What Michigan rules matter most when choosing senior care in West Michigan?
Four rules do most of the work: Michigan licenses homes for the aged and adult foster care rather than assisted living; it requires a written dementia disclosure instead of a memory care license; it publishes every licensing report online; and it routes complaints to different agencies depending on the problem.
Last verified: October 2026Everything below is sourced to the statute, LARA or MDHHS, and each page carries counts from the current state file for Kent, Ottawa, Allegan, Montcalm and Ionia counties.
What does the guide on home for the aged vs. adult foster care cover?
The two licenses behind almost every assisted living community, their size categories and what neither allows.
What does the guide on michigan's dementia care disclosure rule cover?
MCL 333.20178's seven required disclosures for homes that market dementia care -- and who is not covered.
What does the guide on how to check a lara license cover?
Looking up a license, reading the status and knowing which reports exist.
What does the guide on reading a lara special investigation report cover?
How complaint investigations are written up, and what recent West Michigan investigations involved.
What does the guide on nursing home inspections and care compare cover?
Part 217 licensing, federal surveys, Care Compare stars and severity letters.
What does the guide on complaints, the ombudsman and adult protective services cover?
APS, LARA complaints and the ombudsman: which call fits which problem.
Read: Complaints, the Ombudsman and Adult Protective Services →
Do these rules differ in Ottawa County or Montcalm County?
No. Licensing is statewide: LARA applies the same home for the aged and adult foster care rules in every county. What changes by county is who runs MI Choice intake and which PACE program covers a ZIP code.
See the county pages for the agencies that apply where your parent lives.
How current are the counts on these pages?
They come from LARA's statewide file and report index as read on October 30, 2026 and from CMS's nursing home file dated October 1, 2026.
Statutes cited were checked against the Michigan Legislature's website; program details against MDHHS pages.
Where should a family start?
With the HFA versus adult foster care explainer, because the license type decides everything else.
Then read the guide on checking a license before your first tour.
