Maryland · Checked October 22, 2026
Your license is the Residential Service Agency (RSA) License, issued by Maryland Department of Health, Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ).
Checked in part. Model, $0 application fee, exemption boundary, RN supervision and Medicaid level rule are primary. Renewal fee, license term and any liability minimum are unpublished in the primary texts reviewed, so those fields are null. Anything the state does not publish is printed as "Not published" below — never filled from blogs or consultancy tables. Confirm on the agency page before you budget.
| Item | Maryland |
|---|---|
| License / registration | Residential Service Agency (RSA) License |
| Issued by | Maryland Department of Health, Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ) — official page |
| Application / initial fee | $0 — Official OHCQ RSA application (dated 04.22.2026): 'There is no fee to apply for a license.' No per-employee fee schedule appears in the application or in COMAR 10.07.05 text reviewed — consultancy claims of fees by employee count were NOT confirmed in any primary source. |
| Renewal | No renewal fee is published in the OHCQ application or the COMAR 10.07.05 sections reviewed; marked null rather than assumed to be $0. |
| Surety bond | No state bond minimum found in the published rules |
| Liability insurance | State sets no minimum general/professional liability amount in COMAR 10.07.05 text reviewed; a workers' compensation coverage declaration page (or Certificate of Compliance / exemption letter) must be attached to the application |
| Timeline | Application held 180 days from initial receipt, then administratively closed if incomplete (OHCQ application instructions); no published approval processing time |
| Administrator | The RSA must submit a business plan (1-year budget, marketing plan, service description), organizational chart and full COMAR 10.07.05.08 policies. For clients needing skilled services or ADL assistance, a registered nurse must provide oversight of the care plan, delegation, supervision and training, with on-site supervision at least every 45 days / 3 months / 4 months depending on medication role (COMAR 10.07.05.12E). A person with authority over pay/employment practices must also complete the RSA Certification on personal care aide worker classification (Health-General §19-4A-11). |
| State extras | Workers' compensation coverage; SDAT letter of good standing; background checks for owners/administrators/direct care staff; RN supervision cost for ADL/skilled clients. |
| Service | Under this license |
|---|---|
| Companionship & supervision | Not covered by this license |
| Homemaker help | Covered |
| Hands-on personal care | Covered |
| Live-in / 24-hour care | Covered |
| Transportation | Not covered by this license |
| Skilled nursing or therapy | Covered — same license |
Boundary trap: COMAR 10.07.05.03B — an agency that provides ONLY household or family support services does not require licensure. The license is triggered by providing at least one home health care service (nursing, home health aide / personal care, therapies, DME etc.) to an unrelated sick or disabled person. OHCQ describes RSAs providing 24-hour / 7-day private-duty care.
Skilled nursing, therapies and DME can be added under the same RSA license by filing a new-service application with OHCQ; a Medicare-certified home health agency is a separate certification route. Medicaid personal assistance requires an RSA licensed for Level Two or Level Three services (COMAR 10.09.84.06).
Maryland Medicaid Community First Choice / Community Personal Assistance Services and HCBS waivers — provider must be a licensed RSA (Level Two or Three for personal assistance), employ an RN assessor/supervisor, and enroll with Maryland Medicaid
EVV page not captured in this pass; marked null.
The state fee above is one line of the real total. Run the true-cost calculator with Maryland selected — it adds the bond premium, insurance class, screening and the payroll runway your first hires create.
This page is information, not legal advice. Confirm before you file: the agency — not this page — decides your application.
The free checkers give you the verdict and the number. The Kit gives you the working papers: your state's application packet walked through in filing order, the policies-and-procedures binder spec (what your binder must contain — never a boilerplate binder), the administrator self-audit, the insurance & bond spec sheet, the Medicaid gate map, the franchise-vs-independent 10-year worksheets, and the payroll-runway planner.
$49 one-time payment
Included in the $49 HomeCareLicenseCheck Kit
