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North Carolina · Office, records and premises · 10A NCAC 13J
North Carolina’s home care rules do not say whether your home can be your licensed site. They do say what every site needs: a street address on the license, a sign at the door, secure original records and immediate access for unannounced inspections. Here is each rule, what to ask DHSR, and how moving or adding a site works.
Quick answer
The rules do not say. North Carolina’s home care rules (10A NCAC 13J), the statute and DHSR’s FAQ, checklist and application, as we saved them, neither allow nor rule out a home address. DHSR’s checklist asks for "Proof of Premise for Operation" with a "commercial lease if applicable", but does not say what it accepts without one. Ask DHSR on 919-855-4620 before you apply.
Whatever the address, the same rules apply to it. The license shows your street address, is posted where the public can see it, and the agency name goes on a sign at the public access door. Original client records stay confidential and secure on the premises. DHSR can inspect at any time, unannounced, and must get immediate access. Each site needs its own license.
Nothing directly. We read 10A NCAC 13J, G.S. 131E Article 6, DHSR’s FAQ (revised May 30, 2025), its Initial Survey Checklist, its application form and its process pages, and none of them mentions a home or residential address for the agency site. So we cannot tell you a home office is allowed or not allowed. What the sources do say:
The practical answer: call the Acute and Home Care Licensure and Certification Section on 919-855-4620 with your address and how you plan to use it, and check with your city or county before you apply. The $510 license fee is non-refundable, so it is worth asking first.
These apply to any North Carolina home care site, whether it is a house, a rented suite or a shared office.
The license names the street address you operate under. A P.O. box can go on the application only as a mailing address.
"The name and street address under which the agency operates shall appear on the license."
13J .0903(d)DHSR’s Initial Survey Checklist asks for proof of premises for operation among the supporting documents you send.
"Proof of Premise for Operation {.0903 (b)} (commercial lease if applicable)"
DHSR checklistPost the license where the public can see it inside the premises, and put the agency name on the public access door.
"The agency shall also post a sign at the public access door with the agency name."
13J .0903(c)Originals stay confidential and secure on the licensed premises, apart from three listed exceptions.
"The agency shall assure that originals of client records are kept confidential and secure on the licensed premises unless in accordance with Rule .0905 of this Subchapter, or subpoenaed by a court of legal jurisdiction, or to conduct an evaluation as required in Rule .1004 of this Subchapter."
13J .1401(c)A licensed agency can be inspected at any time, and DHSR says inspections are unannounced.
"The agency shall allow immediate access to its premises and the records necessary to conduct an inspection and determine compliance with the rules of this Subchapter."
13J .0904(e)When DHSR asks, each employee’s personnel record is available at the premises.
"When requested, the records shall be available on the agency premises for inspection by the Department."
13J .1003(f)The rules tie your records to the licensed premises. "The agency shall assure that originals of client records are kept confidential and secure on the licensed premises unless in accordance with Rule .0905 of this Subchapter, or subpoenaed by a court of legal jurisdiction, or to conduct an evaluation as required in Rule .1004 of this Subchapter." 13J .1401(c)
| Record | Where | How long | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client records (originals) | Confidential and secure on the licensed premises | At least 5 years after the most recent discharge; for a minor, until 3 years after their 18th birthday | 13J .1401(c), (f) |
| A record taken out for the 90-day review | Back on the premises within 5 working days, logged in a sign-out log | Log: to whom, client’s name, date removed | 13J .1401(d) |
| Copies of client records | Readily available to the health professionals providing or managing the services | Not set separately | 13J .1401(e) |
| Personnel records | Available on the agency premises when DHSR asks | At least 1 year after the employee leaves | 13J .1003(f) |
| Annual budget and statistical records | Available for inspection, or to DHSR on request | At least 3 years | 13J .1002 |
| On-call nursing schedules (nursing services only) | Available to DHSR on request | Current and previous schedules for 1 year | 13J .1102(c) |
If you close. "When an agency ceases operation, the Department shall be notified in writing where the records will be stored for the required retention period." 13J .1401(f)
If you serve Medicaid PCS clients. NC Medicaid’s Policy 3L adds that a PCS provider must "maintain all clinical records and billing documentation in an accessible location in a manner that will facilitate regulatory reviews and post payment audits." Policy 3L, 7.6
The rules we saved do not say anything specific about electronic or cloud records. Your written client records policy has to describe "A system for maintaining originals and copies", 13J .1401(b) so if you keep records electronically, say in that policy which version is the original and how you keep it secure.
The rules we saved do not set office opening hours or require someone at a desk all day. They set availability instead:
For a small agency run from one office, the inspection rule is the one to plan for: name who lets DHSR in and finds the records when the director is out. 13J .1001(e) already asks your policies to define the order of authority in the director’s absence. More on DHSR surveys and inspections →
Tick steps off as you go; progress is saved in this browser only.
The rules we saved do not say whether a home can be a licensed site, or what proof of premises DHSR accepts without a commercial lease. Call the Acute and Home Care Licensure and Certification Section on 919-855-4620 before you sign a lease or apply.
The licensing rules require you to follow applicable local laws but do not list them. Ask your city or county planning or zoning office whether a home care office is allowed at the address, and about any local business registration.
DHSR’s checklist asks for proof of premises for operation, with a commercial lease if applicable. It goes in with your supporting documents.
The application (DHSR-4204) asks for the agency site address and, separately, a mailing address if mail should go elsewhere. Separate legal entities in one office each apply.
Somewhere confidential and secure for the originals (a locked cabinet or room, for example), a written system for originals and copies, and a sign-out log for records taken out for the 90-day review.
