What premises can house an integrated community care service (kango-shokibo-takino)? Zoning, fire, and area checks for combining day visits, overnight stays, and home-visit nursing under one roof

The key point: Premises that can house an integrated community care service (kango-shokibo-takino, "kango-takino") are first narrowed by four points: whether the building's use and zoning allow it (because it has an overnight function, it cannot be placed in an exclusive industrial zone, and the use classification must be checked); whether the floor area can meet the scale of registered capacity of 29 or fewer, day use up to 18, overnight up to 9; whether overnight rooms (one person per room, floor area at least 7.43 sqm) can be secured for the overnight capacity; and whether the fire equipment (sprinklers, automatic fire alarm) for residents who cannot evacuate unaided can be installed. Because it involves home-visit nursing and adds nursing staff, its starting point differs from ordinary small-scale multifunctional care (shokibo-takino). We (a real-estate transaction business) handle the lease/sale brokerage of the premises; the designation application and verification of add-on requirements, and—if opened by a medical corporation—the incorporation, go to an administrative scrivener as an independent business; use-change confirmation and fire equipment to an architect and the fire department; registration of ownership transfer or leasehold to a judicial scrivener; and care remuneration and tax to a tax accountant—each contracted with separately (no referral fees are exchanged).

For medical corporations and care operators considering opening a kango-takino (an "integrated/combined service") for home-dwelling elderly with high medical needs, and the real-estate staff looking for the premises, this article organises "what kind of premises can proceed to opening," in the order of the Long-Term Care Insurance Act, the designation-standards ordinance, the Fire Service Act Enforcement Order, and the Building Standards Act. This is general information; the lawfulness of use classification and use change is judged by an architect and the designated administrative agency, the fire classification by the competent fire department, and whether designation is possible by the relevant municipality.

Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (四葉不動産株式会社), based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, provides survey and brokerage of business-use premises and handles lease and sale contracts. For premises you are unsure can house a kango-takino, you can consult us from what can be confirmed on paper before a viewing.

How does kango-takino (the combined service) differ from shokibo-takino?

Home-visit nursing is built in, and nursing-staff placement is added to the staffing standard. This splits the starting point from small-scale multifunctional care (shokibo-takino) on both the premises and operations sides.

Kango-shokibo-takino is a type of "combined service" defined in article 8, paragraph 23 of the Long-Term Care Insurance Act (Act No. 123 of 1997), combining home-visit nursing and small-scale multifunctional care. The amendment in force on 1 April 2024 (Reiwa 6) positioned it clearly in the Act as "kango-shokibo-takino," content that had previously been in the enforcement regulations. Like shokibo-takino, it is a community-based service (art. 8, para. 14); in principle residents of the municipality where the office is located use it, and the mayor designates it (art. 78-2, para. 1).

The differences on the premises and staffing sides are as follows.

Point	Shokibo-takino	Kango-takino
Combination	Day visit, home visit (care), overnight	Day visit, home visit (care and nursing), overnight
Nursing staff	Not required	Of the staff, 2.5 or more (full-time equivalent) must be nursing staff (public-health nurse / nurse / assistant nurse)
Assumed users	Elderly needing care generally	Home-dwelling elderly with high medical needs (just after discharge, end-of-life, etc.)
Basis	Act art. 8, para. 19	Act art. 8, para. 23 (combined service)

The staffing standard (the Standards concerning Personnel, Equipment and Operation for Designated Community-Based Service Businesses = Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Ordinance No. 34 of 2006, art. 171) sets staff numbers for each of the day/home-visit/overnight time bands, and requires that, of the office's staff, 2.5 or more (full-time equivalent) be nursing staff and that at least one be a full-time public-health nurse or nurse. Because the designation of home-visit nursing (including deemed designation) and securing nursing staff are premised, the design of the system—not just the premises—is heavier. The overnight premises conditions specific to shokibo-takino are in Property requirements for small-scale multifunctional care (Japanese); the premises conditions for a stand-alone home-visit nursing station are in Property conditions for a home-visit nursing station (Japanese). This article focuses on what is specific to a kango-takino that covers both under one roof.

What zoning and building use allow opening?

