Ohio · Checked October 22, 2026

Home care agency license in Ohio

Your license is the Nonmedical Home Health Services License, issued by Ohio Department of Health.

Run the verdict checker for Ohio

ItemOhio
License / registrationNonmedical Home Health Services License
Issued byOhio Department of Health — official page
Application / initial fee$250 — $250 license fee (not returned by the state) in Ohio Admin. Code 3701-60-03(B)(2); same $250 fee for the skilled license in 3701-60-03(A)(2). License is valid 3 years (3701-60-03(J)). Licensure under ORC Ch. 3740 began July 1, 2022 — guides claiming Ohio needs no non-medical license are pre-2022 and wrong.
Renewal$250
Surety bond$20,000 — Surety bond of $20,000 required ONLY if the applicant was NOT providing nonmedical home health services on or immediately prior to September 30, 2021 (3701-60-03(B)(3)(k)(ii)). Skilled applicants in the same position need a $50,000 bond (3701-60-03(A)(3)(e)(ii)). Items are waived in part for providers certified by the Ohio Department of Aging under ORC 173.391 or nationally accredited (3701-60-03(E)-(F)).
Liability insuranceState sets no minimum
TimelineState does not publish a processing time in the rule; renewal must be filed at least 90 days before the license expires
AdministratorNo degree or experience standard for an administrator/owner is stated in OAC 3701-60-03. The application requires fingerprint impressions of the primary owner, a criminal records check policy (for agencies), Secretary of State filings, and a list of services and service area.
State extrasFingerprinting / criminal records checks for the owner and direct-care staff; $50,000 bond instead of $20,000 if adding the skilled license as a post-Sept. 30, 2021 entrant.

What the Ohio license covers — service by service

ServiceUnder this license
Companionship & supervisionCovered
Homemaker helpCovered
Hands-on personal careCovered
Live-in / 24-hour careNot covered by this license
TransportationNot covered by this license
Skilled nursing or therapyHome health license required

The nonmedical license does not authorize skilled home health services (nursing, therapies and other skilled care). A holder of the skilled license may provide nonmedical services without a second license (3701-60-03(C)). Live-in and transportation are not separately listed as licensed services in the rule text checked — see verifiedNote.

The skilled door in Ohio

Skilled Home Health Services License is a separate license under the same chapter (OAC 3701-60-03(A)), also $250, and additionally requires Medicare certification, national accreditation, Ohio Department of Aging certification, or a notarized attestation that the provider meets Medicare conditions of participation.

Medicaid in Ohio: a second gate

Ohio Department of Medicaid provider enrollment; many home/community services also run through Ohio Department of Aging certification (ORC 173.391, e.g. PASSPORT) — the Aging certification also waives parts of the ODH application

EVV is required for Medicaid personal care / home health aide visits in Ohio (state EVV program, Sandata system). Verify current service-code list with Ohio Medicaid before billing.

Your opening number for Ohio

The state fee above is one line of the real total. Run the true-cost calculator with Ohio selected — it adds the bond premium, insurance class, screening and the payroll runway your first hires create.

Sources

This page is information, not legal advice. Confirm before you file: the agency — not this page — decides your application.

The paperwork, in filing order

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

See what's in the Kit

Included in the $49 HomeCareLicenseCheck Kit