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Recovery House and D&A Facility Licensing

Confidentiality Webinar Series

DDAP is pleased to present the Confidentiality Webinar Series developed for the Substance Use Disorder Field.  The series addresses ACT 33, common regulatory citations, and frequently asked questions.  For more details click here.

Recovery House Licensing

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) is initiating a licensure program for drug and alcohol recovery houses that receive funding or referrals from public sources. DDAP’s Final-Omitted Regulations on Standards for Drug and Alcohol Recovery House Licensure are available in the PA Code & Bulletin and DDAP is accepting applications for recovery houses seeking licensure. DDAP will begin enforcing the licensing requirement on June 9, 2022.

Chapter 717 – Standards for Drug and Alcohol Recovery House Licensure

Find a Licensed Drug and Alcohol Recovery House

Recovery House Licensing FAQ *NEW

Which Recovery Houses Need a License?

Drug and alcohol recovery houses must get a license in order to accept:

  1. Referrals from state agencies or state-funded facilities, or
  2. Federal or state funding to deliver recovery house services.
In addition, the law imposes two additional requirements on referrals to recovery houses:
  1. Persons 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.

If you are opening or running a recovery house that requires a license, please view the licensing process document below for how to become licensed. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Division of Drug and Alcohol Program Licensures at (717) 783-8675.

**We do not accept American Express or Discover.

Apply online to become a licensed recoveyr house


Recovery House Licensing Forms


Drug and Alcohol Treatment Facility Licensing

Enterprise Licensing System (ELS) *NEW

The Enterprise Licensing System (ELS)​ is a multi-agency licensing and incident management system designed to replace and modernize the various licensing, permitting, registration, certification and incident management related systems currently used by four agencies:

Department of Human Services (DHS),

Department of Health (DOH),

Department of Aging (PDA), and

Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs (DDAP).

ELS will enable staff to manage and process licensing, permitting, registration, certification and related inspection or survey activities from initial application through issuance, as well as offer extensive reporting capabilities. Additionally, the ELS will be used to record, review, investigate, and analyze incidents and complaints.


Licensing Information

Persons, partnerships, corporations, and othe​​r legal entities that provide drug and alcohol services are required to be licensed as a drug and alcohol facility.  Once licensure is obtained, a certificate of licensure or certificate of compliance is issued to the owner for a specific location and for specific drug and alcohol activities.  A facility may be licensed for more than one activity.

Depending on the legal base under which the organization operates and the services being provided, different chapters of regulations apply. (i.e. physical plant, staffing, narcotic addiction treatment, etc.)  Should you have questions concerning which regulations are applicable to your facility, please contact the Division of Drug and Alcohol Program Licensures at (717) 783-8675.


Drug and Alcohol Treatment Facility Licensing Forms

​Telehealth Only Licensing Forms*NEW

Application Request and other Administrative Forms​​​​​​

New Facility Application - Telehealth Only

Adding A New Site to an Existing Project


REMINDER: Drug and alcohol treatment facilities and licensed recovery houses can utilize the new Electronic Reporting System (ERS) to submit unusual incident reports. This new system makes it easier to submit unusual incident reports to DDAP licensing staff for review. Please see this brochure for additional information.