Adult Day Care - Licensing /Rules

Licensing Requirements

Tennessee law requires that any Adult Day Care/Adult Day Services program caring for 10 or more clients be licensed by the Department of Human Services.

Click here for Child and Adult Care licensing Offices.

Licensing helps to ensure the safety of vulnerable adults. In licensed programs, an outside person (the state regulator) is monitoring for compliance with rules. The rules include, but are not limited to, criminal background checks on the caregivers, fire and environmental inspections of the building, lower ratios of clients to caregivers, and an organized program, specifically designed for each client’s needs.

These programs have a set of rules they must follow, and DHS Licensing Evaluators perform both announced and unannounced visits on the programs throughout the year to ensure that they are in compliance with these rules.

Contact Information Adult Day Care Complaint Hotline: 1-800-462-8261 Child and Adult Care Licensing Offices