What is a sober house in Florida?
Florida’s legal name for it, how voluntary certification works, and the checks to run before your loved one moves in.
Calls are answered by a partner at-home treatment provider, not by this guide.
- Legal term Recovery residence
- Certified by FARR, approved by DCF
- Certification Voluntary
- Main law s. 397.487
The short answer
A sober house is a home where people in recovery live together in an alcohol-free and drug-free setting with peer support. Florida law calls it a recovery residence. Certification is voluntary, but a home may not advertise itself as a “certified recovery residence” unless it is certified, and licensed treatment providers may generally refer patients only to certified homes.
What the law says
Florida defines a recovery residence in s. 397.311 as a home, the housing part of a licensed day or night treatment program, or other group housing that is offered or advertised as a peer-supported, alcohol-free and drug-free living environment.
The certification rules are in s. 397.487. It directs DCF to approve at least one credentialing entity to run a voluntary certification program. According to DCF, the approved entity for recovery residences is the Florida Association of Recovery Residences, Inc. (FARR), and the approved entity for recovery residence administrators is the Florida Certification Board.
A certified home must be actively managed day to day by a certified administrator. If the administrator leaves, the home has to tell the credentialing entity within 3 business days and has 90 days to name a replacement. Advertising a home as a “certified recovery residence” without a certificate is a first-degree misdemeanor.
The referral rules
The part of the law with the most practical effect is s. 397.4873. A licensed treatment provider generally may not refer a current, former or prospective patient to a recovery residence, or accept a referral from one, unless the home holds a valid certificate and is actively managed by a certified administrator.
There are a few exceptions, for example certain homes that are run democratically by their own residents under a charter from a nationally recognized organization and have no financial tie to the provider. But no exception allows a provider to refer someone to a home that permits alcohol, marijuana (including medical marijuana) or illegal drugs on the premises, or that lets residents use another person’s prescribed medication.
A provider that breaks these rules faces a $1,000 administrative fine for each violation, and willful violations are a misdemeanor.
How to check a sober house
- Search FARR’s certified housing list and ask the home for its certificate.
- Ask for the name of the certified administrator and check it through the Florida Certification Board, as DCF describes.
- Visit in person. Look at bedrooms, the kitchen and common areas, and ask to meet the house manager.
- Ask for the written rules, the fee schedule and the refund policy.
- Ask whether the home allows medication for opioid or alcohol use disorder, and how all medications are stored.
- Ask whether the home or anyone connected to it is paid by a treatment center. Paying or receiving anything for patient referrals is illegal under Florida’s patient brokering law, s. 817.505.
A sober house is housing, not a treatment program, and certification is not a treatment license. Treatment programs are licensed by DCF. Our guide to checking a DCF license covers the clinical side, and our page on luxury sober living covers upscale homes. For the treatment itself, start with our treatment guide.
Questions about sober houses
Is it legal to run a sober house in Florida without certification?
Florida’s statute sets up certification as voluntary. What it limits is calling a home certified when it is not, and licensed treatment providers referring patients to homes that are not certified.
What does FARR certification mean?
It means the home has met the standards of the Florida Association of Recovery Residences, the DCF-approved credentialing entity. FARR’s website says it uses the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) standards. Certification is not a treatment license.
Can someone take prescribed medication in a sober house?
That depends on the home’s rules, so ask before move-in. The law is clear on one point: a licensed provider may not refer someone to a home that lets residents use another person’s prescribed medication.
Who do I contact about a problem with a certified home?
Start with the home’s own grievance process, then contact the certifying body, FARR. If you believe a crime such as patient brokering has occurred, contact law enforcement. If anyone is in danger, call 911.
For treatment centers
Licensed Florida centers can apply for the one featured spot on this guide.