What an Inspection Report Actually Tells You About a Care Home
Inspection reports are public, free, and full of information — if you know how to read them. Here's what to look for and what's actually a deal-breaker.
One of the best free resources Washington families have when researching adult family homes is also one of the least used: official inspection reports. Every licensed home has them, every report is public, and they're full of detail you can't get from a brochure or a tour.
The catch is that they're written in bureaucratic language and can be intimidating to read. Here's how to actually use them.
Where to find inspection reports
Washington's DSHS maintains a public database where you can search any licensed adult family home and see its inspection history. You can search by name, address, or city. For each home, you'll see the most recent inspections, any citations, and the home's current license status.
If you're looking at a home and the staff hesitates to share their inspection report — or insists on showing you only their best one — that's a yellow flag worth paying attention to. A confident operator hands you the report without hesitation.
How to read what you find
An inspection report has several sections:
- License status — confirms the home is currently licensed and in good standing.
- Inspection summary — when the most recent visit was and what kind of inspection it was (routine, complaint follow-up, etc.).
- Findings — the specific things the inspector noted, both good and concerning.
- Citations — formal violations of state regulations, listed by code.
- Plan of correction — if there were citations, this is the home's official response and the steps they took to fix the issues.
The most useful section for families is the citations and the plan of correction. Don't just look at whether there are any citations — look at what kind, and whether the home took them seriously.
Citations that aren't a big deal
Some citations are minor and routine. Things like:
- An expired fire extinguisher inspection tag
- A first-aid kit missing a single item
- A care plan that wasn't updated within the required timeframe
- Missing documentation for a training hour that was clearly completed
These kinds of citations are the equivalent of a parking ticket. They suggest the home isn't perfectly buttoned-up, but they don't tell you anything alarming about the care residents are receiving. Most homes have at least one of these on their record.
Citations that ARE a big deal
Take these much more seriously:
- Medication errors — wrong med, wrong dose, missed doses, or improper storage
- Neglect or failure to provide adequate care
- Resident rights violations (privacy, dignity, freedom of movement)
- Hiring caregivers who failed background checks
- Falsifying records
- Inadequate staffing
- Repeated similar citations across multiple inspections
Any of these warrants a serious conversation with the home — and depending on how recent and how severe, may be reason enough to keep looking.
What a good report looks like
The best inspection report isn't necessarily one with zero citations. It's one where the citations are minor, the plan of correction is taken seriously, and follow-up inspections show the issues are actually fixed. A home that gets a small ding, addresses it quickly, and never repeats it is showing you that they care.
A home with dozens of citations across years of inspections is showing you something different.
Use it as one tool
Inspection reports are valuable, but they're a snapshot. They tell you what one inspector saw on one day. They don't capture warmth, kindness, or whether residents are happy. Use the report to weed out obvious problems and shortlist serious candidates — then go visit, talk to the staff, and trust what you feel.
