Recovery Residence Certification: NARR Affiliates and State Rules

A recovery residence, often called a sober home or sober living home, is housing that supports people in recovery and offers no clinical treatment itself. That last point is what separates it from a residential treatment program, and it is why states regulate recovery residences under different rules, or not at all. For an operator, the first question is not "how do I get certified?" but "what does my state require, and what does certification get me there?"

What is NARR, and what do its affiliates do?

The National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) publishes a national standard for recovery residences. Its state affiliates, in NARR's words, are responsible for "certifying recovery residences to ensure compliance with rigorous criteria pertaining to safety, support, and accountability." NARR lists 33 state affiliates, in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

In a state with no recovery residence law, affiliate certification is voluntary. In several states, the law builds on it.

How do states regulate recovery residences?

The verified approaches fall into five groups.

Voluntary certification with teeth: Florida

Florida certification is voluntary, through a credentialing entity the Department of Children and Families approves. The application fee and the annual renewal fee may each not exceed $100, and onsite inspection fees reflect actual cost (Fla. Stat. 397.487(2)(e)). A certified residence must be actively managed by a certified recovery residence administrator (397.487(4)), certification ends after one year if not renewed, and the credentialing entity inspects each certified residence at least once a year (397.487(7)-(8)). The practical force comes from a separate rule limiting licensed treatment providers' dealings with uncertified residences; see Florida's referral rule.

Mandatory state certification: Virginia

Virginia law says no person shall operate a recovery residence, or represent that one is certified by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, unless the department has certified it; a violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor (Va. Code 37.2-431.1(C)). The department's regulations may require accreditation by or membership in a credentialing entity that follows NARR standards or standards endorsed by Oxford House, must require residences to report deaths and serious injuries, and must bar a residence from requiring residents to participate in medical or clinical services it profits from as a condition of living there. A conditional certification lasts up to six months, may be renewed for up to three, and may not exceed nine months in total. Every residence must also tell prospective residents its credentialing entity and, for NARR-certified homes, its level of support (37.2-431.1(B)).

State licensing: Arizona, Pennsylvania and, from 2027, Colorado

• Arizona requires an ADHS license to operate a sober living home. The license lasts one year, states the maximum number of residents, cannot be transferred or moved, and requires local zoning, building and fire compliance documentation. A licensed treatment facility with sober living homes on its campus must license each one (A.R.S. 36-2062).
• Pennsylvania's Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs licenses drug and alcohol recovery houses under 28 Pa. Code chapter 717. The application fee and the renewal fee are $250 each per house, a full license lasts one year after an on-site inspection, a provisional license lasts up to six months, and the department publishes a registry of licensed houses (717.6, 717.7, 717.8, 717.33).
• Colorado will require a Behavioral Health Administration license for recovery residences by July 1, 2027, replacing third-party certification. See Colorado's recovery residence licensing in 2027.

Registration: Ohio

Every person or government entity operating a recovery housing residence in Ohio files a Department of Behavioral Health form within 30 days after the first resident moves in, giving the residence's name, address, operator, contact details, first occupancy date and any accreditation it holds or is pursuing (Ohio Rev. Code 5119.391).

Voluntary certification tied to a state list: Washington and New York

Washington's Health Care Authority keeps a registry of approved recovery residences certified by an approved Washington certification organization, and certification is required only for residences that choose to take part in the state's recovery residence program activities (RCW 41.05.760). New York's Office of Addiction Services and Supports runs voluntary certification of "certified recovery residences," lists certified homes on its website, and may inspect them and suspend or revoke certification (Mental Hygiene Law 32.05-a).

Which documents does a certification file contain?

Requirements differ, but Florida's statute gives the most complete published list of what a credentialing entity collects with the application (397.487(3)):

• a policy and procedure manual with job descriptions, drug-testing procedures, a prohibition on alcohol, marijuana, illegal drugs and misuse of others' prescriptions, policies supporting residents' recovery, and a good neighbor policy;
• resident rules, copies of all resident forms and intake procedures;
• a sexual offender registry compliance policy and a relapse policy;
• the fee schedule, refund policy, and eviction procedures;
• a code of ethics;
• proof of insurance, background screening, and satisfactory fire, safety and health inspections.

Arizona's licensing standards cover similar ground and add policies allowing residents on medication-assisted treatment to continue it, consistent and fair testing practices, emergency notification of a designated contact, money handling under standard accounting practices, and functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers (A.R.S. 36-2062(A)). Pennsylvania requires written policies barring staff from soliciting or accepting any commission or other value from residents, third parties or referral sources beyond the rent set in writing (28 Pa. Code 717.25).

Where are the legal lines in house policies?

Anything that ties housing to treatment admissions. Federal law (EKRA, 18 U.S.C. 220) reaches remuneration for referrals to recovery homes as well as treatment facilities, and state laws add their own limits, from Virginia's ban on requiring residents to use services the residence profits from to California's conditions on housing offered by licensed facilities. We do not give legal advice on these laws; see EKRA and treatment centers and housing as an inducement for the issues, and a lawyer for your arrangement.

Can we prepare your certification file?

We prepare the house policies, resident rules, forms and inspection readiness that a NARR affiliate or a state certifier reviews, and organize the documents each application asks for. The operator applies to the certifying body or the state, signs and pays its fees. Our Recovery Residence Certification service is $795 for the first house and $295 for each added house, flat. We do not refer residents, place anyone in housing or handle any part of admissions. State-by-state notes are on the state licensing index.