Nevada personal care agency license application: HCQC’s uploads, fees and bond

• The right license. HCQC warns that "an Employment Agency to Provide Non-Medical Services is different than an Agency to Provide Personal Care Services", and that if you apply for the wrong one, processing can be delayed and "application fees are non-refundable as stated in NAC 449.013" (HCQC PCA page). An agency is "any person, other than a natural person, which provides services authorized pursuant to NRS 449B.465 to elderly persons or persons with disabilities in the home" (NRS 449B.015(1)). Who needs a license.
• A company, not a person. The definition covers persons other than natural persons, and HCQC’s checklist asks for LLC, corporate or partnership documents (Licensing Checklist). The statute still asks whether an applicant who is a natural person is 21 or older (NRS 449B.155(1)). By our reading, form an LLC or corporation, and ask HCQC before applying as a sole proprietor.
• A physical office in Nevada. "All Licensed facilities must have a physical location in the State of Nevada", shown by a fully executed lease or recorded deed (Licensing Checklist), and the city or county must license or permit the business at that address (Licensing Checklist). The records stay at the licensed location, even if you use work stations (NAC 449.3972(1)).
• A criminal record? A person with a criminal history may petition the Division, even before paying any fee, to find out whether that history would disqualify them from a license. The Division answers within 90 days, may charge up to $50, and is not bound by its answer. (NRS 449B.110) Owners’ fingerprints and history.
• The administrator. At least 18, a high school diploma or equivalent (or, since R089-24, a Nevada long-term care administrator license), maturity and understanding of elderly and disabled people, knowledge of the rules and statute, and English literacy. No nurse is required. (NAC 449.3973(1), as amended by R089-24) HCQC’s checklist lists only the diploma route; if your administrator qualifies by a long-term care administrator license, ask HCQC what to upload.
• Elder abuse training first. The applicant (for a company, the person in charge) completes training to recognize and prevent abuse of older persons before the license is issued, then yearly before each renewal. (NRS 449B.225(1)-(3)) HCQC’s Training & Education page links an Elder Abuse/Adult Protective Services course. (HCQC, Training & Education)

Our count. Eighteen items, of which a new LLC or a new corporation uploads 13: the administrator’s four documents, the state and local business licenses, the lease, its two company documents, the business history, the insurance certificate, the bond and the owners’ background checks (Licensing Checklist, our count).

Policies are not on the list. HCQC reviews them at the prelicensure survey (below). By our reading, keep them ready while you apply, because the survey can only start once the application is complete (NAC 449.0112(1)).

• What the form must contain. The application names the applicant, the principal place of business and the person in charge, describes in specific terms the services and type of care to be offered, and gives evidence of reputable character and ability to comply. (NRS 449B.155)
• Character and three years of history. The application includes evidence that the applicant is of reputable and responsible character; for a company, the same evidence for its members and the person in charge. (NRS 449B.155(6)) To show that character, the application includes personal references and information on the applicant’s financial status, business activities and associations in and outside Nevada over the previous 3 years; for a company, the same for its members and the person in charge. (NAC 449.011(3)) HCQC’s 3-year business history upload is how it asks for this, by our reading.
• Ownership in full. The application gives full ownership information: each natural person who owns the agency, each person with a direct or indirect interest of 10% or more who also holds a mortgage, note or other obligation secured by the agency or its assets, each officer and director of a corporation and each partner of a partnership, plus any ownership change while the application is pending. (NAC 449.011(4)(a))
• Identity. "Must be complete and include proof of the identity of the applicant that is acceptable to the Division." (NAC 449.011(1)) The application includes the applicant’s Social Security number; an applicant without one gives another identifying number, such as an individual taxpayer identification number. The Division may not deny an application solely on immigration status, and it keeps the number confidential. (NRS 449B.165, 449B.180)
• Child support. Each application and renewal includes a signed statement on child support. The license is not issued or renewed if the statement is missing, or if it shows the applicant is behind on a child support order with no approved repayment plan. (NRS 449B.170)

The 6% fee. On the issue and each renewal of the license, "the licensee shall pay to the Division a nonrefundable fee equal to 6 percent of the renewal fee set forth in subsection 2", and the Division uses it for the state’s cancer reporting system (NAC 449.013(3)). By our arithmetic, the state’s fees come to $1,415.22 for the first license and $728.22 for each renewal on time.

