Skip to content
CareRulebook
MenuClose

Where are you starting?

United StatesTexas, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Ohio
TexasManual
Build your Texas policy manualPreview free, then $199 founding price
North CarolinaManual
Build your North Carolina policy manualPreview free, then $199 founding price
GeorgiaManual
Build your Georgia policy manualPreview free, then $199 founding price
VirginiaManual
Build your Virginia policy manualPreview free, then $199 founding price
OhioGuideAll US states →
United KingdomEngland
EnglandPack
Build your CQC registration packPreview free, then £119 founding price
ScotlandSoonWalesSoonNorthern IrelandSoonAll UK nations →
Free toolsChecklists, calculators and templates
Rule-change trackerHow we verify rulesCorrections logTerms and refunds

Virginia · Home care organization license · Free checklist

Virginia home care license checklist

Every step to a Virginia home care organization license, from your administrator and RN to your first renewal, each with the rule it comes from. Answer four questions to tailor it, tick steps off as you go and email it to yourself.

Tailor my checklistVirginia guide
  • Rule-verified October 1, 2026
  • 20 steps, each cited
  • Free, no account
A cork board with index cards reading Admission and discharge, Client rights, Infection control and Mandated reporting under a strip reading Review every year, above a CareRulebook binder

Quick answer

To provide personal care in Virginia you need a home care organization (HCO) license from the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification. Before you apply you appoint an administrator with the required experience, designate a registered nurse to supervise personal care, arrange insurance and reserve funds, and write policies on every topic the regulation lists. You apply through the VDH OLC Portal at least 60 days before opening, with the OLC’s $1,500 fee, and wait for your license before serving clients.

Companion, homemaker or chore services on their own do not need an HCO license.

Rule-verified, checked against official sources on October 1, 2026

Tailor your checklist

Four quick questions

Your answers stay in this browser. The checklist below updates as you answer.

What will your organization do for clients?
Who have you lined up?

Tick any that apply.

What have you already done?

Tick any that apply.

Will you have more than one office?

Your checklist

Showing the steps for a new organization providing personal care. Answer the questions above to tailor it.

Before you apply

  1. 12VAC5-381-170 AAdministrator and RN requirements →

  2. 12VAC5-381-360 APlans of services and supervision →

  3. 12VAC5-381-210 B 2

  4. 12VAC5-381-190 A

  5. 12VAC5-381-180 A, C-FWhich policies the rules require →

Apply through the OLC Portal

  1. 12VAC5-381-40 DThe application, step by step →

  2. 12VAC5-381-40 A

  3. 12VAC5-381-20 B

Once you are licensed

  1. 12VAC5-381-110 B-CBackground checks, step by step →

  2. 12VAC5-381-290

  3. 12VAC5-381-360 C

  4. 12VAC5-381-150 I

  5. Va. Code § 63.2-1606 A-B

Every year and every three years

  1. 12VAC5-381-360 E

  2. 12VAC5-381-360 G

  3. 12VAC5-381-180 B

  4. 12VAC5-381-80 AWhat the OLC checks at an inspection →

  5. 12VAC5-381-150 E

  6. 12VAC5-381-40 EVirginia license cost and timeline →

Email me this checklist

We send the checklist with your answers and a link back to it. Nothing else unless you tick the box.

See our privacy notice. Reply to any email to stop them.

The CareRulebook manual preview on a laptop

CareRulebook

Tick off “write the policies” in an afternoon

Answer a few questions about your organization and CareRulebook writes a policy for every topic Virginia’s regulation lists, with your details filled in and the rule quoted under every policy.

  • 35 policies, 85 rule requirements mapped
  • Live preview of your own manual before you pay
  • Editable Word and PDF, delivered instantly
  • 12 months of updates when the rules change
Preview your manual

$199CareRulebook founding price for the first 50 Virginia organizations, then $249. Not an OLC fee.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to get a home care license in Virginia?

For personal care you need a home care organization (HCO) license from the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification. You need an administrator with the required experience, a registered nurse to supervise personal care, insurance, a three-month operating budget with reserve funds, and written policies on every topic the regulation lists. You apply through the VDH OLC Portal at least 60 days before opening, with the OLC’s $1,500 fee.

Do I need a license for companion care in Virginia?

Not an HCO license. Virginia’s home care organization regulations do not apply to providers of only homemaker, chore or companion services. Hands-on help with bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring or eating is personal care and needs the license.

How long is a Virginia home care license valid?

Three years. Licenses are renewed triennially, with a $1,500 renewal fee, and the OLC inspects at least every two years without notice.

Is this checklist free?

Yes. It is free to use and to email to yourself. It is guidance, not legal advice, so check each step against the rule it links to.

Keep reading

Virginia

How to start a home care agency in Virginia

The full guide behind this checklist.

Virginia

The Virginia license application

The OLC Portal, fees and what happens after you apply.

Product

Build your Virginia policy manual

Every policy topic in 12VAC5-381-180, preview free.

Georgia

Georgia license checklist

The same tool for a Georgia private home care license.

North Carolina

North Carolina license checklist

The same tool for a DHSR home care license.

Sources

  1. 12VAC5-381, Regulations for the Licensure of Home Care Organizations · Virginia State Board of Health (Virginia Administrative Code, law.lis.virginia.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  2. Code of Virginia §§ 32.1-162.7 to 32.1-162.15, Home care organizations (incl. § 32.1-162.9:1, barrier crimes, criminal records checks and drug testing) · Virginia General Assembly (Code of Virginia, law.lis.virginia.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  3. Code of Virginia §§ 63.2-1603 and 63.2-1606, Protection of adults: definitions and mandated reporting · Virginia General Assembly (Code of Virginia, law.lis.virginia.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  4. Home Care & Hospice (Division of Acute Care Services) · Virginia Department of Health, Office of Licensure and Certification · retrieved October 1, 2026
  5. Current Regulatory Projects · Virginia Department of Health, Office of Licensure and Certification · retrieved October 1, 2026
  6. Office of Licensure and Certification · Virginia Department of Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  7. Requesting User Access as an Applicant for Licensure (VDH OLC Portal) · Virginia Department of Health, Office of Licensure and Certification · retrieved October 1, 2026
  8. Division of Acute Care Services · Virginia Department of Health, Office of Licensure and Certification · retrieved October 1, 2026
  9. Contact Us · Virginia Department of Health, Office of Licensure and Certification · retrieved October 1, 2026
  10. Code of Virginia §§ 32.1-102.1 to 32.1-102.1:3, Certificate of Public Need · Virginia General Assembly (Virginia Law, LIS) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  11. QSO-26-11-HHA & Hospice: Six-Month National Moratoria on Hospice and Home Health Agency Enrollment (May 20, 2026) · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · retrieved October 1, 2026
  12. Applications & Forms · Virginia Department of Health, Office of Licensure and Certification · retrieved October 1, 2026
  13. File a Complaint · Virginia Department of Health, Office of Licensure and Certification · retrieved October 1, 2026
  14. Long-Term Care & Ombudsman · Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman · retrieved October 1, 2026
  15. Mandated Reporters: Training & Resources · Virginia Department of Social Services · retrieved October 1, 2026
Build your Virginia manualfrom $199