Harris County lists more than 420 licensed assisted living facilities in the state database. That number grows every year. Before you tour a single building, confirming that a facility holds a current license takes about three minutes. It can save your family from a serious legal and financial mistake. In this guide, the Houston Assisted Living Facilities team walks through how to run that search. We explain what every status code means. We also cover what the license type tells you about memory care eligibility.
Key Takeaways
- The HHSC LTC Provider Search portal is the only authoritative source for confirming whether a Houston-area assisted living facility is licensed. It is completely free to use.
- Six status codes appear on HHSC records. Only "Active" confirms unrestricted operating authority.
- Memory care is a program designation within an ALF license, not a separate license. You must confirm that designation is on the HHSC record.
- HHSC licensing and CMS Medicare/Medicaid certification are two different tracks. You must verify both if your family expects to use Medicaid STAR+PLUS funding.
Reviewed by the HALF Publishing Team. Houston Assisted Living Facilities maintains an independent directory of licensed senior care communities across Greater Houston, with facility data sourced from the Texas HHSC, CMS quality ratings, and Google Reviews, updated regularly.
How to Use the HHSC LTC Provider Search Portal
The HHSC Long-Term Care Provider Search portal is the starting point for any license check. It takes less time to use than reading a brochure. The portal offers three search inputs. You can use facility name, license number, or city. Start with the license number if you have it. Facility name searches often return duplicate results. This happens when an operator runs multiple locations under similar names. The license number format follows a consistent pattern. It starts with a letter prefix like "L" for assisted living. A six-digit numeric string follows. Finally, a year suffix ties to the most recent renewal cycle. A facility representative might give you a number that does not match this format. That is a red flag worth investigating before you go further.
County-level filtering matters more than most families realize. Greater Houston spans four primary counties in the HHSC database. Harris County has over 420 licensed ALFs. Fort Bend has roughly 85. Montgomery has about 60. Galveston has around 40. Without filtering by county, a search for a common facility name in "Houston" can return messy results. You might see records from Conroe, Sugar Land, and Friendswood in the same list. Use the county dropdown before you run the search. Once you pull a facility record, check the capacity field. This is the licensed maximum resident count. It is not a marketing figure. This number directly affects staffing ratios and state inspection scheduling.
What to do next:
- Ask the facility director for their exact Texas HHSC license number.
- Enter that number into the HHSC Long-Term Care Provider Search portal.
- Confirm the status says "Active" and the capacity matches what the sales team told you.
What HHSC License Status Codes Actually Mean for Houston Families
Six status codes appear in the HHSC portal. Only one of them means you can move forward without making a phone call. The table below gives you the plain-English read on each code. It tells you whether it is safe to proceed and what your next step should be.
| Status Code | What It Means | Safe to Proceed? | Next Step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | License is current and in good standing | Yes | Continue due diligence and check survey reports |
| Licensed | Older status code, functionally equivalent to Active | Yes | Confirm no pending violations with HHSC |
| Pending | Renewal application submitted, under HHSC review | Call first | Call HHSC at 1-800-458-9858 to confirm operating authority |
| Revoked | License terminated by HHSC; facility cannot legally operate | No | Do not place a resident; report if facility is still open |
| Suspended | License temporarily halted, often during investigation | No | Call HHSC and review complaint history before any next step |
| Voluntarily Closed | Operator surrendered license; facility is no longer operating | No | Search the portal for alternative licensed facilities nearby |
The Pending status trips up Houston families more than any other code. Texas HHSC licenses assisted living facilities annually under Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 247. This creates a roughly 60-day renewal window. During this time, a facility's portal record can show Pending even though it is legally accepting residents. Facilities along The Woodlands and Conroe corridors in Montgomery County fall under the same HHSC regional inspection office as Harris County. Renewal processing timelines and inspection scheduling in those markets run on the same queue. If you see Pending on a facility you are actively evaluating, call HHSC directly before signing anything. This applies whether you are looking at The Woodlands assisted living or inner-loop Houston communities.
"A Revoked or Suspended status in the HHSC portal reflects a formal regulatory action, never a clerical glitch. We frequently see Houston families proceed with tours at suspended facilities because a sales counselor assured them the status was just a paperwork delay. Call HHSC, read the survey report, and trust the state data over the sales pitch."
HALF Publishing Team
How to Read a Texas HHSC Survey and Inspection Report
Finding an Active license is only the first step. You also need to know how the facility performs during state inspections. Texas HHSC conducts unannounced inspections at every licensed assisted living facility. State surveyors check everything from medication administration to fire safety. The results of these visits become public record. You can access these survey reports directly through the HHSC provider portal.
When viewing a facility profile, look for the "Inspection Reports" or "Survey History" tab. The state lists deficiencies by a specific tag number. A deficiency means the facility failed to meet a minimum state standard. Do not panic if you see a minor deficiency. Almost every facility gets cited for something small, like a missing signature on a form. You need to watch for patterns of severe violations.
The state star rating system has real limits. A highly rated facility can still be a bad fit for your specific needs. Look specifically for citations related to resident care, abuse, or staffing shortages. A citation for improper medication management is a major warning sign. A citation for failing to run background checks on staff is another red flag. If a facility has multiple severe deficiencies, the state may impose remedies. These can include fines or mandatory training. Always read the actual survey text to understand what happened. Ask the facility director how they corrected the issue. A good operator will explain their plan of correction clearly. A defensive operator is a reason to look elsewhere.
