Every Detroit-area senior community must hold an active LARA license — and the LARA/BCHS licensing search is the public tool to check it. Here's how to pull the record, read inspection findings, and spot red flags before you sign.
By Linda Alvarez, CDP · May 4, 2026
A senior care license is the legal floor: it confirms the community is authorized to operate and subject to inspection. In Michigan, that license comes from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Community and Health Systems (BCHS), and each community is licensed as either a Home for the Aged (HFA) under the Public Health Code (1978 PA 368, Part 213) or an Adult Foster Care (AFC) home under the Adult Foster Care Facility Licensing Act (1979 PA 218). Nursing homes are licensed separately by LARA under the Public Health Code (1978 PA 368, Part 217) and are also certified by CMS.
A community operating without a current, active license is a serious problem, and residents there are at risk. Every Metro Detroit facility — whether in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, or Washtenaw county — is licensed and inspected by the same statewide regulator, which makes verification straightforward: there's one system to check, not several.
Go to the LARA/BCHS Adult Foster Care & Homes for the Aged licensing search at michigan.gov/LARA and search by facility name or location. Review the license type — Home for the Aged, or Adult Foster Care classified by size (family home, small group, large group, or congregate) — along with the current license status, licensed capacity, and inspection and citation history. You can also cross-check nursing homes on Medicare's Care Compare.
LARA conducts periodic and complaint-driven surveys and publishes findings publicly. Look for the date of the last survey and any repeat citations in areas like medication management, resident rights, supervision, or staffing. Repeat citations in the same category across successive inspection cycles signal a systemic problem, not a one-time slip. Weigh the most serious findings — those involving resident harm or safety — most heavily.
A provisional or restricted license, or a facility currently under enforcement action or a hold on admissions, means LARA identified compliance problems serious enough to limit operations — a significant warning sign that deserves a direct explanation before you place a loved one there. A suspended or revoked license means the community should not be operating; if you encounter one, report it to LARA.
A community that won't show you its current license, or becomes defensive when you ask about inspection findings, is telling you something. As a dementia care practitioner, I always pull the LARA record before recommending any community — and I read the actual citations, not just a summary. If you ever suspect abuse or neglect, Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Adult Protective Services takes reports 24/7 statewide at 855-444-3911. A free local advisor who works Metro Detroit facilities regularly can check the LARA licensing search, interpret the findings in plain language, and flag anything that should give a family pause before signing.
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