A sign with the agency name at the public access door, and the license posted where the public can see it inside the premises.
Decide who will let DHSR in and fetch the records if an inspector arrives, and write it into your order of authority for when the director is away.
Before services start, each client gets your address and telephone number for information, questions or complaints, and signs a receipt.
Where your office is decides how far your in-home aides can go. Those services are limited to the county where the agency is located, the counties next to it, "or within 90 minutes driving time from the site where the agency is located, whichever is greater." 13J .1107(h) DHSR says the limit applies only to in-home aide services, so that the aides can be supervised. DHSR FAQ 23
The application asks you to "identify each service provided by county through this site". DHSR-4204, p. 8 To add counties later, tell DHSR 30 days ahead, listing the counties you want to add. DHSR FAQ 22
A license is "issued for the premises and persons named in the application and shall not be transferable". 13J .0903(d) DHSR’s FAQ says: "If the ownership, address, or agency director changes at any time, you must notify our office in writing prior to the effective date of the change." DHSR FAQ 42 Send the notice by mail to 2712 Mail Service Center, Raleigh NC 27699, or by email to DHSR.homecare@dhhs.nc.gov. DHSR FAQ 39
DHSR’s FAQ does not say whether a move needs a new application or fee, so ask on 919-855-4620 before you sign a new lease. Two more things to check: a move can change which counties your in-home aides can reach under the 90-minute rule, and "DHB (DMA), NC Tracks and DHSR are separate entities." If you are enrolled in Medicaid, tell the Division of Health Benefits and NCTracks about the new address too. DHSR FAQ 40
"Yes, an agency may have more than one premise. Each premise will be issued a separate license." DHSR FAQ 41 DHSR’s page on adding a home care site lists what to send, and says "All of the above items must be submitted in their entirety for review." DHSR
DHSR’s process for adding a site applies only to an agency that already holds a license. Each site gets its own license.
A completed licensure application for the new site, signed and dated, with the license fee paid to DHSR.
A letter saying the new site adopts the policies and procedures of your existing licensed site, with that agency’s name, address and license number.
A copy of your Articles of Incorporation or LLC, if applicable, and the agency director’s resume and credentials, showing they meet 13J .1001(b).
Once you run more than one site, 13J .0905 says "the premises may share hands-on care staff or administrative staff, and may centralize the maintenance of records." 13J .0905(3) DHSR may inspect any or all of the sites, and with 72 hours’ notice ask for records from any site to be brought to the one it is inspecting. 13J .0905
The application says: "Separate legal entities operated out of the same office must submit separate applications." DHSR-4204, p. 1 The rules we saved do not say more about shared space. If you share, keep your original client records confidential and secure, and make sure DHSR can get immediate access to your premises and records.
Not covered by the state rules
The state home care rules do not cover zoning, home business permits or local business registration. They only say the agency must comply with "all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations". 13J .0906(a) Ask your city or county planning or zoning office, and if you rent, check your lease, before you put the address on your application.
No. Not as the site address. The license shows the street address the agency operates under, and the application asks for the street site address separately from any P.O. box used for mail.
"The name and street address under which the agency operates shall appear on the license."
No. Each premises is licensed separately. To add a site, a licensed agency sends DHSR a new application with the $510 state license fee, a lease for the new premises and the director’s resume and credentials.
"Each premise will be issued a separate license."
No. Originals stay confidential and secure on the licensed premises. The exceptions are records moved between your own sites under .0905, a court subpoena, and the 90-day record review, when the record comes back within five working days and goes in a sign-out log. Staff work from copies.
"originals of client records are kept confidential and secure on the licensed premises"
No. DHSR says all inspections and complaint investigations are unannounced. Inspectors make their identities known to the person in charge when they arrive, and the agency must allow immediate access to its premises and records.
"No, all inspections and complaint investigations are unannounced."
The North Carolina rules and DHSR guidance we saved do not say either way. The license shows the street address you operate under, and that site must meet the same rules as any office: the posted license and a sign at the public access door, original client records kept secure there, and immediate access for unannounced inspections. DHSR’s checklist asks for proof of premises, with a commercial lease "if applicable". Ask DHSR on 919-855-4620 before you apply.
Not as the site address. The license shows the street address the agency operates under, and the application asks for the street site address separately from a P.O. box used for mail. The rules we saved do not mention virtual offices by name; ask DHSR before relying on one.
DHSR’s Initial Survey Checklist asks for "Proof of Premise for Operation" with a commercial lease "if applicable". DHSR’s page for adding a second site asks for a copy of the lease for the new premises. DHSR does not say what proof it accepts when there is no commercial lease, so ask before you apply.
Not in the rules we saved. They set availability instead: the health care practitioner must be available for supervision while in-home care services are provided, agencies with nursing services provide on-call nursing 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and DHSR must get immediate access when it inspects.
Not the originals. They stay confidential and secure on the licensed premises, except for records moved between your own sites under .0905, a court subpoena or the 90-day record review, when the record comes back within five working days and goes in a sign-out log. Staff work from copies.
DHSR’s FAQ says to tell it in writing before a change of address takes effect, by mail or by email to DHSR.homecare@dhhs.nc.gov. It does not say whether a move needs a new application or fee, so ask DHSR first. If you are enrolled in Medicaid, tell the Division of Health Benefits and NCTracks too.
DHSR asks for a new licensure application with the $510 state license fee for each new site. That is a fee paid to DHSR, not a CareRulebook price.
The Medical Care Commission makes the home care rules and DHSR updates its checklist, FAQ and forms. Leave your email and we will tell you when a change affects your office, records or policies.
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