Frequently asked questions

A Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) is a licensed home- or community-based setting in California that provides housing, supervision, and help with daily activities (bathing, dressing, medication reminders) for adults 60 and older, plus some younger adults with similar needs. RCFEs range from small six-bed homes up to much larger communities, and they're sometimes referred to as assisted living or board and care facilities.

No. Administrator certification (the required training and state exam for whoever will run the facility) is a separate process from licensing the facility itself, and it isn't something we offer. Regnexify focuses specifically on the license application paperwork: Section A, Section B, and the supplemental packages CDSS requires to license the facility. If you still need administrator certification, that's handled through a state-approved training provider, not us.

At minimum, California requires the prospective licensee or administrator to be at least 21, complete RCFE administrator certification through an approved provider, pass a criminal background clearance, and submit a license application with the required fee. We pick up from there. Once your administrator certification and background clearance are underway, we handle drafting and assembling the actual application package.

No. An RCFE serves adults 60 and older, plus some younger residents with compatible needs. An Adult Residential Facility (ARF) serves adults 18 to 59 who need non-medical daily support, a different license type with its own forms. We currently work exclusively with RCFE licensing.

The licensed capacity determines which CDSS requirements apply. A 6-bed (small) RCFE has lower staffing ratios, lower licensing fees, and different physical plant requirements than a 7 to 15 bed facility. The application forms, required documents, and annual fees all differ between the two capacity tiers. Regnexify produces size-matched documents for both.

Yes. CDSS requires a floor plan showing the layout of the facility, bedroom assignments, exit routes, and fire safety equipment placement. If your home has features like a pool, basement, or second story, those affect which sections of the application apply. Our intake process asks the relevant questions so the right sections get included.

As early as possible relative to your target opening date. Some pieces (administrator certification, background clearance, securing your facility location) take weeks on their own and need to be far enough along before certain application sections can be finalized. Starting early gives you room to handle whatever takes longest, instead of scrambling near the end.

The full bundle covers your entire RCFE license application: Section A, Section B, the Preliminary package, and the Supplemental package, assembled and reviewed as one package. It also includes three bonus documents at no extra charge: a Dementia Plan of Operation, a Hospice Waiver Request, and an RCFE Business Overview Checklist. Single sections (like Section A only) are for operators who already have part of their application handled and just need the rest.

It depends almost entirely on how quickly you can provide the information we ask for and any required uploads. Once everything is in, our team drafts your documents quickly. The real variable is usually waiting on a third party, like a bonding company's signature or a physician's health screening sign-off, which is outside anyone's control on our side.

No. Our intake process is built so you answer plain-language questions about your facility and ownership, and the right forms get generated automatically based on your answers, including the specific LIC-numbered forms CDSS requires.

Both. Our team drafts and assembles every document from your information, but a real licensing specialist reviews the complete package before anything is released to you or sent to CDSS. Automation handles the repetitive, error-prone parts; a human makes the final call.

Your admin or specialist completes it on your behalf using the information already on file. Several of our documents are explicitly designed to be filled in by our team if you'd rather not do it yourself.

Yes. Every document in your portal has a way to request a change or correction before final release.

Your assigned specialist handles it. Every licensing package we deliver includes revision support through the review process: if your CDSS analyst flags something, we review the correction request, prepare the required updates or missing documents, and get you back on track. You will not be starting over on your own.

Yes. Our Application Correction Support service is available for operators who submitted their application anywhere and received a correction request from a CDSS analyst. We review what was flagged, prepare the corrected or missing documents, and help you respond with a complete, compliant package.

Pricing: single-section corrections are $349; full-application corrections are $649. If your original application was prepared by Regnexify, correction support is included at no additional charge. You can order directly from the services section at regnexify.com or contact us through the contact page.

Yes. Every document and service we offer is priced below the comparable offering from the leading competitor in this space, while including more complete packages.

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Amex). Reach out to us through the contact page if you have specific questions about payment arrangements.

The state application fee paid directly to CDSS depends on your facility's licensed capacity. For the most common small-facility sizes: a 1 to 3 bed RCFE is $495, a 4 to 6 bed RCFE is $990, and a 7 to 15 bed RCFE is $1,486. Larger facilities pay progressively higher fees up to $13,200 for facilities over 700 beds. These are CDSS fees paid directly to the state, separate from what you pay Regnexify to prepare your documents.

Annual renewal fees are lower than the initial application fee. For a 1 to 3 bed RCFE: $495. For a 4 to 6 bed: $495. For a 7 to 15 bed: $742. These are paid annually to CDSS to keep your license active. There is also a one-time $50 CDSS orientation fee that applies to all RCFEs.

