Last verified: October 2026
What is a provisional license for a Pennsylvania personal care home?
A provisional certificate of compliance is the license DHS issues when a personal care home or assisted living residence is in substantial, but not complete, compliance with the regulations; it is issued for a set period of no more than six months (55 Pa. Code 20.54).
It is not a closure order. The home may keep operating and admitting residents while it works to correct the violations, and DHS reinspects before deciding whether to issue a full license.
How many provisional licenses can a home receive in a row?
No more than four consecutive provisional certificates may be issued to the same legal entity for the same facility, which caps a run of provisional licenses at about two years before DHS must either grant a full license or move toward refusal or revocation.
A few Pittsburgh-area homes show a license status other than “Licensed” on the DHS directory, such as “PDR-Appeal Pend,” which signals a pending review or appeal involving the license; ask the home and DHS what is pending before you sign a contract.
Which Pittsburgh-area homes hold a provisional license now?
As of October 28, 2026, the DHS directory shows 14 provisional licenses among the 231 homes in our seven counties: Ark Manor (Delmont); Ebony's Personal Care (McKeesport); Fair Oaks Senior Living (Pittsburgh); Fairfields' Liberty Hall (Fairchance); Fawn Care (Tarentum); Harmony at Diamond Ridge (Coraopolis); Harmony Haus Senior Living (Ambridge); New Brighton Personal Care Home (New Brighton); Oasis at Elizabeth (Elizabeth); Orion Personal Care (Allison Park); Sterling Home (McKeesport); The Adams House (Charleroi); The Palms at O'Neil (McKeesport); Vida Springs Senior Living and Personal Care Home (Monongahela).
The list changes as homes regain full licenses; re-check the DHS directory on the day you decide.
Should you rule out a home with a provisional license?
Not automatically, but read the inspection summaries that led to it: violations about medication administration, resident supervision or abuse reporting weigh more heavily than paperwork or building items, and a home on its third or fourth consecutive provisional certificate has had months to fix the problems.
Ask the administrator directly what was cited, what changed, and when DHS is due back. A home that cannot answer that clearly is telling you something.
Provisional license: what it is and is not
| It is | It is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | substantial but not complete compliance | a closure or admission ban |
| Length | up to 6 months per certificate | open-ended |
| Limit | 4 consecutive certificates | renewable forever |
| Where shown | DHS directory license type | on the home's marketing |
