Georgia Moved Treatment Program Licensing to DBHDD

Georgia changed who licenses treatment programs. Effective January 1, 2026, House Bill 584 transferred licensing and oversight of four facility types from the Department of Community Health (DCH) to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), according to DBHDD's licensure page:

• Drug Abuse Treatment and Education Programs (DATEP);
• Narcotic Treatment Programs (NTP);
• Community Living Arrangements; and
• Adult Mental Health Residential Facilities.

For an outpatient or residential substance use program, that means the DATEP license now comes from DBHDD. For an opioid treatment program, the NTP license does too.

Are licenses issued by DCH still valid?

Yes. The bill text we read provides that any DATEP license or provisional license issued by DCH on December 31, 2025 "shall be valid until revoked or renewed by the department, surrendered by the licensee, or otherwise terminated," and says the same for narcotic treatment program licenses (amended O.C.G.A. 26-5-7 and 26-5-44). It also keeps DCH's rules in force: any rule DCH created and that was in effect on December 31, 2025 continues to be in effect and enforceable by DBHDD until DBHDD amends or revokes it (26-5-6 and 26-5-43).

So a program licensed before the transfer does not need to reapply because of it. What changes is the agency it deals with for renewals, surveys, complaints and changes.

Where do applications go now?

DBHDD's licensure forms page says facility applications are submitted through the GAHLES portal and posts a separate application packet for each of the four facility types, along with a Licensure Fees Table listing fees, fines and due dates. DBHDD also warns that during the transition applicants may still be redirected to DCH websites to complete applications, submit payments or file complaints, incidents or appeals, and that anything routed through DCH systems is forwarded to DBHDD automatically.

DBHDD lists separate email inboxes for licensure applications, surveys, complaints and incidents, investigations, corrective action plans and hearing requests. Use the right one: a corrective action plan sent to the applications inbox is easy to lose in a transition year.

We have not confirmed the current amounts in DBHDD's fee table, so we do not quote them here; check the table when you file.

Can accreditation stand in for a Georgia survey?

Georgia law has long allowed a DATEP license based on accreditation. As amended by HB 584, the department may, on an application with proof of accreditation by a voluntary accreditation agency it approves, "issue a license based upon the findings of the accreditation agency," and that license "may be issued without an on-site visit by the department representative" (O.C.G.A. 26-5-10(a)). The trade-off is that any denial, suspension or revocation of that accreditation automatically revokes or suspends the license, and the licensee must reapply. The bill adds that DBHDD is not bound by any DCH policy or practice in effect on December 31, 2025 when deciding whether to issue a license based on accreditation findings (26-5-10(b)), so a program relying on that route should not assume DCH's old approach carries over.

What does the change mean for opioid treatment programs?

A narcotic treatment program still needs a state license, now from DBHDD, in addition to SAMHSA certification, OTP accreditation and DEA registration. DBHDD's Division of Addictive Diseases is the State Opioid Treatment Authority on SAMHSA's list. DBHDD sets its own application process for new NTP locations, so check its current notices before planning a Georgia opening; the federal sequence is on our OTP approval hub.

Which tasks should Georgia programs finish this year?

1. Update your regulator of record. Policies, incident procedures and complaint notices that name DCH should name DBHDD.
2. Find your renewal date. Your DCH-issued license stays valid until DBHDD renews or revokes it, so the renewal will be your first DBHDD filing.
3. Check the accreditation link. If your license rests on accreditation findings, your accreditor's decisions now feed straight into a DBHDD license.
4. Watch for new rules. DCH's rules apply until DBHDD changes them; a rewrite would change your policy manual.

How do we help Georgia programs?

We prepare DATEP license applications and renewals for DBHDD, update policies that still point to DCH, and keep accreditation and license dates in step. Your owner or officer signs and pays DBHDD through its systems, and the portal account stays yours. The State License package is $1,995 for an outpatient site or $2,995 for residential, and Renewal Tracking is $299 a year per license. The Georgia page lists our sources, and the state index compares Georgia with other states.