Updated Recovery House Regs Submitted to IRCC, Available to the Public

On March 1, 2021, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) submitted to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) its Final-Omitted Regulations on Standards for Drug and Alcohol Recovery House Licensure. The regulations can be found on IRRC’s website.

The updated regulations (p. 55-81) can be found in the submitted regulatory package, along with the following.

• A regulatory analysis (p. 1-11)
• A sample recovery house licensing checklist (p. 12-19)
• A sample recovery house licensing application (p. 20-21)
• A preamble the includes public comments and DDAP response to comments (p. 23-54)

Upcoming Timeline

• DDAP expects that the new regulations will be in effect by June 2021.
• DDAP expects to require compliance with the new regulations by December 2021.

Which Recovery Houses Will Need a License?

Once the new licensing program is in place, drug and alcohol recovery houses must have a license to:

1. Receive referrals from state agencies or state-funded facilities; or
2. Receive federal or state funding to deliver recovery house services.

In addition, the law imposes two additional requirements on referrals to recovery houses:

1. People whose treatment is funded with state or federal funds shall only be referred to licensed recovery houses.
2. Courts shall give first consideration to licensed recovery houses when residential recommendations are made for individuals under their supervision.