By SLC Senior Advisor Care Team · September 8, 2026
Type I facilities serve residents who can evacuate on their own; Type II facilities serve residents who need one person's limited help and must have 24-hour CNA coverage and RN oversight. In Salt Lake and Tooele counties, 55 of 69 assisted living licenses are Type II. If a parent's mobility or memory is likely to decline, a Type II building usually avoids a forced move later.
Why the license type matters more than the building
Families touring assisted living in the Salt Lake Valley usually compare apartments, dining rooms and activity calendars. The detail that decides whether a parent can stay for years is printed on the license: Utah's Division of Licensing and Background Checks (DLBC) licenses every assisted living facility as either Type I or Type II under the state's assisted living rule, R432-270.
The test is evacuation. A Type I facility may serve only residents who can get out of the building in an emergency without another person's help. A Type II facility may serve residents who need the limited assistance of one person to get out. Everything else, from staffing to nursing oversight, follows from that line.
What each license requires in Utah
The rule attaches different obligations to each type. The table below summarizes the differences that families notice day to day.
| Requirement | Type I | Type II |
|---|---|---|
| Evacuation | Resident exits without help | Resident exits with one person's limited help |
| Daily activities | No more than limited help; total help with no more than three | May need total help with more than three |
| Nursing | RN involved if anyone cannot self-medicate; nursing optional by policy | RN employed or contracted for assessments and monitoring |
| Aides | Direct-care staff 24 hours | At least one certified nurse aide on duty 24 hours |
| Locked memory care | Not allowed | Allowed with approved secure beds |
Neither type may provide skilled nursing care, and neither may keep a resident who needs 24-hour continual nursing expected to last more than 15 days. Those limits apply equally to a six-bed house in Riverton and a 120-unit building in Murray.
How the Salt Lake roster breaks down
On DLBC's records for Salt Lake and Tooele counties, 55 of the 69 assisted living licenses are Type II and 14 are Type I. Type I licenses are concentrated among smaller homes: eight of the twelve licenses in the “small” size class (six to 16 residents) are Type I, while 51 of the 56 large licenses are Type II.
That pattern reflects economics. A Type II license carries the cost of round-the-clock certified aides and registered-nurse oversight, which large buildings can spread over more residents. Small Type I homes can offer a quieter, house-like setting at a lower price, but they cannot keep a resident whose mobility declines past the evacuation line.
The second move nobody planned for
The most common misstep we see is choosing a Type I home for a parent who is already unsteady. Six months later, after a fall or a hospital stay, the parent needs a staff member's arm to get out of bed and down the hall. The facility's license no longer fits, and the family is touring again, often under time pressure from a hospital discharge planner.
Utah's rule anticipates this. A licensed health care professional must reassess each resident at least every six months and after any significant change, and the assessment must state that the resident still meets the facility's admission criteria. When it does not, the facility must arrange a transfer. A Type II building can absorb more of that decline, and if it has approved secure beds, it can also absorb a dementia diagnosis without a move across town.
When Type I is the right choice
Type I is not a lesser license. For a parent who walks independently, manages most daily tasks and mainly needs meals, housekeeping, medication reminders and company, a Type I home can be a better fit than a large building. Some residents with mild cognitive impairment do well there, as long as they can still get out of the building on their own.
The questions to ask are about the future: How has your parent's mobility changed over the past year? Is there a progressive diagnosis such as Parkinson's disease or dementia? If the honest answer points toward decline, ask the Type I home what happens when a resident no longer meets its criteria, and how much notice it gives.
How to check a facility's type before touring
The license type appears on DLBC's public search and in our assisted living directory, where you can filter by Type I or Type II and by city. Each facility profile also shows licensed capacity, secure beds, first-regulated date and 36 months of inspection findings.
On the tour, ask to see the license certificate and confirm it matches the public record. Then ask the question that matters most: if my mother needs one person to help her out of the building, can she stay here? A Type II facility should say yes; a Type I facility must say no.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Type I facility in Utah have a nurse?
Yes. A Type I facility must involve a registered nurse when any resident cannot self-medicate, and it may choose to provide nursing services under the same standards Type II facilities follow. It still cannot keep residents who need help to evacuate, except hospice residents under strict conditions.
Is Type II assisted living more expensive?
Usually, because Type II requires 24-hour certified nurse aide coverage and registered-nurse oversight. No public data breaks Utah prices down by license type; CareScout publishes only the statewide median of about $5,233 a month for a private one-bedroom.
How often is a resident's fit for the license reviewed?
A licensed health care professional completes and signs the assessment before admission and at least every six months, and updates it after any significant change in the resident's condition.
Where do I see a facility's license type?
On DLBC's public Find a facility search and in our directory, which is built from DLBC's records for Salt Lake and Tooele counties.
Can a resident move from Type I to Type II in the same building?
Only if the operator holds both licenses or the building is Type II. Some campuses have separate licenses at the same address; ask whether an internal transfer is possible before you sign.