Because it has an overnight function, the use classification is a little more complex than for day-only services. This is a point to confirm with the designated administrative agency and an architect.

Because a kango-takino has an overnight (stay) function, under the Building Standards Act (Act No. 201 of 1950) it may be classified as a "dormitory" or a "child welfare facility, etc. (treated as including welfare facilities for the elderly)." Which it is changes the zones it can be built in and the measures required. What can be said in common is that in an exclusive industrial zone, dwellings, dormitories and child welfare facilities, etc. cannot be built, so a kango-takino office cannot be placed there either. Whether it can be used in other zones depends on how the building is classified, so before deciding on premises, confirm with the municipality's city-planning and building-guidance sections and an architect.

When converting an existing building, check whether a use-change confirmation application is needed. Building Standards Act art. 87 (1) applies the confirmation rules when a building's use is changed into a special building under art. 6 (1) (i), which is "a special building for a use listed in column (i) of Appended Table 1 where the total floor area for that use exceeds 200 square metres."

Floor area used for that purpose	Use-change confirmation application
200 sqm or less	In principle not needed
Over 200 sqm	Needed (Building Standards Act art. 87 (1), art. 6 (1) (i))

But not needing a confirmation application and not needing to comply with the Building Standards Act are different things. Art. 87 (2) applies art. 48 (zoning restrictions) and the evacuation/fire rules to a use change, so substantive rules—lighting, smoke exhaust, evacuation, interior-finish restrictions—apply regardless of whether a confirmation application is needed. Judging the use classification and designing the use change are the field of an architect and a designated confirmation and inspection body; we handle obtaining and handing over documents such as the premises' registration and drawings.

What are the overnight capacity and the area standards for overnight rooms and living rooms?

The number of overnight rooms and the size of the living/dining room set the ceiling on how many people can be accepted. The kango-takino capacity framework is common with shokibo-takino.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Ordinance No. 34 of 2006 sets the kango-takino registered capacity (the upper limit of users who can register) at 29 or fewer (satellite type: 18 or fewer), and then sets the daily "day" and "overnight" use capacities within the following ranges.

Category	Daily use capacity
Registered capacity	29 or fewer (satellite type: 18 or fewer)
Day service	Half of registered capacity to 15; up to 18 depending on registered capacity
Overnight service	One-third of the day-service use capacity to 9

An overnight room has a capacity of one person (two if deemed necessary for the user's care) and a floor area of at least 7.43 sqm (at least 6.4 sqm if part of a hospital or clinic is used as the overnight room). The living room and dining room are "an appropriate size to fully perform their function," judged not by a specific number but by "whether day users can spend time there."

Read from the premises side—if you want to accept up to 9 overnight users, you need the space to secure 9 overnight rooms of at least 7.43 sqm each (on the premise of no shared rooms). In addition, a kango-takino tends to need flow lines and equipment for medical procedures and infection control (hand-washing, waste disposal, storage). The thinking on day-centred home care, with a training space for the "day" function, is also useful in Property requirements for day service (Japanese). In a second-hand detached house or a tenancy, whether the layout can be renovated to fit the number of overnight rooms and the size of the living/dining room determines the ceiling on how many can be accepted. Note that each municipality has its own standards ordinance (added or additional requirements), so the application of area and equipment rules differs by region.

What is the Fire Service Act classification (Appended Table 1, item (6) ro / ha) and the fire equipment required?

Because there is an "overnight" function, the fire-equipment burden can be heavier than for day-only services. This ties directly to renovation cost.

A kango-takino is classified under item (6) ro or item (6) ha of Appended Table 1 of the Fire Service Act Enforcement Order (Cabinet Order No. 37 of 1961). Which applies depends on how many people needing evacuation assistance there are (whether it mainly admits/stays persons who cannot evacuate unaided), judged by the competent fire department. A kango-takino that stays users with high medical needs is more likely to fall under (6) ro—social welfare facilities, etc. admitting persons who find self-evacuation difficult—than a day-centred facility.