Type A, Type B, and Type E ALF Licenses in Texas
Texas issues three active ALF license types under Chapter 247. The type on a facility's HHSC record directly determines what level of care it is authorized to provide. Type A licenses cover residents who can self-evacuate and do not require nighttime supervision. Type B licenses cover residents who need nighttime supervision and staff assistance to evacuate. This category includes most memory care residents. Type E licenses apply to residential care homes with 1 to 16 beds. These concentrate heavily in Houston's inner-loop neighborhoods. They are often owner-operated homes in residential areas rather than purpose-built campuses. Larger Type A and Type B campuses dominate the suburban Harris and Fort Bend corridors along Westheimer, Memorial Drive, and the Katy Freeway.
| Feature | Type A | Type B | Type E (Residential) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evacuation requirement | Self-evacuation capable | Staff-assisted evacuation | Staff-assisted evacuation |
| Nighttime supervision | Not required | Required | Required |
| Max capacity | No statutory cap | No statutory cap | 1 to 16 residents |
| Memory care authorization eligible | With designation only | With designation only | With designation only |
The memory care nuance is the one most families miss. Not every family needs memory care, and most facilities will not tell you that. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) does not issue a separate memory care license. Memory care is a program designation added to an existing ALF license. It must appear on the HHSC record for the facility to legally market itself as a memory care community. West Houston families comparing memory care facilities in Houston along the Westheimer corridor will find that most hold Type B licenses. However, not all carry the memory care program designation. Pull the HHSC record and look for that designation explicitly. If it is missing, a facility calling itself "memory care" is using a marketing label instead of a regulatory one. For families considering Katy assisted living options or Sugar Land facilities, the same rule applies regardless of community branding.
Verifying Medicaid STAR+PLUS Certification in Houston
Many families assume a state license automatically means a facility accepts Medicaid. This is a costly misunderstanding. An HHSC state license and CMS Medicare or Medicaid certification are entirely separate approvals. A facility can hold a current Active HHSC license and still be ineligible for Medicaid STAR+PLUS reimbursement. This gap affects a large share of Harris County ALF residents.
Medicaid STAR+PLUS is the specific Texas managed care program that helps cover assisted living costs. Facilities must go through a separate contracting process with managed care organizations to accept these funds. You cannot verify this through the basic HHSC license search alone. You have to take extra steps.
First, ask the facility directly if they have an active STAR+PLUS contract. Ask which specific managed care organizations they work with in the Harris County service area. Common providers include UnitedHealthcare and Molina Healthcare. Next, call the managed care organization to verify the facility is in their current network. You can also use Medicare Care Compare to check CMS certification status separately from the HHSC portal search. For families exploring licensed assisted living in Houston with any expectation of Medicaid coverage, running both checks is non-negotiable. Do not wait until funds run low to ask about STAR+PLUS. Many facilities have long waitlists for their limited Medicaid beds.
Frequently Asked Questions
### Does a Pending HHSC license mean a Houston facility is unsafe?
No. A Pending status usually means the facility is in its 60-day annual renewal window. However, you should always call the HHSC directly to confirm they have operating authority before signing a contract.
### Can a Type A licensed facility in Texas offer memory care?
Yes, but only if they have applied for and received a specific memory care program designation from the state. Most memory care units operate under a Type B license because residents require evacuation assistance.
### How do I find out if a Katy assisted living facility accepts Medicaid?
You must verify their Medicaid STAR+PLUS certification separately from their state license. Ask the facility which managed care organizations they contract with, then call that provider to confirm the facility is in-network.
### Where can I read state inspection reports for Harris County care homes?
You can view full state survey reports through the HHSC Long-Term Care Provider Search portal. Search for the facility by license number, then click on the inspection reports tab to read the specific citations.
Find the Right Facility on Houston Assisted Living Facilities
You found this guide through a search, and that is exactly how Houston Assisted Living Facilities is designed to work. We are a free, independent directory built for families actively comparing assisted living, memory care, nursing homes, and residential care homes across Greater Houston. No placement fees. No lead selling. Just verified data from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), updated regularly.
What to do next:
- Take the Care Assessment: Our Find Care page includes a free care-level assessment. Answer eight questions about daily living activities, get a recommended care level based on your answers, and browse matching facilities in Houston. The entire process takes about two minutes.
- Search by city: We index licensed facilities in every major Houston suburb. Start with a city page like Katy, Sugar Land, or The Woodlands to see what is available near your family.
- Ask our AI Senior Care Guide: Houston Assisted Living Facilities is the only local directory with a built-in AI Senior Care Guide grounded in Houston-area facility data and Texas HHSC licensing records. Describe your situation and get a personalized response, not a generic answer from a national chatbot that does not know the difference between Katy and Kingwood.
- Compare side by side: Use the Compare tool to evaluate facilities on cost, care types, and location, or estimate monthly expenses with the Cost Calculator.
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About This Guide
Houston Assisted Living Facilities is a free, independent directory helping families find licensed assisted living, memory care, nursing, and residential care homes across the Greater Houston metro area. Our data is sourced from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and updated regularly. We combine verified licensing data with neighborhood-level detail, the kind of local context that national directories cannot provide. Whether you're evaluating options in the Inner Loop or comparing suburbs, Houston Assisted Living Facilities exists to make that search faster and more informed.