Allentown Senior AdvisorWhich laws govern personal care homes and assisted living in the Lehigh Valley?
Pennsylvania state regulations do: 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2600 for personal care homes, Chapter 2800 for assisted living residences and Chapter 20 for licensing procedure, all enforced by the Department of Human Services, while nursing homes fall under the Department of Health and federal CMS rules.
Last verified: October 2026Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton control zoning and fire inspections, but no city or county in the Lehigh Valley issues a care license. Every license you see in our directory traces back to DHS or CMS.
What is unusual about Pennsylvania's system?
Pennsylvania licenses two separate kinds of assisted-living-style housing, and the older, less regulated one, the personal care home, outnumbers the newer assisted living residence by a wide margin; in the Lehigh Valley nearly every license is a personal care home.
In Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, DHS's provider directory lists 68 licensed personal care homes and 2 assisted living residences, with 5,255 licensed resident places between them (retrieved November 6, 2026). The assisted living residence licenses in the three counties are Abode Care of Allentown in Allentown (capacity 35) and Country Meadows of Forks in Easton (capacity 90, special care unit 45).
Where do Lehigh Valley families report a problem?
Complaints about a personal care home or assisted living residence go to DHS at 1-877-401-8835, nursing home complaints to the Department of Health at 1-800-254-5164, and suspected abuse of an older adult to the statewide protective services line, 1-800-490-8505, at any hour.
Each guide below explains one rule with its citation, starting with the difference between the two license types.
Pennsylvania Rules guides
Personal care homes and assisted living residences: Pennsylvania's two licenses
Pennsylvania's two assisted-living-style licenses, Chapter 2600 personal care homes and Chapter 2800 assisted living residences, and how many of each the Lehigh Valley has.
Read →How to check a personal care home's license in Pennsylvania
Step by step: look up a Lehigh Valley personal care home or assisted living residence on DHS's Human Services Provider Directory, read its certificate and spot a provisional license.
Read →How to read a DHS inspection summary
What a DHS Licensing Inspection Summary for a Lehigh Valley personal care home contains, how violations are counted, which 55 Pa. Code sections are cited most, and what to ask.
Read →Secured dementia units: how Pennsylvania licenses memory care
How Pennsylvania licenses locked memory care: secured dementia care units in personal care homes (2600.231) and special care units in assisted living residences (2800.231), with Lehigh Valley counts.
Read →Staffing and training rules for Pennsylvania personal care homes
Pennsylvania's minimum daily personal care hours, administrator and direct care worker training, and ALR nurse and dietitian requirements, explained for Lehigh Valley families.
Read →Moving in: admission, assessment and the support plan
The medical evaluation, assessment and support plan a Lehigh Valley personal care home must complete when your parent moves in, and who can and cannot be admitted.
Read →Contracts, fees, discharge notices and residents' rights
What a Pennsylvania resident-home contract must include, how fee changes and discharges work, and residents' rights for Lehigh Valley personal care home and ALR residents.
Read →Who oversees Lehigh Valley nursing homes
The Pennsylvania Department of Health and CMS roles in Lehigh Valley nursing homes: licensing, inspections, star ratings, staffing data and complaints.
Read →Complaints, abuse reports and the ombudsman
Where Lehigh Valley families report problems in a personal care home, assisted living residence or nursing home, and how the free long-term care ombudsman helps.
Read →At a glance
| Pennsylvania's rules do | Pennsylvania's rules do not | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | Require a DHS license for every personal care home and ALR | Rate homes with stars |
| Care time | Set a minimum of daily personal care hours per resident | Set a fixed staff-to-resident ratio for every shift |
| Dementia | License secured dementia and special care units separately | Use the words 'memory care' as a license |
| Discharge | Require 30 days' written notice in most cases | Allow a move-out with no written reason |
