This page summarizes Ohio Revised Code sections 5119.01 and 5119.39 through 5119.396, the Department of Behavioral Health statewide registry page, and the official registry search, all read November 12, 2026. It is general information, not legal advice and not a referral to any house. Confirm the current listing and the current statute text yourself.
ACC does not place residents and does not recommend operators. Owners preparing a shared-housing property can start with what is needed to operate a group home in Cleveland and group-home rehab and project management. We work asynchronously, so families, case workers and owners can reach us by email or the contact form from any time zone; you do not need to catch us during Ohio business hours.
What "recovery housing" and "sober living" mean in Ohio
ORC 5119.01 defines a "recovery housing residence" as a residence for individuals recovering from alcohol use disorder or drug addiction that provides an alcohol-free and drug-free living environment, peer support, assistance with obtaining alcohol and drug addiction services, and other recovery assistance for alcohol use disorder and drug addiction. "Sober living" is not defined in that section, but it is one of the labels named in the advertising rule below. A website that uses either phrase is a claim you can test on the registry, not proof the house meets the definition. This page is not medical or treatment advice. If a listing mentions clinical services, treat that as a different kind of setting and ask how any clinical work is authorized.
What the registry is, and who can appear on it
ORC 5119.394 requires the Department of Behavioral Health to keep a registry of recovery housing residences that meet ORC 5119.392 and to make it public on the department's website. The department's Statewide Registry page, dated August 10, 2026 and read November 12, 2026, describes the same list and links the public search.
Beginning January 1, 2025, ORC 5119.392 allows a recovery housing residence to operate only if it is certified by the department (if the department certifies residences) or accredited by an organization whose accreditation the department accepts, or if it has been operating for not more than 18 months and is actively working toward certification or accreditation. That 18-month clock starts on the date the first resident occupies the residence, as specified on the operator form filed under ORC 5119.391.
ORC 5119.39 lets the department monitor recovery housing by certifying residences itself or by accepting accreditation, or its equivalent, from the Ohio affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences, from Oxford House, Inc., or from another organization it designates. The department's registry page states that it recognizes Ohio Recovery Housing's accreditation and Oxford House Inc.'s charter.
Filing the operator form is not the same as being listed. ORC 5119.391 requires the operator to file a department form with the residence name and any other business name, the address, the operator's name, a primary telephone number and email address, the first-occupancy date, and information about accreditation or efforts to obtain it. For a residence that begins operating on or after October 3, 2023, the form is due no later than 30 days after the first resident occupies it. The registry publishes only what the department chooses from that form, plus substantiated-complaint notes, and only if the residence meets the 5119.392 criteria.
The advertising rule and the referral rule
Beginning January 1, 2025, ORC 5119.395 says no person or government entity shall advertise or represent any residence or other building to be a recovery housing residence, sober living home, or any other alcohol- and drug-free housing for persons recovering from alcohol use disorder or drug addiction unless the building is on the 5119.394 registry or is regulated by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction under ORC 2967.14. If the director of behavioral health determines that someone is violating that rule, the director may ask the attorney general to seek an injunction in the court of common pleas of the county where the building is being operated.
Beginning on the same date, ORC 5119.396 says community addiction services providers and community mental health services providers shall not refer clients to a recovery housing residence unless it is on the registry on the date the referral is made, and shall keep records of those referrals. If you are a case worker at one of those providers, look the house up the day you refer and save proof of that check. ACC is not one of those providers and does not make housing referrals.
How to search the registry
Use the Department of Behavioral Health recovery housing residence search. The search page, read November 12, 2026, says it lists residences accredited as described in ORC 5119.392 or, if newer (in operation not more than 18 months), residences actively working toward that accreditation. Run a search with no criteria for the statewide list. To check one house, use the residence name, and narrow by county (Cuyahoga for the Cleveland area), city, ZIP code, target population (families with children, men, men with children, women, women with children, or not specified), or handicap accessibility.
A search run on November 12, 2026 showed these results columns: residence name, doing business as, city, county, ZIP code, phone, website, bed count, NARR level, target population, special population, handicap accessible, and complaints. Match the name, any doing-business-as name, city, county and ZIP code to the house you were told about. If two houses have similar names, do not assume you have the right one until those fields match.
