Glossary
Licensed capacity
Licensed capacity is the maximum number of residents a state permits a care home to serve. It is set on the license, enforceable by the state, and the clearest single indicator of whether a home is small.
Also called: licensed beds, bed count
Licensed capacity is the maximum number of residents a state allows a home to serve. It is printed on the license, it is enforceable, and exceeding it is a violation the state will cite.
It is also the most useful number on a listing, because almost nothing else on a license certificate tells you what a place is actually like.
Why capacity beats the license name
License categories do not sort by size. In most states, the same license covers a house with six residents and a building with two hundred. A search for assisted living facilities in Texas returns both, described identically.
Capacity separates them in one number. Six means a house. Sixty means a building. Everything families associate with the small-home model, the ratio of caregivers to residents, one shared table, a provider who knows every resident by name, follows from that number rather than from the license type.
This is why every AgeSong listing shows licensed capacity, and why our city and state pages show the average capacity across the homes listed.
Capacity is a cap, not a census
A home licensed for six may have four residents today. The license sets a ceiling, not a headcount.
Ask two questions on any tour. How many residents live here right now, and how many staff are on shift at the times that matter, meaning early morning, evening, and overnight. A home licensed for six with four residents and one caregiver is a different place from the same home full with the same one caregiver.
Also ask whether the home has applied to increase its capacity. Some states allow it, and a home that goes from six to ten changes character.
Every state draws the line differently
There is no national definition of a small care home. Wisconsin caps its adult family homes at four. Oregon caps adult foster homes at five. Washington caps adult family homes at six. Georgia’s family category runs two to six. California licenses RCFEs at any size, so six is a convention rather than a limit.
That means “small” is a local question. The list below shows how each state defines and limits its residential care categories, taken from the licensing statute for that state.
Use it to calibrate before you search. What counts as a small home in Texas is not what counts as one in Oregon.
How each state defines and limits size
The capacity rule for each state's residential care categories, taken from that state's licensing statute.
- Alabama · assisted living facility
- Alabama licenses assisted living in family (2 to 3 beds), group (4 to 16 beds), and congregate (17 or more beds) categories.
- Alaska · assisted living home
- Assisted living homes range from small residential homes to larger settings; many hold licenses for 5 or fewer residents.
- Arizona · assisted living home
- Assisted living homes are licensed for 10 or fewer residents; larger settings are licensed as assisted living centers.
- Arkansas · assisted living facility
- Level I facilities provide housing and personal care; Level II facilities can serve residents with higher care needs.
- California · residential care facility for the elderly
- Board and care style RCFEs are typically licensed for 6 or fewer residents in a residential home.
- Colorado · assisted living residence
- Assisted living residences range from small residential homes to large communities.
- Connecticut · assisted living services agency
- Connecticut licenses the care provider (ALSA) separately from the housing; small residential care homes carry their own license.
- Delaware · assisted living facility
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- District of Columbia · assisted living residence
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- Florida · adult family care home
- Adult family care homes are licensed for up to 5 residents living in the caregiver's own home; assisted living facilities are licensed separately.
- Georgia · personal care home
- Family personal care homes serve 2 to 6 residents; group homes serve 7 to 15; congregate homes serve 16 or more.
- Hawaii · adult residential care home
- Type I adult residential care homes serve 5 or fewer residents; Type II homes serve 6 or more.
- Idaho · residential care or assisted living facility
- Licensed facilities range from small residential homes to larger communities.
- Illinois · assisted living establishment
- Shared housing establishments serve 16 or fewer residents in a home setting; assisted living establishments are larger apartment-style settings.
- Indiana · residential care facility
- Licensed facilities range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- Iowa · assisted living program
- Elder group homes serve 3 to 5 residents in a home setting; assisted living programs are typically larger.
- Kansas · Home Plus home
- Licensed for up to 16 residents as of 2026 (raised from 12); most operate as small residential homes.
- Kentucky · personal care home
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- Louisiana · adult residential care provider
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- Maine · residential care facility
- Residential care facilities range from small Level I homes to larger Level IV facilities.
- Maryland · assisted living program
- Many Maryland assisted living programs are small, home-based settings; larger communities hold the same license type.
- Massachusetts · assisted living residence
- Rest homes are the traditional small licensed setting; assisted living residences are certified separately by EOEA.
- Michigan · adult foster care home
- Family homes serve up to 6 residents, small group homes up to 12, and large group homes up to 20.
- Minnesota · assisted living facility
- Adult foster care homes serve up to 5 residents; licensed assisted living facilities range from small homes to large communities.
- Mississippi · personal care home
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- Missouri · residential care facility
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- Montana · assisted living facility
- Montana licenses assisted living in categories A, B, and C based on resident care needs.
- Nebraska · assisted living facility
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- Nevada · residential facility for groups
- Residential facilities for groups serve 3 or more residents, many in home settings of 10 or fewer; homes for individual residential care serve 1 or 2.
- New Hampshire · supported residential care facility
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- New Jersey · assisted living residence
- Comprehensive personal care homes are typically smaller, house-style settings; assisted living residences are apartment-style.
- New Mexico · assisted living facility
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- New York · adult care facility
- Family-type homes serve up to 4 residents; adult homes and enriched housing programs are larger.
- North Carolina · adult care home
- Family care homes serve 2 to 6 residents; adult care homes serve 7 or more.
- North Dakota · assisted living facility
- Basic care facilities are the traditional residential category; assisted living facilities are apartment-style settings.
- Ohio · residential care facility
- Adult family homes serve 3 to 5 residents; adult group homes serve 6 to 16; residential care facilities are larger.
- Oklahoma · assisted living center
- Residential care homes are the smaller category; assisted living centers are licensed for higher service levels.
- Oregon · adult foster home
- Adult foster homes are licensed for up to 5 residents in a residential home.
- Pennsylvania · personal care home
- Personal care homes serve 4 or more residents and range from small homes to large communities; assisted living residences are a separate license.
- Rhode Island · assisted living residence
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- South Carolina · community residential care facility
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- South Dakota · assisted living center
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- Tennessee · assisted care living facility
- Residential homes for the aged are the small-home category; assisted care living facilities are typically larger.
- Texas · assisted living facility
- Type A and Type B licenses cover settings from small group homes of 16 or fewer residents up to large communities.
- Utah · assisted living facility
- Type I and Type II licenses are based on resident mobility and care needs.
- Vermont · assisted living residence
- Residential care homes (Level III and IV) are Vermont's traditional small setting; assisted living residences are a newer license.
- Virginia · assisted living facility
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- Washington · adult family home
- Adult family homes are licensed for 1 to 8 residents in a residential home.
- West Virginia · assisted living residence
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
- Wisconsin · adult family home
- Adult family homes serve 1 to 4 residents; community-based residential facilities serve 5 or more.
- Wyoming · assisted living facility
- Licensed homes range from small residential settings to larger communities.
Related terms
- Adult family home
An adult family home is a licensed private residence where a small number of adults, usually two to six, live with a provider and receive round-the-clock help with daily care.
- Board and care home
A board and care home is a small residential care home, usually an ordinary house serving fewer than fifteen adults. The phrase is everyday language rather than a license category in most states.
- Assisted living facility
An assisted living facility is a state-licensed residence where adults who need daily help with personal care live together and receive that help from on-site staff, without the skilled nursing care a nursing home provides.
- Activities of daily living
Activities of daily living are the six basic self-care tasks used across long-term care to measure how much help a person needs: bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, continence, and eating.