Florida Group Home Standards: What Families Need to Know About Safety, Housing, and Care
- Michael Kornhauser
- Aug 21
- 8 min read
Updated: Aug 25
When you place a loved one in a Florida group home, you expect the basics: safe housing, nutritious meals, clean bathrooms, and an environment where residents are treated with dignity. Florida law agrees.
The Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities ("APD") enforces "General Facility Standards" through Rule 65G-2.007, Florida Administrative Code. These Florida group home requirements outline what every licensed facility must provide. Violations can range from
Violations range from Class III (less serious) to Class I (the most severe). These violations can also support civil claims for group home abuse, neglect, or wrongful death.
Here is what the APD group home rules require, why it matters, and how families can use this information if a group home fails to meet these standards.
Florida Group Home Naming and Advertising Rules
Florida law prohibits misleading names or signage for licensed group homes. Under Rule 65G-2.007, facilities must:
Avoid using terms such as “nursing facility” unless licensed as a nursing home.
Avoid including the word “school” in the facility name unless separately certified for an in-house educational program.
Refrain from posting exterior signs that identify residents as having developmental disabilities.
Why It Matters: Facilities that exaggerate their capabilities or stigmatize residents may already be violating Florida’s group home licensing standards. |
Safe and Accessible Housing Standards for Florida Group Homes
Florida law requires group homes to provide both safe and accessible housing. This means residents must be able to participate fully in daily life without facing barriers in their own home. Under Rule 65G-2.007, facilities are required to:
Ensure ramps, doors, corridors, bathrooms, and furnishings are designed to meet resident needs and disabilities.
Eliminate architectural barriers that could prevent residents with physical impairments from taking part in everyday activities.
Provide housing that is safe and sanitary, with all floors, ceilings, walls, windows, and doors kept in good repair.
Offer sturdy furniture and safe sleeping arrangements such as individual, clean beds and mattresses.
Maintain bedrooms and bathrooms that protect resident privacy while meeting accessibility standards.
Avoid the use of mobile or manufactured homes as licensed group homes, foster care facilities, or residential habilitation centers.
Why It Matters: If a facility claims it can care for residents with disabilities but fails to remove barriers, maintain sanitary conditions, or provide safe furnishings, it is not just offering poor care, it is failing to meet Florida’s bare minimum group home standards. Housing that is unsafe or inaccessible prevents residents from fully using the home, puts their health, safety, and well-being at risk, and robs them of independence and dignity |
Florida Group Home Bedroom and Bathroom Requirements
Florida law sets detailed standards for bedrooms and bathrooms in group homes to ensure privacy, safety, and dignity. Under Rule 65G-2.007, facilities must:
Limit bedrooms to no more than two residents in newly licensed homes (older homes may have up to four per room)
Provide at least 80 square feet for single rooms and 60 square feet per person in shared rooms, not counting closets or low-ceiling areas
Arrange bedrooms so privacy is assured, with direct access from common areas, without forcing a resident to access his or her room by walking through a bathroom or another resident's room
Supply each resident with adequate closet or dresser space for personal belongings, plus additional storage for larger items.
Provide each resident with their own bed, equipped with a firm, clean, and comfortable mattress. Futons, hammocks, and sleeper sofas are not permitted. Bunk beds may only be used if safe for the resident’s functional level.
Furnish clean bedding and linens including sheets, pillowcases, blankets, and seasonal coverings. Bed linens must be changed at least weekly, or more often if needed.
Allow residents to personalize their rooms with their own bedding, decorations, or furnishings as long as they do not interfere with safety or the rights of others.
Ensure bathrooms provide enough toilets, sinks, and showers for residents: at least one toilet, lavatory, and tub or shower for every three residents in newly licensed facilities.
Maintain privacy in bathrooms, so residents can use toilets and showers without intrusion.
Keep bathroom fixtures in good condition, with adequate ventilation, and provide basic toiletry supplies such as soap, shampoo, and toilet paper at no extra cost.
Why It Matters: Bedrooms and bathrooms are the most personal spaces in a group home. Overcrowding, unsafe bedding, or a lack of privacy robs residents of dignity and violates Florida’s minimum group home standards. If residents cannot safely sleep, bathe, or store their belongings, the facility is not just uncomfortable, it is failing to provide housing that meets the basic needs of people with disabilities. |
Laundry Services in Florida Group Homes
Clean clothing and bedding are not luxuries, they are basic necessities for health, comfort, and dignity. Florida group home regulations require every facility to provide reliable laundry services for residents. Specifically, group homes must:
Provide laundry services on-site or through commercial services that are accessible to residents.
Cover the cost of laundry services, including outside services if the group home's machines are broken or unavailable.
Supply residents with laundry essentials such as soap, bleach, fabric softener, and stain remover, at no cost to them.
Keep laundry appliances and facilities in safe working order, free from excessive lint buildup that could create fire hazards.
