Is memory care a separate license in Minnesota?
Yes. Minnesota law defines an "assisted living facility with dementia care" as a licensed assisted living facility "advertised, marketed, or otherwise promoted as providing specialized care for individuals with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias," and any facility with a secured dementia care unit must hold that license (Minn. Stat. § 144G.08, subd. 8). The words "Assisted Living Facility with Dementia Care" must appear on the license itself. A standard assisted living license does not permit a facility to market memory care.
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The short answer
Yes. Since 1 August 2021 Minnesota has licensed assisted living through the Department of Health under chapter 144G, and the chapter creates a distinct license for dementia care. An assisted living facility with dementia care is "a licensed assisted living facility that is advertised, marketed, or otherwise promoted as providing specialized care for individuals with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias," and "an assisted living facility with a secured dementia care unit must be licensed as an assisted living facility with dementia care." Source: Minn. Stat. § 144G.08 — assisted living definitions (subds. 7, 8 and 62), subd. 8.
The license is meant to be visible: "The label 'Assisted Living Facility with Dementia Care' must be identified on the license." Source: Minn. Stat. § 144G.80 — additional licensing requirements for assisted living facilities with dementia care, subd. 2(d). So the first question to any community that says "memory care" is not "do you have it?" — it is which license do you hold, and what is the number?
The catch: the license follows the marketing, not the diagnosis
This is the part that one-line answers get wrong, and it matters for families comparing options.
The Minnesota Assisted Living Report Card's own FAQ, published by DHS, answers the question directly: "No, not all communities with a dementia care license provide memory care. However, assisted living communities that choose to provide memory care must have a dementia care license and meet additional licensing requirements." It goes on: "Residents experiencing memory loss or with a dementia diagnosis may choose to live in an assisted living with any license type." Source: Minnesota Assisted Living Report Card — Fact Sheet and FAQs (DHS, updated April 28, 2026).
- A parent with early dementia can lawfully live in a standard assisted living. What that building cannot do is sell itself as specialized dementia care, or lock a unit, without the dementia care license.
- A building holding the dementia care license may not have a separate memory care unit at all. Ask what the license actually looks like in practice: a secured unit, a program inside the general building, or both.
- The license is a floor, not a promise of fit. It tells you which extra rules apply — the questions below tell you whether this building can meet this person's needs.
What the dementia care license requires that a standard license does not
Chapter 144G stacks extra duties on top of every ordinary assisted living requirement. These are the ones a family can actually ask about.
| Requirement | What the statute says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection before licensing | MDH must "conduct an on-site inspection prior to the issuance of an assisted living facility with dementia care license" to check the physical environment. | § 144G.80, subd. 2(c) |
| Experienced leadership — or a consultant | If the director and clinical nurse supervisor lack dementia experience, the applicant "must employ a consultant for at least the first six months of operation." | § 144G.80, subd. 2(b) |
| Only trained staff on the floor | "Only staff trained as specified in subdivisions 2 and 3 shall be assigned to care for dementia residents." Emergency exceptions must be documented. | § 144G.83, subd. 1 |
| Night staffing | "Staffing levels during nighttime hours shall be based on the sleep patterns and needs of residents." | § 144G.83, subd. 1(c) |
| Director training | At least ten hours of the director's annual continuing education must relate to dementia care. | § 144G.82, subd. 2(b) |
| Dementia-specific services | Includes "nonpharmacological practices that are person-centered and evidence-informed," help preparing families for transitions in care, and choices for meaningful engagement. | § 144G.84 |
| Safety assessment and sprinklers | A documented assessment of safety risks on and around the property, and an approved supervised automatic sprinkler system throughout by 1 August 2029. | § 144G.81, subd. 1 |
| 60 days' notice before giving the license up | Residents and representatives get at least 60 calendar days' written notice, including changes in staffing and services, and the facility must file a transition plan. | § 144G.80, subd. 3 |
Quoted from Minnesota Statutes 2025, §§ 144G.80 to 144G.84, as published by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes.