Nonrefundable, and valid a year. "An application for a license is valid for 1 year after the date on which the application is submitted." If you do not meet the requirements by then, you apply and pay again (NAC 449.013(4)).

The 2026 fee rule. HCQC’s licensing page says: "Recent Amendments apply to Health Facility Licensing Fees", for initial and change of ownership applications, license changes and renewals, and links R071-26 (HCQC, Health Facilities Licensing). The State Board of Health approved a 7% rise in most health facility fees (R071-26, approved regulations dated July 1, 2026). The LCB draft keeps the personal care agency fees at $1,374 and $687. (R071-26 LCB draft; Board minutes, June 5, 2026) We have not seen the approved text, so check the fee shown in the licensing system before you pay.

Other costs. The bond premium, liability insurance, business licenses and fingerprinting are priced by others. Applicants pay their own fingerprinting and state and federal background check costs. For staff, the agency may recover no more than half the Central Repository fee from the employee, and must allow installments if the agency charges the employee any part of the fee. (HCQC Background Check FAQ; NRS 449B.310(7))

• Fingerprints. Each owner with 10% or more completes a fingerprint background check; the statute requires every applicant to submit fingerprints to the Central Repository for an FBI report. (Licensing Checklist; NRS 449B.300(1)) HCQC’s Background Check page links instructions for owners (for an initial or CHOW application, each designated owner completes step 1) and a Civil Applicant fingerprint background waiver, fully executed for each designated owner and uploaded to the license application. (HCQC, Background Check Requirements)
• What the check looks for. The Central Repository tells the Division whether an applicant has been convicted of a crime listed in NRS 449B.440(1)(a), and the Division may deny the license to an applicant convicted of one. Some listed crimes count only within the past 7 years; others have no time limit. (NRS 449B.300(2); 449B.440(1)) The listed crimes.
• Asking first. A person with a criminal history may petition the Division, even before paying any fee, to find out whether that history would disqualify them from a license. The Division answers within 90 days, may charge up to $50, and is not bound by its answer. (NRS 449B.110)
• Business history. Owners show three years of owning the same type of facility, or else give a resume and one letter of reference for each owner. (Licensing Checklist) The rule behind it asks for references and three years of financial and business information for the members of a company and its person in charge (NAC 449.011(3)).
• Who counts. HCQC fingerprints each owner of 10% or more (Licensing Checklist), while the ownership disclosure also names officers, directors and partners (NAC 449.011(4)(a)).
• Pending charges or an incomplete check. If the Central Repository cannot complete an applicant’s check, the Division asks for the missing information (or proof it cannot be obtained) within 30 days, or, if charges are pending, for court dates and the outcome. It may deny the application if the applicant does not comply, and may hold the application until the check is complete. (NAC 449.01125) Your staff’s checks start only after you are licensed (HCQC Background Check FAQ). Background checks for staff.

When it starts. Once the Division has a properly completed application, acceptable proof of identity and the fee, "the Division shall conduct an investigation concerning the premises, facilities, qualifications of personnel, methods of operation and policies of the applicant and perform a prelicensure survey" (NAC 449.0112(1)). HCQC does not publish whether the survey is on site, how long after the application it comes, or what it finds most often.

What HCQC uses. HCQC links an initial inspection workbook for personal care agencies on its licensing page. Each rule is a tag with Y/N, P&P (policy and procedure) and Form/Doc columns. (HCQC PCA page) The workbook ends with a checklist of 55 tags (P0015 to P0950) naming the policy, form or document the surveyor expects for each rule. (HCQC workbook (12.2024)) The workbook is dated 12.2024, so it predates the R089-24 changes of February 27, 2026 (R089-24). The 55 tags, grouped.