Why It Matters: Residents should never be left wearing dirty clothes, sleeping on soiled bedding, or told to purchase their own laundry supplies. When a group home neglects basic hygiene, resident's are at an increased risk of skin infections, bedsores, and other hygiene-related illnesses. Clean clothing and bedding are not optional comforts; rather, they are part of the minimum standards Florida requires to protect group home residents’ health and dignity. |
Kitchens and Meal Standards in Florida Group Homes
Meals are central to resident health and quality of life. Florida law requires group homes to maintain safe kitchens and provide nutritious, accessible food service that meets the needs of all residents. Under Rule 65G-2.007, facilities must:
Maintain kitchens large enough and equipped to safely prepare and serve meals for all residents.
Provide proper utensils, equipment, and supplies, and remove chipped, cracked, or unsafe dishware.
Supply basic kitchen items such as dish soap, paper towels, and napkins at no cost to residents.
Serve food and beverages in adequate quantity and variety, prepared to conserve nutrition, at safe temperatures, and in forms residents can easily manage.
Respect dietary practices tied to medical conditions or religious faith, within reason.
Serve at least three balanced meals every 24 hours at regular times, plus snacks. If a resident misses a scheduled meal because of work or another approved activity outside the home, the facility must provide that meal at no cost when the resident returns.
Offer dining arrangements that provide variety and allow residents to make food selections with staff guidance.
Use a written menu planned at least two days in advance, and keep the served menus on file for at least one month.
Seek annual consultation from a licensed dietician if meals are not overseen by a nutritionist, and follow their documented recommendations.
Maintain a food supply of at least two days of fresh food and five days of non-perishable staples and drinking water.
Why It Matters: Nutrition directly affects residents’ health, energy, and quality of life. When kitchens are unsafe, meals are skipped, or diets are ignored, residents face malnutrition, weight loss, and preventable medical complications. These meal standards are not optional comforts; rather, they are the legal baseline for protecting resident health in Florida group homes. |
Florida Group Home Maintenance Rules
Florida law requires group homes to follow strict safety and maintenance standards that protect residents from preventable harm. Rule 65G-2.007 spells out everything from temperature control and fire safety systems to sanitation and the removal of hazardous items. These rules exist to make sure residents are not exposed to dangerous living conditions. Group homes must:
Maintain indoor temperatures between 68 and 80 degrees.
Ensure hot water does not exceed 120 degrees at the outlet.
Install and maintain smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in working order.
Keep facilities free from toxic chemicals, firearms, and other safety hazards.
Maintain clean, odor-free, and sanitary conditions, with garbage stored and removed safely.
Why It Matters: If residents are subjected to unsafe heat, foul odors, or toxic exposure, the group home is violating Florida’s minimum care standards and putting their health at risk. |
Water Safety Standards in Florida Group Homes
Florida law recognizes that water hazards are especially dangerous for residents with disabilities. Under Rule 65G-2.007, group homes must take strict precautions to protect residents around pools, hot tubs, canals, lakes, and other bodies of water. Facilities are required to:
Supervise residents who are not proficient swimmers by both sight and sound whenever they are within 50 feet of a pool, lake, or other water hazard.
Restrict access to water hazards whenever supervision is not available.
Ensure that supervision is provided only by an adult employee of the facility who is certified in both first aid and CPR.
Require residents who are not proficient swimmers to wear a life jacket or approved flotation device any time they are in a pool or body of water, unless they are in swimming lessons or under the direct supervision of an adult capable of handling emergencies.
Provide direct adult supervision for all high-risk water activities, such as boating or water sports.
Lock all entry points and safety covers when pools or spas are not in use.
Equip swimming pools with lifesaving devices, such as a ring buoy, rescue tube, rope flotation device, or a pole long enough to reach across the pool.
Why It Matters: Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death for people with developmental disabilities. Even shallow water can be life-threatening without proper supervision. These safety standards are not optional; they are the minimum protections designed to prevent tragedies. If a group home fails to control access to water or provide qualified supervision, it is putting residents at serious risk of injury or death. |
Florida Group Home Standards regarding Smoking
Florida restricts smoking in group homes to reduce fire hazards and protect residents from secondhand smoke. Facilities must:
Permit smoking only in areas designated by residents.
Prohibit designated smoking areas in indoor common spaces shared by non-smokers.
Ban smoking in bed, except for bedridden residents who may only do so under direct staff supervision.
Prohibit indoor smoking if any resident is a child or has a medical condition such as asthma that could be aggravated by smoke.
Why It Matters: These rules are designed to reduce fire risks and protect vulnerable residents from the dangers of secondhand smoke. A group home that allows smoking in unsafe areas, or near residents who could be harmed, is failing to meet Florida’s minimum standards for safety and care. |
Honesty and Reporting Requirements for Florida Group Homes
Under Rule 65G-2.007(20), intentional misstatements about resident health, safety, abuse, or neglect are considered Class I violations, the most serious level.
Why It Matters: If a group home conceals abuse, downplays neglect, or misrepresents safety issues, it is not just unethical; it is breaking Florida group home law. |
Why Florida Group Home Standards Matter for Families
Florida’s group home requirements are not optional. They are minimum legal standards designed to protect residents. If group homes cannot even meet these basic rules, they have no business caring for some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
Holding Florida Group Homes Accountable for Abuse and Neglect
At FIDJ, we help families hold group homes accountable when they violate Florida law, cut corners, and put vulnerable residents at risk. If your loved one was injured in a Florida group home, contact the experienced attorneys at FIDJ for a free, confidential, no-pressure case review.