Sources: Minn. Stat. § 144G.80 — additional licensing requirements for assisted living facilities with dementia care; Minn. Stat. § 144G.81 — additional requirements: dementia care and secured dementia care units; Minn. Stat. § 144G.82 — additional responsibilities of administration, dementia care; Minn. Stat. § 144G.83 — additional training requirements, dementia care; Minn. Stat. § 144G.84 — services for residents with dementia.
What a "secured dementia care unit" means in law
"A designated area or setting designed for individuals with dementia that is locked or secured to prevent a resident from exiting, or to limit a resident's ability to exit, the secured area or setting." It "is not solely an individual resident's living area." Source: Minn. Stat. § 144G.08 — assisted living definitions (subds. 7, 8 and 62), subd. 62. A keypad on the door of a wing is exactly what this describes — and that is why a building with one must hold the dementia care license.
How to check the license in two minutes
Verify a memory care license
- Ask the community for its legal name, street address and MDH license number. Marketing names often differ from the licensed name.
- Open the MDH Health Care Provider Lookup, choose the provider group "Assisted Living Facilities," and search by name or city.
- Match the street address, not just the name — one operator can hold several licenses at different addresses.
- Read the Provider Type column. You are looking for "ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY DEMENTIA CARE" (or the provisional version). "ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY" alone is the standard license.
- Check the license effective and expiration dates in the same row.
- Note the date you checked. Licenses change, and a community can give the dementia care license up with 60 days' notice.
The lookup is free and public: MDH Health Care Provider Lookup. MDH's simpler MDH — Verify a Facility License page explains the other ways to confirm a license.
What "provisional" means
A new license is provisional until the facility passes its first state licensing survey. The Report Card ratings guide describes the provisional dementia care license as one where a facility "has met certain preliminary licensing requirements, including additional standards related to dementia care, but has not yet passed a state licensing survey," and labels it "New for dementia care." Source: Minnesota Assisted Living Report Card — Ratings Guide (DHS, updated April 28, 2026). Provisional is not a red flag on its own — it means there is no inspection history yet to read.
Then read the inspection record
The license tells you which rules apply; the inspection record tells you how the building is doing against them. The Minnesota Assisted Living Report Card (DHS) shows the license type alongside star ratings and links to the two most recent licensing surveys. DHS notes that a dementia care licensee "must meet additional standards that may make it more difficult to achieve a higher score on the report card's state inspections measures." Source: Minnesota Assisted Living Report Card — Fact Sheet and FAQs (DHS, updated April 28, 2026). Our report card guide explains how to read the stars, and the license-check guide covers MDH's complaint and survey findings.
How many Minnesota assisted living licenses are for dementia care
On 6 October 2026, MDH's provider register listed 2,525 assisted living license records: 1,582 assisted living facility, 335 provisional assisted living facility, 601 assisted living facility with dementia care and 7 provisional with dementia care. Source: MDH Health Care Provider Lookup — Assisted Living Facilities register, retrieved 6 October 2026.
Dementia care licenses skew large. Of the 608 dementia care records, only 23 were licensed for six or fewer residents — while more than half of all assisted living licenses in the state are that small. Source: MDH Health Care Provider Lookup — Assisted Living Facilities register, retrieved 6 October 2026, Licensed Resident Capacity column; our count. If you are hoping for a small, house-sized memory care setting, expect a short list — and read our guide to small assisted living homes for what changes when a home is that size.
What to ask before you tour
Questions for any community that says "memory care"
- Which license do you hold — assisted living facility, or assisted living facility with dementia care? What is the license number?
- Is your dementia care a secured unit, a program within the general building, or both?
- What dementia-specific training does every direct-care staff member complete before working alone with residents?
- Who is on duty overnight in the dementia area, and are they awake?
- What needs would make you say this is no longer the right setting — wandering, exit-seeking, two-person transfers, aggression, frequent falls?
- Which non-drug approaches do you use before medication for distress or agitation?
- Do you accept the Elderly Waiver in dementia care, and do you cap the number of waiver residents?
- Will you email us the UDALSA and the pricing schedule before we visit?
The UDALSA — Minnesota's uniform disclosure — names the license the facility holds and the services it will actually contract for. MDH also links each facility's UDALSA from its provider lookup. Our UDALSA guide explains how to read one, and the tour question checklist covers the rest of the visit. If waiver funding is part of the plan, ask early: not every facility accepts the Elderly Waiver.
