Last updated 2026-07-25
TL;DR
Wisconsin's assisted living license lookup lives on the Department of Health Services Division of Quality Assurance website, where you can search by facility name, city, or license number for CBRFs, RCACs, and adult family homes. Records show license status, capacity, and inspection history. To open a facility, you apply through DQA, not through Medicaid directly.
What is the Wisconsin assisted living license lookup and where do I find it?
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), through its Division of Quality Assurance (DQA), maintains the state's official provider search tool for regulated care facilities. This is the only lookup that reflects a facility's current legal license status, not a third-party review site or a Google listing. You can search DHS's provider directory by facility name, city, county, or license number. The results show the facility type (community-based residential facility, residential care apartment complex, or adult family home), licensed bed capacity, and administrator of record. Some entries link out to survey or inspection reports [1]. If you're checking a facility before placing a family member, or verifying your own license status as an operator, this is the source to trust. Third-party "senior living directories" often list facilities that closed years ago or never existed in Wisconsin at all. Wisconsin regulates three main assisted living categories under Wis. Stat. ch. 50: community-based residential facilities (CBRFs), residential care apartment complexes (RCACs), and adult family homes (AFHs) [2]. Each has a separate licensing chapter under Wisconsin Administrative Code DHS 83, DHS 89, and DHS 88 respectively [3][4][5].
What is assisted living?
Assisted living is a broad term for housing that combines a place to live with help on daily tasks like bathing, dressing, medication reminders, and meals. It sits between fully independent living and a nursing home. Nobody needs a hospital-level of nursing care to live there, but they do need some hands-on support or supervision. The federal government doesn't license assisted living directly. Licensing happens at the state level, which is why the term means something slightly different in Wisconsin than it does in Florida or Texas. Wisconsin doesn't even use "assisted living facility" as a single legal license category. Instead it splits the concept into CBRFs, RCACs, and AFHs, each with its own rules on staffing ratios, physical plant, and resident acuity [2]. This matters for a lookup because if you search "assisted living" on the Wisconsin DHS site expecting one license type, you'll actually get a mix of the three. Know which category applies to the population you want to serve before you search or apply.
What is a group home?
"Group home" usually refers to a small residential setting, often serving fewer than 8 to 16 people, where residents live together and get support from staff who are present but not necessarily live-in family. In Wisconsin, this concept overlaps heavily with the CBRF license, which DHS defines as a place that provides room, board, and at least three hours per week of care per resident to five or more unrelated adults [3]. Adult family homes are the smaller cousin: 1 to 4 residents in a family-style home setting, licensed under DHS 88 [5]. If you're picturing a house with a handful of residents and a family-style caregiving model, AFH is likely the right license, not CBRF. Group homes for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, or substance use recovery needs in Wisconsin are typically licensed as CBRFs too, though the population served changes staffing and programming requirements, not the base license category. If you're comparing this to how other states define the category, see our guide on group home licensing basics across states.
What is an assisted living facility (and what is assisted living facility, exactly, in legal terms)?
In plain English, an assisted living facility is any licensed residential setting that provides housing plus personal care services. In Wisconsin's legal framework, there's no single license called "assisted living facility." The functional equivalent is the CBRF or RCAC license, depending on size and service model. An RCAC is built around independent apartment-style units. Wisconsin Statute 50.01(1d) defines an RCAC as a place that consists of independent apartments, each with a lockable entrance, kitchen, and bathroom, for 5 or more adults who need not more than 28 hours per week of supportive, personal, or nursing services [2]. That 28-hour cap is a real regulatory ceiling, and it's the main line that separates RCAC from nursing-home-level care. A CBRF, in contrast, doesn't cap weekly service hours the same way and can serve residents needing more hands-on assistance, arranged across five different resident capacity tiers with different physical plant and fire safety rules under DHS 83 [3]. For readers comparing this against a generic multi-state definition, our page on what counts as an assisted living facility walks through how states diverge on this.
