license at the registry of the agency that issued it. You can run the same checks yourself, and you are always free to choose any licensed provider; if you have a health plan, check which providers it covers. More about how we work is on How We're Paid.

Sources

Official government pages, each read on October 2, 2026. Links open in a new tab. Prime Care Link is not affiliated with these agencies.

  1. 1.California Department of Public Health — Licensing and Certification Program
  2. 2.California Department of Public Health — Cal Health Find
  3. 3.California Department of Public Health — Find and Choose a Nursing Home
  4. 4.California Department of Social Services — Community Care Licensing Facility Search
  5. 5.California Department of Social Services — Home Care Aide Registry
  6. 6.California Department of Consumer Affairs — License Search
  7. 7.Medical Board of California — License Verification
  8. 8.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Five-Star Quality Rating System
  9. 9.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Home Health Star Ratings
  10. 10.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Hospice Quality Reporting Program
  11. 11.California Department of Social Services — CCLD Complaint Hotline
  12. 12.California Department of Social Services — Make a Complaint (Community Care Licensing)
  13. 13.California Department of Aging — Long-Term Care Ombudsman
  14. 14.California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing — Facility Types, by Program
  15. 15.California Department of Social Services — File a complaint (Community Care Licensing)

Want help with your situation?

We help families and professionals sort through care options and keep the next step moving. Our navigation support is offered at no cost to families and the professionals who refer them, and providers pay nothing to be included or recommended. Call (818) 574-3333 on weekdays or send us a message.