Florida does not license sober homes the way it licenses treatment programs. It regulates them in a different, more indirect way: through a voluntary certification program, a ban on advertising certification you don’t hold, and restrictions on which homes licensed treatment providers may refer patients to. Understanding those three pieces is the fastest way to tell a well-run recovery residence from one that only looks like one.
This article explains each piece in plain language, with links to the statutes themselves. It is general information, not legal advice, and it reflects the law as published for 2025. Florida’s legislature has considered changes in recent sessions, so check the current statutes before relying on any detail.
The short version
- In Florida, certification of a recovery residence is voluntary.
- Certification is issued by a credentialing entity approved by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). For recovery residences, DCF names the Florida Association of Recovery Residences (FARR).
- A certified residence must be actively managed by a certified recovery residence administrator, credentialed separately through the Florida Certification Board.
- It is a crime to advertise a residence as certified without a current certificate.
- Licensed treatment providers are generally limited to referring patients to, and accepting referrals from, certified residences.
- Florida’s patient brokering law makes kickbacks for patient referrals a felony.
What counts as a “recovery residence”
Florida law uses the term “recovery residence” for what most people call a sober home or sober living house: a residential dwelling that provides a peer-supported, alcohol-free and drug-free living environment for people in recovery. A recovery residence is housing, not treatment. Detox, residential treatment and outpatient programs are licensed separately under Chapter 397 of the Florida Statutes.
That distinction matters for families. A sober home cannot legally provide licensed clinical services just by being a sober home. If the house you are considering describes itself as offering treatment, ask what license it holds. Our article on treatment vs. sober living explains the difference in practical terms.
Voluntary certification under section 397.487
The core rules are in section 397.487, Florida Statutes, titled “Voluntary certification of recovery residences.” It directs DCF to approve at least one credentialing entity to run the program. The DCF recovery residence page names the Florida Association of Recovery Residences for residences and the Florida Certification Board for administrators.
To be certified, a residence submits an application and a set of documents. According to the statute, these include:
- A policy and procedures manual covering staff job descriptions, drug testing, and a prohibition on alcohol, illegal drugs, marijuana and sharing prescriptions.
- Resident rules and intake procedures.
- A relapse policy, a refund policy and eviction procedures.
- A code of ethics.
- Proof of insurance.
- Proof of fire, safety and health inspections.
- Proof of background screening: owners, directors and chief financial officers must pass level 2 screening.
The credentialing entity then conducts an onsite inspection, and at least one inspection a year after that. A certificate of compliance expires after one year unless renewed, and the credentialing entity can suspend or revoke it for noncompliance or for false or misleading information.
Certified recovery residence administrators
A certified residence must be “actively managed by a certified recovery residence administrator.” Administrators are credentialed separately, through the Florida Certification Board, which publishes a searchable credential database. If a residence loses its administrator, the statute requires it to notify the credentialing entity within three business days and to replace the administrator within 90 days, or lose certification.
For a family, the practical meaning is simple: a certified house must have a named, credentialed person responsible for running it. Ask who that person is.
The advertising rule
Because certification is voluntary, an uncertified house can legally operate in Florida. What it cannot do is claim certification it does not have. Section 397.487 makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to advertise a recovery residence as “certified” in any medium without a current certificate of compliance.
So if a website, flyer or listing says “certified,” it is reasonable to ask to see the certificate and check that it covers the specific address.
Referral restrictions under section 397.4873
The provision with the most practical bite is section 397.4873. In general, a service provider licensed under Chapter 397 — a detox, a residential program, an outpatient program — may not refer a prospective, current or discharged patient to a recovery residence, or accept a referral from one, unless the residence holds a valid certificate of compliance and is actively managed by a certified administrator.
The statute lists some narrow exceptions, and it overrides them in one important respect: even under an exception, a provider may not refer to or accept referrals from a residence that allows alcohol, marijuana or illegal drug use on its premises. Violations can bring a $1,000-per-occurrence administrative fine and, for willful violations, criminal penalties.
This is why discharge planners in Florida so often hand families a list of certified houses. It is also a reasonable filter for anyone choosing on their own.
Patient brokering: the kickback ban
Florida’s patient brokering statute, section 817.505, makes it a crime to offer, pay, solicit or receive any commission, bonus, rebate, kickback or bribe to induce the referral of patients to or from a health care provider or facility, including licensed substance abuse service providers. Violations are felonies, with fines that increase with the number of patients involved.
For someone looking for housing, the warning signs are easy to recognize: free rent tied to attending a particular program, an offer to pay your travel, someone encouraging you to switch insurance, or a “recruiter” who seems to be paid by placements. Treat any of these as a reason to walk away.
What has changed recently, and what hasn’t
Several bills in recent legislative sessions proposed tightening these rules, including proposals to make certification mandatory for recovery residences and administrators. As published, HB 405 (2025) and HB 1165 (2026) both died in committee, so certification remained voluntary under the statutes reviewed for this article. Laws change; check the Florida Statutes online for the current text.
Local rules: zoning and housing
Separately from state certification, recovery residences are subject to local zoning, building and fire codes like any other dwelling, and to the federal Fair Housing Act, which generally protects people in recovery from substance use disorders as people with a disability (current illegal drug use is not protected). How those interact is a specialist area, and cities across South Florida have handled it differently. If you are a resident or family member, the more useful question is not about zoning but about the house itself: is it safe, certified, inspected and well run?
Reading the written policies
Because certification requires written policies, a certified house should be able to hand you its resident rules, relapse policy, refund policy and eviction procedures before anyone pays anything. Reading them takes ten minutes and tells you more than any brochure.
- The relapse policy should say what happens step by step: who is told, whether the resident can stay, and how the house helps him reach the right level of care. Be wary of a policy that amounts to putting someone on the street that night with nowhere to go.
- The refund policy should say what happens to prepaid rent and the deposit if a resident leaves early, by choice or otherwise.
- The eviction procedures should be specific about what leads to discharge and how much notice is given.
- The drug testing policy should explain how often testing happens, whether it is random and observed, and what panel is used.
- The resident rules should cover curfew, meetings, chores, visitors and the daytime commitment of work, school or a program.
If a house is reluctant to share any of this before move-in, that reluctance is information.
How to verify a Florida sober house in ten minutes
- Ask for the certificate of compliance, and check the address and expiry date.
- Check FARR. Contact the Florida Association of Recovery Residences to confirm the residence’s status.
- Ask who the certified administrator is, and look the name up in the Florida Certification Board database.
- Ask for the written policies the statute requires: drug testing, relapse, refund and eviction.
- Listen for red flags: free rent, paid travel, insurance switching, pressure to decide.
A well-run house will answer all of this without hesitation. Our checklist for the in-person part is touring a sober living house, and the broader guide is how to find a good sober living home in Miami.
What certification does not tell you
Certification sets a floor. It confirms that a house has policies, inspections, insurance, screening and a credentialed administrator. It does not tell you whether the house is a good fit, whether the manager is genuinely present, or whether the culture among residents is healthy. That part you learn by visiting, asking questions and talking to residents. Our piece on FARR certification covers what to look for beyond the certificate.
Where The Foundry stands
Both Foundry houses — Foundry: Lakehouse in North Miami Beach and Foundry: Beachhouse in Hollywood — are FARR-certified men’s recovery residences. We provide housing, structure and accountability, not clinical treatment. If you would like to see our certification or our written policies, ask; we will show you.
Call (954) 817-7143 with any question in this article. If you need treatment rather than housing, we will tell you that, too.
Directions to our houses
Seeing a house in person is the best check of all. Choose a house and a starting point below for live directions.