What is assisted living vs nursing home, and what is the difference between assisted living and nursing home care?
| Licensing authority | Wisconsin DHS, Wis. Stat. ch. 50 [2] | Wisconsin DHS as CMS state survey agency [6] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical staffing | No round-the-clock licensed nurse required | Licensed nursing staff on duty 24/7 | |
| Typical resident need | Help with ADLs, supervision, medication management | Skilled nursing, rehab, complex medical needs | |
| Federal certification | Not federally certified | Medicare/Medicaid certified | |
| RCAC service cap | Max 28 hours/week of care [2] | No such cap; continuous care | Families searching "assisted living vs nursing home" are usually trying to figure out which setting fits a parent's actual care needs. If someone needs IV therapy, wound care, or overnight skilled nursing, that's a nursing home question, not an assisted living one. |
The core difference is the level of medical care and who provides it. Assisted living (CBRF, RCAC, AFH in Wisconsin) is a non-medical, residential model. Staff help with activities of daily living, but they are not generally providing skilled nursing care around the clock. Nursing homes are licensed as skilled nursing facilities, staffed with licensed nurses on duty continuously, and regulated primarily for higher-acuity, often short-term rehabilitative or long-term medical care. Wisconsin nursing homes are certified under a different framework tied to federal Medicare/Medicaid Conditions of Participation, inspected by DHS as the state survey agency on behalf of CMS [6]. Assisted living licenses (CBRF, RCAC, AFH) are purely state-created categories under Wis. Stat. ch. 50 and don't carry the same federal certification requirement [2]. Here's a quick side-by-side: | Feature | Assisted living (CBRF/RCAC/AFH) | Nursing home (SNF) |
What does assisted living provide?
Assisted living services typically include help with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, meal preparation, housekeeping, medication management or reminders, transportation coordination, and social or recreational activities. In Wisconsin's CBRF model, the facility must also arrange for or provide at least three hours per week of care per resident, along with 24-hour supervision [3]. RCACs are different in flavor. Because residents live in independent apartments, the model leans toward supportive services delivered on an as-needed basis, capped at 28 hours per week per Wisconsin law [2]. Staff are on-site to respond to needs, but the daily rhythm is closer to independent living with a safety net. Adult family homes, being smaller and more home-like, tend to provide a more constant, family-style level of support, with fewer residents per caregiver. None of Wisconsin's assisted living categories are designed to deliver ongoing skilled nursing tasks like IV medication administration or ventilator care. Facilities that need to provide those services either arrange for licensed home health visits or the resident transitions to a nursing home.
Does Medicare cover assisted living facilities?
No. Medicare does not pay for the room and board or personal care costs of assisted living, CBRFs, RCACs, or adult family homes. Medicare.gov states plainly that "Medicare doesn't cover . . . long-term care (also called custodial care)" and does not cover assisted living facility costs [7]. Medicare Part A can cover a short stay in a skilled nursing facility after a qualifying hospital stay, but that's a different setting entirely and comes with strict criteria: a 3-day inpatient hospital stay and a doctor-certified need for skilled care, per CMS rules [8]. Medicaid is the more relevant program for long-term assisted living costs, but it doesn't work the same way everywhere. Wisconsin's Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waivers, such as Family Care, can help cover the cost of care services in some CBRFs and RCACs, though room and board is generally the resident's own responsibility . If you're building a facility with an eye toward accepting Medicaid waiver residents, budget separately for the private-pay room and board piece; assume no straightforward guarantee that a resident's Medicaid coverage handles the whole bill.
How to start a group home in Wisconsin?
Starting a group home (CBRF, RCAC, or AFH) in Wisconsin runs through several concrete steps, and skipping any one of them is the most common reason applications stall. 1. Pick your license category. Decide between CBRF, RCAC, or AFH based on resident count and service model, since each has different DHS administrative code chapters (DHS 83, 89, 88) [3][4][5]. 2. Check local zoning. Confirm with your county or municipal planning office that the property is zoned for a group residential use, and confirm any conditional use permit requirements before you sign a lease or purchase. 3. Meet physical plant and fire safety codes. CBRFs and AFHs must pass fire inspections tied to Wisconsin's adoption of applicable life safety standards, coordinated with DHS and your local fire authority. Confirm current code editions and inspection timing with your state licensing agency, since these get updated. 4. Submit your license application to DHS DQA, including background checks for all caregivers and the administrator, per Wisconsin's caregiver background check law under Wis. Stat. 50.065 . 5. Write your policy and procedure manual. DHS reviewers expect written policies covering medication management, resident rights, emergency procedures, staffing plans, and incident reporting, tailored to your license category. 6. Pass your pre-licensure inspection. A DQA surveyor visits before issuing the license to confirm the physical plant, staffing, and paperwork match what you submitted. 7. Get your license number issued and confirm it shows up correctly in the DHS provider lookup tool once active [1]. Building all of this from scratch, especially the policy manual and staffing plan documents DHS actually expects, is where most first-time operators lose the most time. This is the exact gap our $299 State Group Home Licensing Kit is built to close: state-specific application checklists and policy templates so you're not starting from a blank page.