Classification	Sprinkler guide
(6) ro	The amendment in force on 1 April 2015 removed the "275 sqm or more" area requirement, making installation in principle required regardless of total floor area. An exemption remains where under 275 sqm and certain fire-spread-suppression-structure requirements are met
(6) ha	Needed where total floor area is 275 sqm or more, etc. (varies by classification and area)

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Besides this, (6) ro also requires an automatic fire alarm, a fire alarm reporting to the fire authority, and fire extinguishers, depending on area, etc. When converting a second-hand detached house or small tenancy, this sprinkler cost can be a large part of the opening cost, so before deciding on premises, consult the competent fire department in advance and confirm what is required and to what extent for that building. Judging the classification and designing the equipment are the field of the fire department and a fire-equipment engineer; we do not make that judgment.

Who do you ask for the designation application and medical-corporation incorporation? (Separate mandates)

We split the windows. A kango-takino spans separate businesses—real estate, licensing, medical corporation, construction, fire, tax, registration—so organising this at the outset keeps the order right.

Role	Who handles it
Premises survey, finding a landlord/seller, brokerage, lease/sale contract, negotiation	Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (real-estate transaction business)
Designation application for the community-based service (kango-takino), checking add-on requirements, and other documents submitted to public offices	Administrative scrivener
Incorporation and articles-of-association changes if opening as a medical corporation	Administrative scrivener
Use-change confirmation application and compliance design	Architect / designated confirmation and inspection body
Design and installation of fire equipment, classification judgment	Fire-equipment engineer / fire department
Registration of ownership transfer, leasehold, etc.	Judicial scrivener
Billing of care remuneration (care benefit), tax	Tax accountant
Staffing, work rules, labour	Certified social-insurance labour consultant
Disputes	Lawyer

Survey and brokerage of the premises and the lease/sale contract are undertaken by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (real-estate transaction business). The kango-takino designation application, checking add-on requirements, and—for a medical corporation—the incorporation are handled by an administrative scrivener. These are each independent businesses, contracted with separately. We handle only the premises transaction; the designation application and incorporation go to an administrative scrivener, use change and fire to an architect and the fire department, registration to a judicial scrivener, care remuneration and tax to a tax accountant, labour to a certified social-insurance labour consultant, and disputes to a lawyer. We neither receive nor pay referral or introduction fees. For finding business-use premises generally, see Investment / business-use real estate; for the relationship between opening and choosing an office, see Company formation and choosing an office.

How can you consult Yotsuba Real Estate about premises for a kango-takino?

Medical corporations and care operators considering opening a kango-takino for home-dwelling elderly with high medical needs can contact Yotsuba Real Estate directly to request a premises survey and brokerage. Please first tell us:

• The assumed registered capacity and the day/overnight capacities
• Whether you will convert a building you own, or search to lease/buy
• The location, zoning, total floor area and number of storeys of candidate premises (as far as known)
• Whether it is opened by a medical corporation or by an existing corporation

Yotsuba Real Estate obtains the zoning, registration and drawings of candidate premises and, before a viewing, organises on paper whether overnight rooms can be secured and what is likely to be at issue for the use change and fire. The designation application and incorporation go to an administrative scrivener, the use-change confirmation to an architect, fire equipment to the fire department and a fire-equipment engineer, registration to a judicial scrivener, and care remuneration and tax to a tax accountant—each independent businesses contracted with separately.

Consult Yotsuba Real Estate about premises for a kango-takino—initial consultation is free

In your message, write "kango-takino premises" and include the assumed capacity and the location of the candidate premises. Without presuming whether it can be used, we begin with what can be confirmed on paper and organising who to refer each part to.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How do the premises conditions differ between kango-takino and small-scale multifunctional care (shokibo-takino)?
A. The capacity framework (registered capacity 29 or fewer, day use up to 18, overnight up to 9) and the 7.43 sqm overnight-room standard are common. The difference is that a kango-takino builds in home-visit nursing and is subject to a staffing standard requiring 2.5 or more (full-time equivalent) of its staff to be nursing staff (Ordinance No. 34 of 2006, art. 171), and that, assuming users with high medical needs, it tends to need flow lines and equipment for medical procedures and infection control. The premises' size, use and fire are confirmed in common with shokibo-takino.