No fire inspection. Personal care agencies are exempt from the State Fire Marshal or local fire department inspection that other facilities need before licensing. (NAC 449.0112(2)(b))

The decision. The Division issues the license if, after investigation, the applicant is in full compliance with chapter 449B and substantial compliance with the Board’s standards and regulations. (NRS 449B.200(1)) After a statement of deficiencies, the agency submits a plan of correction with timeframes within 10 days; failing to do so is a further deficiency and a ground for license action. (NAC 449.9987(1); 449.0118(5))

• What it says. The license names the person or persons authorized to operate the agency and states the nature of the services offered and the licensee’s capacity to deliver them. (NRS 449B.205) The person designated as responsible for the agency is named on it too (NAC 449.3972(2)).
• Display it. "Upon receipt of a license, the licensee shall display the license at a conspicuous location within the facility." (NAC 449.0114(1))
• The cancer registry fee. Due on issue, $41.22 (NAC 449.013(3)).
• The fingerprint account. An agency can open its Department of Public Safety fingerprint account only after it receives its license. New applicants first take HCQC’s NABS training (about 1 hour 20 minutes). (HCQC Background Check FAQ) Then every hire is checked within 10 days (NRS 449B.310(1)).
• HCQC’s email list. HCQC runs an email list for personal care agencies with guidance on regulations, inspections, infection control and more. To join, use the link on HCQC’s personal care agency page and put only "subscribe PERSONALCAREAGENCY" in the body. (HCQC PCA page)
• Medicaid, if you want it. To enroll as a Nevada Medicaid personal care provider (provider type 30), an agency must hold this license. (Medicaid Services Manual 3503)

What the statute says. A license "expires on December 31 following its issuance and is renewable for 1 year upon reapplication and payment of all fees" (NRS 449B.210(1)). The rule says to submit a complete renewal application on or before November 15 of the year the license expires. The existing license stays valid until the Division decides, and the Division may inspect before it renews. (NAC 449.0116(1)) HCQC’s renewal page says to renew "no later than Nov. 15 to avoid a 50% late penalty (licenses expire on Dec. 31)" (HCQC, License Renewal).

What HCQC’s list shows. HCQC’s licensee list shows recent licenses expiring one year after issue (for example first issued 08/26/2026, expiring 08/25/2027), in line with AB 544 for chapter 449 licenses, although NRS 449B.210 still says December 31. 50 licenses first issued in 2026 expire on their anniversary in 2027, while 26 others first issued in 2026 still expire on December 31, 2026. (HCQC licensee export, our count) The R116-25 rulemaking notice says a new chapter 449 license will be valid for a full year, to the anniversary date, instead of to December 31. (R116-25 notice) We have not seen R116-25’s approved text or anything from HCQC saying it reaches chapter 449B licenses.

What to do, by our reading. Read the expiry date printed on your license, put both November 15 and that date in your calendar, and renew by whichever comes first. If your license was issued after November 15, ask HCQC on the day it arrives how and when to renew.

• What a renewal includes. The fee, the 6% fee, and "a statement that the agency is in compliance with the provisions of NRS 449B.300 to 449B.340, inclusive, and 449B.440", with a statement that the licensee, administrator and employees have completed elder abuse training (NRS 449B.210(2)-(3)). A renewed surety bond goes with it (NRS 449B.185(1)), and the child support statement (NRS 449B.170).
• Business ID and state debts. A renewal application says whether the agency has a state business license and gives its Secretary of State business ID. The license is not renewed without that, or while the agency owes a debt assigned to the State Controller that it has not paid, agreed to pay or shown to be invalid. (NRS 449B.175)
• No changes in a renewal. HCQC says no changes can be made in a renewal application; a change needs its own amendment application. All fees due must be paid before a renewal is processed. (HCQC, License Renewal) HCQC says a facility that has submitted its renewal application and paid the fee keeps an active license while the renewal is under review. (HCQC, License Renewal)
• Late. Renewing after November 15 but by December 31, without good cause, costs the renewal fee plus half of it again. (NAC 449.0116(2)) By our arithmetic that is $1,030.50, plus the 6% fee.
• Expired. A licensee that does not apply to renew before the license expires cannot renew and must apply for a new license. (NAC 449.0116(3))

A new administrator: 30 days, and a fee question

R089-24 changed the notice period: "If there is a change in the administrator of the facility, the licensee shall notify the Division of the change within ... 30 days." (NAC 449.0114(4), as amended by R089-24 section 17). The new administrator must meet the same qualifications (NAC 449.3973(1)), and the administrator appoints a designee for absences (NAC 449.3973(2)-(3)).