How do I start a group home if I'm not sure which license fits my situation?
If you're unsure whether your project fits CBRF, RCAC, or AFH, start by counting your intended resident capacity and defining your service model, since Wisconsin's three categories are drawn along exactly those lines. Four or fewer residents in a home-style setting generally points to an adult family home under DHS 88 [5]. Five or more residents needing an unlimited range of personal care and supervision points to a CBRF under DHS 83 [3]. Independent apartment-style units where care stays under 28 hours per week per resident points to an RCAC under DHS 89 [4]. Call DHS DQA directly before you commit to a property or lease. Licensing staff can tell you which category your model fits and flag capacity or physical plant issues early, before you've spent money on a space that won't work for your intended license type. This single phone call, made before signing any lease, is the cheapest risk-reduction step in the entire process.
How do I verify a facility's license status using the lookup tool?
Go to the Wisconsin DHS Division of Quality Assurance provider search page and enter the facility name, city, or county. The tool returns matching licensed providers along with license type, status (active, in a compliance process, or closed), and capacity [1]. Click through to an individual facility record to see additional detail, which may include recent survey or inspection history, depending on how DHS has published that facility's record. Some categories link to statement of deficiencies documents when available. For operators, checking your own listing periodically is a good habit. If your license status, capacity, or administrator of record is wrong in the public lookup, that's worth a call to DQA to correct, since families and referral sources use this exact tool to vet you before ever calling.
What should families look for in the lookup results?
Beyond confirming a license is active, look at the facility type first, since a CBRF, RCAC, and AFH serve different needs and have different staffing models. Then check the licensed capacity against what the facility is telling you verbally; a mismatch is a red flag worth asking about directly. If inspection or survey records are linked, read the most recent one. A citation for a paperwork gap is very different from a citation involving resident safety or abuse allegations. Don't assume every citation is disqualifying; ask the facility directly how they corrected it and when. Finally, confirm the administrator or licensee name matches who you're actually dealing with. Ownership changes happen, and a stale lookup record combined with a new, unverified operator is worth a direct question.
What are common mistakes people make with Wisconsin licensing and lookup searches?
The most common mistake is assuming "assisted living facility" is a single Wisconsin license type you can search for directly. It isn't; you need to know whether you're looking at a CBRF, RCAC, or AFH record [2]. The second common mistake, for aspiring operators, is submitting a license application before zoning is confirmed. DHS licensing and municipal zoning are separate processes handled by separate agencies, and passing one doesn't guarantee the other. Confirm zoning with your local planning or code enforcement office before you sign a lease. The third mistake is underestimating the caregiver background check timeline required under Wisconsin's background check law . Build in extra weeks for this step rather than assuming it happens instantly alongside your license application submission. For operators comparing Wisconsin's process against other states, our guides on assisted living facilities licensing overviews and facility-level assisted living rules are useful next reads, as is our page on assisted living at home models if you're considering a smaller in-home approach instead of a standalone facility.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the official Wisconsin assisted living license lookup tool?
It's hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Quality Assurance, as part of its provider search directory. You can search by facility name, city, county, or license number to confirm license type, status, and capacity for CBRFs, RCACs, and adult family homes [1].
What is assisted living?
Assisted living is residential housing paired with help on daily tasks like bathing, dressing, medication reminders, and meals, for people who don't need full-time skilled nursing care. States regulate it differently; Wisconsin splits the concept into CBRF, RCAC, and adult family home licenses under Wis. Stat. ch. 50 [2].
