Licensing help for adult day providers
Licensed adult day care centers provide services such as health support, social activities and meals. Trained staff help supervise activities and keep participants safe. The services reduce isolation for participants, help people care for themselves and give caregivers a short break.
Adult Day Centers Licensing Moratorium
DHS is implementing a temporary licensing moratorium for Adult Day Centers. This moratorium will go into effect on February 1, 2026, with an anticipated duration of 24 months, ending January 31, 2028.
Under this moratorium, DHS will:
- Stop accepting new applications for adult day care licenses
- Cancel all submitted applications currently in the queue.
To ensure people across Minnesota can access the services they need, an exception process will be available based on requests from a lead agency (county or managed care organization) or Tribal Nation. If an exception is granted a new provider may submit a license application, which will follow the standard review process and must meet all licensing requirements. By January 1, 2026, DHS will finalize and publicly share the processes and criteria for granting exceptions requested by lead agencies or Tribal Nations.
Adult day centers
Adult day centers are center-based facilities directly licensed by DHS that provide adult day services to adults who have functional impairments on a regular basis for periods of fewer than 24 hours during the day in a setting that is not a residence. See Minnesota Rules, parts 9555.9600 to 9555.9730.
Other licensing requirements
The Minnesota Department of Health licenses and regulates certain facilities as it relates to sanitation and safety of the buildings and to the health, treatment, comfort, safety, and well-being of the persons being served. Depending on the type of service that you intend to provide in your facility, you may need a license from each state agency. Additional information for MDH licensing information may be found on their website for: