Administrator Certification Section (ACS)

Please be advised that the ACS Mail Station (MS) address has changed:

Community Care Licensing Division
Administrator Certification Section (ACS)
744 P Street, MS 9-15-807
Sacramento, CA 95814

Changes to Administrator Certification Training Requirements

PIN 23-14-CCLD – (Changes to Administrator Certification Training Requirements)

Pursuant to the recently passed Assembly Bill (AB) 120, prospective and current Certified Administrators have the option to satisfy live training requirements for Initial Certification Training Programs (ICTP) and Continuing Education Training Programs (CETP) via Department-approved in-person or live-stream training.  Additionally, AB 120 clarifies the requirements for individuals seeking certification or recertification as an ARFPSHN Administrator.  Please refer to PIN 23-14-CCLD for more information regarding the changes to the administrator certification training requirements, including changes to course format terminology.

Administrators and vendors are encouraged to become familiar with the amendments to Health and Safety Code sections 1522.41, 1562.3, 1567.50, and 1569.616.

The COVID-19 waivers related to course offerings for Initial Certification Training Program (ICTP) and Continuing Education Training Program (CETP) ended February 28, 2023. To support greater access to training opportunities for current and prospective Administrators, the Administrator Certification Program (ACP) will allow vendors who were previously approved through the State of Emergency (SOE) Waiver Terms and Conditions, to resume live instruction (live-stream) through online platforms effective April 1, 2023.

As a result, current and/or prospective Administrators may fulfill required live instruction hours either in-person or live-stream from an approved vendor. If an administrator chooses to access a live-stream course, the course must be offered by an ACP vendor who has been approved by ACP to specifically provide livestream instruction. You may access ACP-approved vendors on the Administrator Certification Section website. Be advised that ICTP and CETP training requirements still apply and include, but are not limited to, the number of hours as noted below:

ICTP Requirements (must be conducted live, whether in-person or live-stream)

• Group Home (GH): 40 hours
• Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP): 40 hours
• STRTP with valid GH certificate issued by the Department: 12 hours
• Adult Residential Facility (ARF): 35 hours
• Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE): 80 hours, 20 of which may be completed via self-paced/on-demand training
• RCFE-NHA: 12 hours with a valid Nursing Home Administrator (NHA) license issued by the Department of Public Health

CETP Requirements (at least half of which must be conducted live, whether in-person or live-stream)

• GH: 40 hours
• STRTP: 40 hours
• ARF: 40 hours
• RCFE: 40 hours
• RCFE-NHA: 20 hours with a valid NHA license issued by the Department of Public Health, 20 of which may be completed via self-paced/on-demand training

In accordance with Assembly Bill (AB) 135, an increase to the Administrator Certification Program fees is effective July 1, 2023.  The fee changes include increases to existing fees for processing Initial and Continuing Education Training Program vendor applications and increases to existing fees for processing new and renewal Administrator certification applications.  New fees will be assessed for the ACS exam and vendor course application processing.  Refer to PIN 21-11-CCLD for additional information about fee changes.