Yes, both fall under the NC Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR), but two different sections handle them: the Adult Care Licensure Section (ACLS) licenses adult care homes and family care homes (what most people call assisted living), while the Nursing Home Licensure and Certification Section (NHLCS) licenses and federally certifies nursing homes (skilled nursing facilities). They operate under different statutory and rule frameworks and use different inspection/rating tools.
What this means in practice
Raleigh families searching for senior care sometimes assume 'nursing home' and 'assisted living' are interchangeable regulatory categories, but in North Carolina they are licensed by entirely separate sections within DHSR with different legal bases — Chapter 131D for adult care homes versus the nursing home statutes and federal Medicare/Medicaid certification rules for skilled nursing facilities. This distinction matters practically: a Raleigh assisted living community licensed by ACLS is not held to the same staffing or clinical-care standards as a WakeMed-affiliated skilled nursing facility licensed by NHLCS, and the two use different public inspection tools (DHSR's own ACLS star search for adult care homes versus CMS Care Compare for nursing homes). Knowing which type of facility you're evaluating determines which lookup tool and which regulatory framework actually applies.
Related questions
- How do I check if an assisted living community in Cary is actually licensed?
- Does North Carolina license assisted living facilities as Type A, B, or C like some other states?
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- How do I find inspection reports and violation history for a nursing home in Durham?
- Where do I file a complaint about care quality at an adult care home in Apex?
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