Verified October 10, 2026 against the statutes, regulations and sources cited below. The state decides every application. All states
What operators miss in Kentucky
- Every outpatient and residential AODE gets an annual survey visit.
Does Kentucky license behavioral health and addiction treatment programs?
CHFS licenses outpatient and residential alcohol and other drug treatment entities. The license costs $500 plus $80 per outpatient extension site, renews every year with the same fee, and comes with an annual survey visit.
- Nonhospital-based alcohol and other drug treatment entity (AODE) license
- Substance use programs: Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS)
Citation: 908 KAR 1:370; KRS 222.231
How does Kentucky license each level of care?
- Outpatient: Outpatient AODE license; extension sites are allowed for some levels of care.
- IOP and PHP: An outpatient AODE offering partial hospitalization must also be fully accredited.
- Residential: Residential AODE license.
Citation: 908 KAR 1:370 §2; 908 KAR 1:374 §5
What does a Kentucky license cost?
- Initial: $500 plus $80 per outpatient extension site (as of October 2026)
- Renewal: $500 plus $80 per outpatient extension site, every year (as of October 2026)
- Per site: $80 per outpatient extension site
Citation: 908 KAR 1:370 §2
How often does a Kentucky license renew?
- Renews every year
What does accreditation do for a Kentucky license?
Required only for partial hospitalization: an outpatient AODE offering it must be fully accredited by The Joint Commission, CARF, COA or another national accreditor with comparable standards.
- Accreditation required
Citation: 908 KAR 1:374 §5(1)
What does Kentucky require for owners, sales and moves?
- Background screening: Personnel undergo criminal record checks, and each AODE rechecks a random sample of at least 25 percent of personnel every year.
- Ownership change or relocation: A new owner files a license application with the $500 fee within 10 calendar days; acquiring more than 25 percent counts as a change of ownership. A program may not move until an application with an $80 processing fee is filed.
Citation: 908 KAR 1:370 §§4, 15
What does an opioid treatment program need in Kentucky?
- State opioid treatment authority: Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental & Intellectual Disabilities
- State license: Licensed narcotic treatment program under the AODE rules (908 KAR 1:374).
- 46 opioid treatment programs in 2024 (N-SUMHSS)
How does Kentucky treat recovery residences?
- NARR affiliate: Kentucky Recovery Housing Network
Opening or expanding a program in Kentucky?
We confirm what Kentucky requires for your services and levels of care, prepare the application and every attachment for your owner or officer to sign, and track it to a decision. An outpatient program license is $1,995 per site. Every fee is flat and never depends on admissions or census.