Missing the 30 days means the NAC 449.0168 application fee plus 50% of it (NAC 449.0114(4)), but that section is not clearly written for personal care agencies: it charges $250 (the R071-26 draft: $268) for a new license to reflect a change such as a new name or administrator, but its list of license holders does not name agencies to provide personal care services in the home. (R071-26 LCB draft, NAC 449.0168(1)) We do not know whether HCQC charges a fee for an on-time change of administrator; ask HCQC before you file. Either way, report within 30 days.

• No transfer. "A license applies only to the person to whom it is issued and is not transferable." (NRS 449B.200(2)) The seller tells the Division immediately of the change of ownership (NAC 449.0114(5)(a)).
• The buyer applies. HCQC’s licensing system takes applications for a new facility or a change of ownership (CHOW), and the checklist applies to both. A change of ownership (CHOW) uses the same checklist plus a bill of sale (buyer and seller, date, description of the transaction, price, both signatures) and a letter from the governing body stating the effective date and what is changing. (Licensing Checklist) The buyer’s owners complete their own fingerprint checks (HCQC, Background Check Requirements), and the buyer files its own bond (NRS 449B.185(1)).
• Timing. Neither the statute nor HCQC’s pages say how far ahead to apply or whether the seller may keep operating while the buyer’s application is pending. By our reading, apply well before closing and agree a date with HCQC, because no one may operate the agency without a license of their own (NRS 449B.100).

The rules are silent. We found no Nevada rule or HCQC page on how a personal care agency closes: no notice period to the Division, no step for returning the license and no rule on keeping client records afterwards. Here is what the law does say.

• Clients. Your disclosure statement already gives clients the criteria for ending services and your policy for notifying them (NAC 449.3979(2)(e)), and the administrator’s termination of services policy applies (NAC 449.3973(2)(f)). Where a client needs services you can no longer give, explain the transfer and the alternatives (NRS 449A.100).
• Records. If the Division suspends a license, or an agency otherwise ceases to operate, the Division may take control of the agency’s records to keep them safe. It keeps them confidential, may share them with law enforcement and licensing bodies, and releases a client’s record to the client or legal guardian. (NRS 449B.430)
• The bond. A surety may be released after giving the Administrator 30 days’ written notice. A release does not discharge claims for property damage that happened while the bond was in force (NRS 449B.185(4)).

By our reading: tell HCQC in writing before your last day of service, ask what it wants done with the license and the records, and give clients enough notice to arrange other care.

HCQC’s licensing team takes questions by email at nvhalicensing@nvha.nv.gov. (HCQC, Health Facilities Licensing)

• Grounds. The Division may deny an application, or suspend or revoke a license, for violating chapter 449B, the patients’ rights law (NRS 449A.100 to 449A.124) or the Board’s rules; aiding or permitting an illegal act; or conduct harmful to public health and safety, or to the health or safety of clients or employees. (NRS 449B.400(1)) The general rules add "the failure or refusal to cooperate fully with an investigation or inspection by the Bureau" (NAC 449.0118(6)), and not returning an adequate plan of correction within 10 days (NAC 449.0118(5)). An owner’s listed conviction is a ground too (NRS 449B.440(1)).
• A provisional license. If an agency fails to meet the standards but is making the changes, or has agreed to make them within a reasonable time, the Division may cancel its license and issue a provisional license for a period the Division sets. (NRS 449B.215(1)(b))
• Notice and appeal. Before it denies, suspends or revokes a license or imposes a sanction, the Division gives notice by certified mail with its reasons, unless public health requires immediate action. To contest the action, the person files an appeal under the Board’s regulations, and the Division holds a hearing. (NRS 449B.420) The general NAC 449 rule sends appeals of a denial, suspension or revocation to the procedures in NAC 439.300 to 439.395. (NAC 449.0119)
• A new appeals rule in workshop. R164-26 would create an appeal process for disciplinary actions against entities providing personal care services, under the Nevada Health Authority. Workshop October 7, 2026. (Notice of workshop, R164-26) It is a proposal, not in force. Nevada rule changes.