Verified October 10, 2026 against the statutes, regulations and sources cited below. The state decides every application. All states
What operators miss in West Virginia
- SB 300 (2024) moved the OTP licensing article from W. Va. Code 16-5Y to 16B-13; the old 16-5Y-3 and 16-5Y-12 now read "Repealed."
- Alcohol and drug treatment facilities may claim a certificate of need exemption by filing an exemption application, but opioid treatment programs are excluded from it.
Does West Virginia license behavioral health and addiction treatment programs?
No behavioral health center may provide behavioral health services without a license from the Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification.
- Behavioral health center license
- Issued by West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification (OHFLAC)
Citation: W. Va. Code 27-9-1
What does an opioid treatment program need in West Virginia?
A moratorium bars licensing new OTPs that lacked a certificate of need when it took effect in 2016, until the Legislature finds more are needed. The certificate of need law also bars issuing one to an OTP, except one approved clinical trial program.
- State opioid treatment authority: No agency named on SAMHSA list (Charleston contact at wv.gov)
- State license: OHFLAC opioid treatment program license: a 12-month initial license, then renewal licenses of up to one year, with renewal filed 60 days before expiry. The application carries the applicant's notarized signature, and a change of ownership needs a new application.
- State moratorium
- 15 opioid treatment programs in 2024 (N-SUMHSS)
Citation: W. Va. Code 16B-13-12; 16-2D-9(4)
How does West Virginia treat recovery residences?
Certification through the state's contracted certifying agency is voluntary, but an uncertified residence may not receive referrals from corrections, courts or state-funded treatment facilities, or call itself certified. Each violation is a misdemeanor with a $1,000 to $5,000 fine.
- Voluntary certification
- NARR affiliate: West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences
Citation: W. Va. Code 16-59-2(h), (j)
Opening or expanding a program in West Virginia?
We confirm what West Virginia 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.