Does Michigan license non-medical home care agencies?
Key facts
- Non-medical license in MI
- None
- Medical license in MI
- Home health agency (Public Health Code)
- Required to open
- LARA business registration
- New health care & social assistance businesses closed within 10 years (BLS, 2004 cohort)
- 57%
- Our standard
- Insured, bonded, skills verified by a Registered Nurse before their first visit
What Michigan does license: Michigan's Public Health Code licenses home health agencies, which deliver skilled medical care such as nursing, therapy, and wound care under a physician's orders. Non-medical home care, which covers companionship, bathing, dressing, meals, and reminders, falls outside that law and has no state license, inspection, or training standard.
What it takes to open a non-medical agency in Michigan: Opening a non-medical home care agency in Michigan requires only a business filing with LARA, such as an LLC registration or assumed-name certificate. The state does not require owner background checks, caregiver training hours, or inspections before an agency begins serving clients in their homes.
How Michigan compares to states that license home care: Many states license non-medical home care, including Florida, Illinois, Texas, California, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Florida, where many Michigan families spend the winter, requires homemaker and companion registration and Level 2 background screening. Michigan has no equivalent, so vetting caregivers and agency owners falls to each family.
Why agency longevity matters in Michigan: Anyone can open a home care agency in Michigan, and most new businesses in this field don't last. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for new health care and social assistance businesses (2004 opening cohort) shows about 1 in 5 close in their first year, 43% within five years, and 57% within ten.
When an agency closes, families lose their caregivers overnight and start over in a crisis. Affordable Home Care has been run by the same family since 1989.
How to vet a Michigan home care agency: Ask whether caregivers are employees or contractors, how background checks are run, who verifies hands-on skills, whether the agency carries liability insurance and a fidelity bond, and how long it has served your area. A reputable agency answers each question plainly and in writing. See how we answer these questions on our Why Choose Us page, or contact us at 248-419-5010.
For the full breakdown, see the cornerstone: Why Choose Us: our standard in an unlicensed field.
Related questions
- Is a 'licensed' home care agency in Michigan state-inspected?
- No. When a Michigan non-medical agency says it is licensed, it usually means a LARA business registration. The state does not inspect non-medical home care agencies, so ask each agency to explain its own screening, skills checks, insurance, and bonding.
- Do I need a home health agency or a home care agency?
- Choose a licensed home health agency for skilled medical care such as nursing, therapy, or wound care ordered by a physician. Choose a home care agency for help with daily living: bathing, dressing, meals, companionship, and reminders. See our home health vs. home care guide at affordablehomecare.org/guides/home-health-care-vs-home-care.
- Does Michigan require background checks for private-pay home care?
- No state background-check mandate applies to private-pay non-medical home care agencies in Michigan. Screening depends entirely on each agency, so ask what checks are run and who reviews them.
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