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Home care staff requirements in California

California licenses non-medical home care organizations through the Department of Social Services, and every aide they place must be cleared on the state Home Care Aide Registry, which runs a state and FBI fingerprint check, before client contact. Aides need 5 hours of entry training before working with a client and 5 hours of training every year, plus a TB exam and a repeat every two years if negative. Home health agencies are licensed separately, and their home health aides must be state-certified after 75 hours of training and a criminal record clearance.

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Licenses

Home care organizations, which arrange non-medical home care by affiliated home care aides, must be licensed by the California Department of Social Services (Health and Safety Code 1796.12(d), (j); 1796.34(a)).
A licensed home health agency or hospice is not a home care organization and is licensed under separate chapters (Health and Safety Code 1796.17(b)(1)-(2)).
A home health agency is an organization that provides or arranges skilled nursing services in the home (Health and Safety Code 1727(a)).
A home care organization license must be renewed every two years (Health and Safety Code 1796.37(b)).

Background checks

A home care organization must make sure each affiliated aide is cleared on the Home Care Aide Registry before placing the aide in direct contact with clients (Health and Safety Code 1796.43(a)).
Any staff member or volunteer with client contact or access to confidential client information must also meet the background requirements before that contact or access (Health and Safety Code 1796.43(a)(1)).
Aide registry applicants submit fingerprints to the Department of Justice, which searches state and FBI criminal records (Health and Safety Code 1796.23(a), (c)).
The Department of Justice keeps updating criminal record information on registered aides and reports later arrests and convictions to the department (Health and Safety Code 1796.28(a)).
The organization must notify the department right away when it stops employing an affiliated aide (Health and Safety Code 1796.43(a)(3)).
Home health aides must obtain a criminal record clearance through fingerprints sent to the Department of Justice (Health and Safety Code 1736.1(a)(2); 1736.6(a)).

Training and competency

Affiliated home care aides must complete at least 5 hours of entry-level training before being with a client: 2 hours of orientation and 3 hours of safety training covering basic safety, emergency procedures and infection control (Health and Safety Code 1796.44(b)).
Aides must complete at least 5 hours of training every year on clients' rights and safety, daily living needs, abuse and neglect, personal hygiene and, if applicable, safe transportation (Health and Safety Code 1796.44(c)).
The entry-level and annual training may be completed online (Health and Safety Code 1796.44(d)).
Certified home health aides must complete a training program of at least 75 hours or an approved competency evaluation program (Health and Safety Code 1736.1(a)(1)).

Health screening

Affiliated home care aides must have a TB exam within 90 days before or 7 days after starting work, and cannot work until the organization has documentation that there is no risk of spreading the disease (Health and Safety Code 1796.45(a)-(b)).
Aides with a negative TB test must be re-examined at least every two years, and the organization must keep each examining practitioner's certificate on file (Health and Safety Code 1796.45(c)-(d)).

Also in the personnel file

Registered home care aides must be at least 18 years old (Health and Safety Code 1796.21).
On request, the organization must give the department a list of its affiliated aides and proof that each meets the registry, training and TB requirements (Health and Safety Code 1796.37(a)(5)).
The organization must carry workers' compensation covering its aides, a $10,000 employee dishonesty bond, and general and professional liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate (Health and Safety Code 1796.42(b)-(d)).
Home health aide services under a physician's plan of treatment must be given by an aide certified by the state (Health and Safety Code 1727(d)).

Common questions

What background checks do home care aides need in California?

A home care organization must make sure each affiliated aide is cleared on the Home Care Aide Registry before placing the aide in direct contact with clients (Health and Safety Code 1796.43(a)).

How much training do home care aides need in California?

Affiliated home care aides must complete at least 5 hours of entry-level training before being with a client: 2 hours of orientation and 3 hours of safety training covering basic safety, emergency procedures and infection control (Health and Safety Code 1796.44(b)).

Do home care workers in California need a TB test?

Affiliated home care aides must have a TB exam within 90 days before or 7 days after starting work, and cannot work until the organization has documentation that there is no risk of spreading the disease (Health and Safety Code 1796.45(a)-(b)).

Which license does a home care agency need in California?

Home care organizations, which arrange non-medical home care by affiliated home care aides, must be licensed by the California Department of Social Services (Health and Safety Code 1796.12(d), (j); 1796.34(a)).

Some rules for California weren't confirmed from an official source. Check with the state before relying on this page.

Sources

This page summarizes state licensing rules in plain words, with links to the rules themselves. It is not legal advice, rules change, and your license type decides what applies: check the linked source and your licensing agency. Medicare-certified home health agencies also follow 42 CFR 484.80. Checked October 2026.

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