Start a shortlist by city: Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Rochester, Duluth, or every assisted living listing in Minnesota.
Questions people ask
Is memory care a separate license in Minnesota?
Yes. Minnesota licenses "assisted living facility with dementia care" separately from the standard assisted living facility license. Any assisted living that is advertised, marketed or otherwise promoted as providing specialized care for people with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, or that has a secured dementia care unit, must hold it (Minn. Stat. § 144G.08, subd. 8).
Source: Minn. Stat. § 144G.08 — assisted living definitions (subds. 7, 8 and 62)
Can someone with dementia live in a regular assisted living in Minnesota?
Yes. DHS's Assisted Living Report Card FAQ states that "residents experiencing memory loss or with a dementia diagnosis may choose to live in an assisted living with any license type." What a standard licensee cannot do is market specialized dementia care or operate a secured unit.
Source: Minnesota Assisted Living Report Card — Fact Sheet and FAQs (DHS, updated April 28, 2026)
Does every Minnesota assisted living with a dementia care license have a memory care unit?
No. DHS states that "not all communities with a dementia care license provide memory care." Ask whether the dementia care is a secured unit, a program within the general building, or both.
Source: Minnesota Assisted Living Report Card — Fact Sheet and FAQs (DHS, updated April 28, 2026)
How do I check whether a Minnesota assisted living has a dementia care license?
Search the MDH Health Care Provider Lookup under "Assisted Living Facilities," match the street address, and read the Provider Type. A dementia care license shows as "ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY DEMENTIA CARE"; the provisional version is "PROVISIONAL ASSISTED LIVING W DEMENTIA C." The statute also requires the label "Assisted Living Facility with Dementia Care" on the license itself.
Source: MDH Health Care Provider Lookup
What training do memory care staff need in Minnesota?
All direct care staff assigned to residents with dementia must be specially trained to work with residents with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and only staff trained to the statute's standard may be assigned to them, except in a documented emergency. The assisted living director must also complete at least ten hours of dementia-related continuing education each year.
Source: Minn. Stat. § 144G.83 — additional training requirements, dementia care
Can a Minnesota assisted living stop offering dementia care?
Yes, but not overnight. A facility giving up its dementia care license must notify MDH and the Ombudsman for Long-Term Care and give residents and their representatives at least 60 calendar days' written notice, including changes in staffing and services, and file a transition plan for current residents.
How many assisted living facilities in Minnesota have a dementia care license?
On 6 October 2026 MDH's provider register listed 601 assisted living facility with dementia care licenses and 7 provisional dementia care licenses, out of 2,525 assisted living license records in total.
Source: MDH Health Care Provider Lookup — Assisted Living Facilities register, retrieved 6 October 2026
Sources
- Minn. Stat. § 144G.08 — assisted living definitions (subds. 7, 8 and 62)
- Minn. Stat. § 144G.80 — additional licensing requirements for assisted living facilities with dementia care
- Minn. Stat. § 144G.81 — additional requirements: dementia care and secured dementia care units
- Minn. Stat. § 144G.82 — additional responsibilities of administration, dementia care
- Minn. Stat. § 144G.83 — additional training requirements, dementia care
- Minn. Stat. § 144G.84 — services for residents with dementia
- Minnesota Assisted Living Report Card — Fact Sheet and FAQs (DHS, updated April 28, 2026)
- Minnesota Assisted Living Report Card — Ratings Guide (DHS, updated April 28, 2026)
- MDH Health Care Provider Lookup — Assisted Living Facilities register, retrieved 6 October 2026
- Minnesota Department of Health — Assisted Living Licensure
- MDH Health Care Provider Lookup
- MDH — Verify a Facility License
- Minnesota Assisted Living Report Card (DHS)
This guide was last checked against these sources on October 6, 2026. RightCare MN is a Minnesota care directory, not a clinical, legal, or financial adviser — this is general information, not advice about your situation. Programs, rates, and rules change; confirm anything you are relying on with the agency directly before you act on it.