Q. Can a kango-takino be opened in a detached house in a residential area?
A. It depends on the zoning and the building classification. Because a kango-takino has an overnight function, under the Building Standards Act it may be treated as a "dormitory" or a "child welfare facility, etc. (treated as including welfare facilities for the elderly)." It cannot be built in an exclusive industrial zone; whether it can be used in other zones depends on the use classification. On converting an existing building, if the area used for that purpose exceeds 200 sqm, a use-change confirmation application is needed (art. 87 (1)). Confirm the use classification and design with an architect and the designated administrative agency.

Q. With an overnight function, is a sprinkler always required?
A. A kango-takino is classified under Appended Table 1 item (6) ro or (6) ha, and the competent fire department judges the classification from the situation of those needing evacuation assistance. For (6) ro, the amendment in force on 1 April 2015 made a sprinkler in principle required regardless of total floor area (an exemption remains if under 275 sqm and fire-spread-suppression-structure requirements are met). A kango-takino staying users with high medical needs is more likely to fall under (6) ro. Because it differs by building, consult the competent fire department in advance.

Q. If opening as a medical corporation, does the real-estate company handle the incorporation and designation application together?
A. No. We handle only the premises survey/brokerage and the lease/sale contract. The kango-takino designation application, checking add-on requirements, and the incorporation/articles changes for opening as a medical corporation are handled by an administrative scrivener, an independent business, contracted with separately. The use-change confirmation is an architect's field, fire equipment the fire department's and a fire-equipment engineer's, registration a judicial scrivener's, and care remuneration and tax a tax accountant's. We do not exchange referral fees.

Sources

The following public materials are starting points. Laws are amended, so check the current text, paragraph, enforcement date and latest amendment on e-Gov Law Search. Each municipality's standards ordinance and the competent fire department's practice differ by region. All were consulted on 24 October 2026. They do not establish whether an individual property can be opened. The sources below are in Japanese.

• e-Gov Law Search: Long-Term Care Insurance Act (Act No. 123 of 1997; art. 8, para. 14 = definition of community-based service, art. 8, para. 23 = definition of combined service (kango-shokibo-takino), art. 78-2, para. 1 = designation by the mayor; the amendment in force 1 April 2024 positioned kango-takino in the Act as a type of combined service)
• e-Gov Law Search: Standards concerning Personnel, Equipment and Operation for Designated Community-Based Service Businesses (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Ordinance No. 34 of 2006; registered capacity 29 or fewer, day-service use capacity (half of registered capacity to 15, up to 18 depending on registered capacity), overnight-service use capacity (one-third of the day capacity to 9), overnight room of one person and at least 7.43 sqm (6.4 sqm if part of a hospital/clinic is used), art. 171 = the staffing standard requiring 2.5 or more full-time-equivalent nursing staff)
• e-Gov Law Search: Fire Service Act Enforcement Order (Cabinet Order No. 37 of 1961; Appended Table 1 item (6) ro = social welfare facilities, etc. admitting persons who find self-evacuation difficult, (6) ha = others, art. 12 = sprinkler installation standard; for (6) ro the amendment in force 1 April 2015 removed the "275 sqm or more" requirement, making installation in principle mandatory, with an exemption under 275 sqm for fire-spread-suppression structures)
• e-Gov Law Search: Building Standards Act (Act No. 201 of 1950; art. 6 (1) (i) = special building in column (i) of Appended Table 1 over 200 sqm, art. 48 = zone-by-zone building restrictions, art. 87 (1) = confirmation on use change, art. 87 (2) = application of art. 48, etc.; restrictions in the exclusive industrial zone are per Appended Table 2)

This article provides general information and does not judge or guarantee whether an individual property can be opened or whether designation is obtained. The use classification (dormitory or child welfare facility, etc.) and whether/how a use-change confirmation is designed are the field of an architect, the designated administrative agency, and a designated confirmation and inspection body; the fire classification and equipment design are the fire department's and a fire-equipment engineer's; whether a kango-takino designation and add-ons are possible is the relevant municipality's; and preparing the medical-corporation incorporation and designation-application documents is an administrative scrivener's.

Joji Uramatsu (浦松 丈二), Representative Director and licensed real estate transaction specialist, Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (四葉不動産株式会社). We provide survey and brokerage of business-use premises and handle lease and sale contracts. Author profile

Updated: 24 October 2026