What is a group home?
A group home is a small residential setting where unrelated adults live together and receive staff support for daily care needs. In Wisconsin, this generally maps to a community-based residential facility (CBRF) license for five or more residents, or an adult family home license for one to four residents [3][5].
What is an assisted living facility?
An assisted living facility, in general use, is any licensed setting providing housing plus personal care. Wisconsin doesn't use that exact license name; the equivalent categories are CBRF, RCAC, and adult family home, each governed by a different chapter of the Wisconsin Administrative Code [3][4][5].
What is the difference between assisted living and nursing home care?
Assisted living provides non-medical help with daily activities and supervision. Nursing homes provide skilled nursing care around the clock and are certified under Medicare/Medicaid Conditions of Participation. Wisconsin licenses assisted living settings under Wis. Stat. ch. 50, separate from the nursing home certification framework [2][6].
Does Medicare cover assisted living facilities in Wisconsin or anywhere else?
No. Medicare does not cover the cost of assisted living, including CBRFs, RCACs, or adult family homes, because it classifies this as custodial, long-term care rather than medical care [7]. Medicare may cover a short skilled nursing facility stay under specific conditions, but that's a separate benefit entirely [8].
How do I start a group home in Wisconsin?
Pick your license category (CBRF, RCAC, or AFH), confirm zoning with your local municipality, meet fire and physical plant codes, submit your DHS DQA application with caregiver background checks, write your policy manual, and pass a pre-licensure inspection before DHS issues your license number [3][4][5][10].
What license category does Wisconsin use instead of 'assisted living facility'?
Wisconsin uses three categories under Wis. Stat. ch. 50: community-based residential facility (CBRF), residential care apartment complex (RCAC), and adult family home (AFH). Each has its own administrative code chapter (DHS 83, DHS 89, DHS 88) with different capacity and service rules [2][3][4][5].
How many residents can an adult family home serve in Wisconsin?
An adult family home is licensed for one to four residents in a home-style setting, under Wisconsin Administrative Code DHS 88 [5]. This is the smallest of Wisconsin's three main assisted living license categories, and it's built around a family-style caregiving model rather than an institutional one.
What is the service hour cap for a residential care apartment complex?
Wisconsin law caps RCAC supportive, personal, and nursing services at not more than 28 hours per week per resident, under Wis. Stat. 50.01(1d) [2]. Residents needing more hours of care than that generally aren't a fit for the RCAC model and may need a CBRF or nursing home instead.
Can I check a Wisconsin facility's inspection history through the lookup tool?
Yes, in many cases. The DHS Division of Quality Assurance provider search links to survey or statement of deficiencies documents for some facility records, when available [1]. Not every listing has a linked report, so absence of a linked document isn't proof of a clean or dirty history; call DQA directly to confirm.
Do I need a separate zoning approval before applying for a Wisconsin assisted living license?
Yes. DHS licensing and local zoning are separate processes run by different agencies. Confirm with your county or municipal planning office that your property is zoned for group residential use before signing a lease, since a DHS license won't override a zoning violation.
Sources
- Wisconsin DHS, Division of Quality Assurance Provider Search: Wisconsin's official assisted living license lookup tool and what it shows
- Wisconsin Statutes, Chapter 50 (Definitions, RCAC hour cap): Wisconsin's three assisted living license categories and the RCAC 28-hour service cap
- Wisconsin Administrative Code DHS 83 (CBRF licensing): CBRF definition, three-hour weekly care minimum, and capacity tiers
- Wisconsin Administrative Code DHS 89 (RCAC licensing): RCAC licensing chapter and independent apartment requirements
- Wisconsin Administrative Code DHS 88 (Adult Family Home licensing): Adult family home licensing chapter and 1-4 resident capacity
- Medicare.gov, Long-Term Care: Medicare does not cover long-term custodial care or assisted living facility costs
- Medicare.gov, Skilled Nursing Facility Care Coverage: Medicare Part A skilled nursing facility coverage requires a qualifying 3-day hospital stay
- Wisconsin DHS, Family Care Program: Wisconsin's Family Care Medicaid waiver can help cover care costs in CBRFs and RCACs