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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 12. Health
Agency 5. Department of Health
Chapter 371. Regulations for the Licensure of Nursing Facilities
8/15/2026

12VAC5-371-30. License.

A. This chapter is not applicable to:

1. Those entities listed in § 32.1-124 of the Code of Virginia; or

2. Facilities established or operated for the practice of religious tenets pursuant to § 32.1-128 of the Code of Virginia, except that such facilities shall comply with the statutes and regulations on environmental protection and life safety.

B. A license to operate a nursing facility shall be issued to a person.

C. Each license shall expire at 11:59 p.m. on December 31 of the year issued. A nursing facility shall operate within the terms of its license, which include the:

1. Name of the nursing facility;

2. Name of the operator;

3. Physical location of the nursing facility;

4. Maximum number of beds allowed, except as provided in 12VAC5-371-40 G; and

5. Date the license expires.

D. A separate license shall be required for nursing facilities maintained on separate premises, even if the facilities are owned or operated under the same management.

E. Every nursing facility shall be designated by a permanent and unique name.

F. The number of resident beds allowed in a nursing facility shall be determined by the commissioner.

G. Long-term care nursing units located in and operated by hospitals shall be licensed under Regulations for the Licensure of Hospitals in Virginia (12VAC5-410). Approval for such units shall be included on the annual license issued to each hospital.

H. Any person establishing, conducting, maintaining, or operating a nursing facility without a license shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony.

I. The licensee shall at all times:

1. Maintain an active and accurate license; and

2. Post its current license in a place readily visible and accessible to the public at the nursing facility.

Statutory Authority

§§ 32.1-12, 32.1-125, and 32.1-127 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 13, Issue 17, eff. July 1, 1997; amended, Virginia Register Volume 23, Issue 10, eff. March 1, 2007; Volume 35, Issue 24, eff. August 23, 2019; Volume 37, Issue 17, eff. May 27, 2021; Volume 42, Issue 23, eff. August 13, 2026; Errata, 42:24 VA.R. 2223 July 13, 2026.

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