How to check an assisted living license and inspection history in Arizona

Short answer: Search the home's name on AZ Care Check, the Arizona Department of Health Services' public lookup. It shows the license type and level (supervisory, personal or directed care), the number of licensed beds, and inspection and complaint reports. Read the most recent survey and any enforcement actions before you decide.

Step by step

1. Go to azcarecheck.com.
2. Search by the home's name or city. Try the legal name if the marketing name doesn't appear.
3. Open the listing and confirm the address matches the home you toured.
4. Check the license type: "Assisted Living Home" (10 or fewer residents) or "Assisted Living Center" (11 or more).
5. Check the service level. For a parent with dementia, look for directed care.
6. Open the inspection reports. Read what was cited, then read the home's plan of correction.
7. Look for enforcement actions such as civil penalties or license restrictions.

How to read an inspection report

Almost every home has some deficiencies over the years. A paperwork citation (a missing signature, an expired document) is very different from a care citation (a resident left unattended, a medication error, an unreported fall). What matters:

• Severity: did anyone get hurt, or could they have?
• Patterns: the same problem cited repeatedly
• Response: a specific, credible plan of correction
• Recency: what's happened under current management

It's fair to ask any home on a tour: "Tell me about your last inspection." A good operator will answer plainly.

Other checks worth five minutes

• Google reviews: read the long ones, and notice how management responds.
• Manager certification: Arizona assisted-living managers are certified by the Arizona Board of Examiners for Nursing Care Institution Administrators and Assisted Living Facility Managers.
• ALTCS contracts: if you'll use ALTCS, confirm with your plan that the home is contracted.

Common questions