Yes. CDSS charges a late fee equal to 50% of the annual fee if you miss your renewal deadline. For a 4 to 6 bed facility that's $247; for a 7 to 15 bed facility it's $371. Staying on top of your renewal calendar matters. Late fees compound on top of the regular annual fee, and operating on an expired license carries its own risks.

Yes, CDSS charges a location change fee. For a 4 to 6 bed facility it's $495; for a 7 to 15 bed facility it's $743. A location change also typically requires updated facility documents including your Plan of Operation, floor plan, and other site-specific paperwork, since the new physical address changes several required disclosures.

Licensing fees are paid directly to CDSS's Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD), not through Regnexify. We prepare the application package; you submit it and pay the state fee directly. Your regional CCLD office can confirm current payment methods and mailing instructions.

California RCFEs are required to have written policies covering a range of operational and safety areas. These include a Plan of Operation, a Bedridden Plan of Care (if applicable), an Emergency Fire Evacuation Floor Plan, a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan, a Fall Prevention & Incident Management Policy, an Elopement Prevention & Response Plan, a Resident Abuse & Neglect Prevention Policy, and a HIPAA & Resident Privacy Policy. Regnexify offers all of these as individual documents or as part of a bundle.

At minimum you'll need a signed Admission Agreement with each resident, a Resident Discharge Notice documenting the resident's rights, a Bed Hold Agreement if you hold a bed during a hospital stay, and a Responsible Party Authorization Agreement for residents whose family or designee acts on their behalf. These must be executed before or at admission and kept in the resident's file.

RCFEs are expected to maintain operational manuals that staff can actually reference. The ones CDSS reviewers commonly look for include a Medication Management Manual, an Infection Control & Prevention Manual, a Dementia & Memory Care Policies Manual (if serving memory care residents), and an RCFE Operations Manual covering day-to-day procedures. Regnexify has built current versions of all of these.

We offer five checklists built specifically for California RCFEs: a Pre-Opening Inspection Readiness Checklist (so nothing is missed before your first CDSS visit), a Resident Admission Checklist, a New Employee Onboarding Checklist, an Admin Master Checklist for day-to-day compliance tracking, and an RCFE Records & Binders Master Checklist to keep your required binders organized and audit-ready.

Yes. CDSS requires a posted emergency evacuation floor plan showing exit routes, fire extinguisher locations, and assembly points. It must reflect the actual layout of your facility and be updated any time the floor plan changes. We provide a customized Emergency Fire Evacuation Floor Plan as a standalone document. See the order page for details.

Most of our documents are sized to your facility. Where staffing ratios, bed counts, or regulatory requirements differ between a 6-bed and a 7 to 15 bed RCFE, we produce two separate versions. The product page notes which documents include size-matched variants so you always get the right one for your licensed capacity.

Yes. Our guide library covers topics that stay relevant long after licensing: the RCFE Staffing & HR Guide, the Startup Cost & Financial Planning Guide, the Records & Binders Master Checklist, the Business Owner Complete Startup & Operations Guide, and others. They're written for operators managing an active facility, not just applicants.

Situation bundles are pre-selected document sets for common RCFE milestones. The New Hire Compliance Bundle ($329) includes the Employee Handbook, New Employee Onboarding Checklist, and Resident Abuse & Neglect Prevention Policy. The Inspection Prep Bundle ($179) includes the Pre-Opening Inspection Readiness Checklist, Admin Master Checklist, and Fall Prevention & Incident Management Policy. The Operational Starter Bundle ($429) includes the Employee Handbook, New Employee Onboarding Checklist, and Infection Control & Prevention Manual. All bundles are priced below the individual document total.

The compliance gap checker is a free 5-question tool at regnexify.com/compliance-gap-checker. You answer questions about your facility stage, size, resident type, staff count, and documents you already own. It then shows you a personalized list organized by priority: required (CDSS mandated), recommended, and optional. Each item has an "Add to cart" button you can click right on the results page. Add items one at a time, or use the "Add all required" button to add every mandatory document in one click. No signup needed, takes about two minutes.

Subscribe for free to our monthly digest — a single email per month summarizing major CDSS regulation changes. No cost, no signup beyond your email address. You can unsubscribe anytime with one click.

Yes. After your first completed order, you'll receive a one-time return discount code automatically displayed on your confirmation screen. If you've placed two or more orders, your account qualifies as a Gold Client, which unlocks a permanent 10% discount that's applied automatically at checkout. No code needed. You can also earn referral credits by sharing your referral link from the customer portal; when someone places their first order through your link, a credit is added to your account for use on future purchases.

Log in to your customer portal and go to the Rewards & Loyalty section. You'll find your unique referral link there. Share it with other RCFE operators. When someone places their first order using your link, a referral credit is automatically added to your account. You can see your current credit balance in the portal and it applies automatically at checkout toward your next purchase.