Read the NARR level against the table on the department's statewide registry page:
| NARR level | ASAM/NARR type (department's table) | Defining characteristics (department's wording) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Type P | Peer-run, decisions made solely by residents. |
| Level 2 | Type M | Managed environment; house rules, appointed by resident leader. |
| Level 3 | Type S | Supervised activities, staffing, life skills programming. |
| Level 4 | Type C | Clinical services included. |
The results table may show a short label, such as "Supervised," rather than "Level 3." Ask the operator what daily support actually looks like. A higher level is a different structure, not automatically a better one. Also read the complaints column. If a complaint received under ORC 5119.393 has been investigated and substantiated, ORC 5119.394 says the registry should include a description, the date submitted, and the outcome, with confidentiality protections. The department must have a procedure to receive complaints from residents, staff and the public. This page does not invent a filing number; use the contacts the department publishes.
Check on the day you rely on the result. ORC 5119.394(C) requires the department to remove a residence immediately if it ceases to meet the 5119.392 criteria, including when certification or accreditation is revoked or not renewed. The department's registry page repeats that rule.
What a listing does not tell you, and what to ask the house
A registry row is a legal-status check, not a tour, not a contract, and not a promise of fit. Before anyone pays a deposit or moves in, ask the operator:
- Is this house on the registry today, and can you show me the listing that matches this address and this operator name?
- May I have a written resident agreement before I pay? What does it say about fees, deposits, what is included, house rules, and when someone may be asked to leave?
- Who operates the house, and how do I reach that person after move-in?
- What are the expectations for guests, hours, chores, work or school, and substance-free living, and how is a rule violation handled?
If the operator cannot show a current matching listing, treat the advertising rule as the reason to slow down. A website or a friend's recommendation is not a substitute for the official search. This guide does not name or recommend any house, and it does not tell you to move in or stay out. That decision, and any legal advice, belongs to you or to a case worker bound by 5119.396.
Mistakes that delay a real check
- Checking once, early. A listing from last month can be gone today. Providers making a referral must confirm the residence is on the registry on the referral date.
- Matching only a nickname. Search the legal name and any doing-business-as name, then confirm city, county and ZIP code.
- Assuming a "sober living" website means the house is listed. The advertising rule exists because those phrases can be used loosely.
- Treating the registry as treatment or a quality score. It is a baseline list with complaint notes, not a ranking and not medical advice.
- Skipping the written agreement. Registry status does not replace terms you can read before you pay.
If you operate, or plan to operate, a recovery housing residence
File the 5119.391 form on the department's timeline. After January 1, 2025, you may not operate as recovery housing unless you meet the certification, accreditation, or 18-month path in 5119.392, and you may not advertise the building as recovery housing, sober living, or other alcohol- and drug-free housing for people in recovery unless it is on the registry or is DRC-regulated under 2967.14.
If you pursue accreditation through Ohio Recovery Housing, that organization's fees page, read November 12, 2026, states that for applications received after January 1, 2025, there is an $800 application fee and a $250 house fee, covering a two-year period, payable at once or in two annual installments. Those are ORH's published fees, not a department charge, and they can change; confirm them on ORH's site before you budget. ACC does not process the state form, does not accredit houses, and cannot put a residence on the registry.
ACC can do the property work: rehab project coordination and, where it fits, rental property management for group-home and shared-housing owners in Cleveland, as a licensed general contractor, License #CR25025171. Owners working from another state or abroad can start with our page on Cleveland group-home projects for remote investors. We quote after we know the property. We do not guarantee registry status, occupancy, rents or outcomes, and we do not provide treatment.
Talk through rehab or management for a shared-housing property.
Call (216) 238-5999, email support@accmgmtsolutions.com or use the ACC consultation form. Bring the property address and what you intend to operate. We will talk about rehab and management only. We do not refer residents to houses and we do not advertise ACC homes as sober living or recovery housing.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ohio's recovery housing registry?
It is the public list the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health keeps under ORC 5119.394 of recovery housing residences that meet ORC 5119.392: they are certified or accredited as the statute allows, or they have been operating for not more than 18 months and are actively working toward certification or accreditation. The official search is at rhsearch.dbh.ohio.gov.
How do I check whether a Cleveland sober-living home is on the registry?
Open rhsearch.dbh.ohio.gov. Search by residence name, or narrow by county (Cuyahoga), city or ZIP code, and optionally by target population or handicap accessibility. Match the name, doing-business-as name, city, county and ZIP code to the house you were told about, and read the complaints field. Check on the day you are relying on the result, because the department immediately removes a residence that no longer meets the criteria.
If a home is not on the registry, what does that mean?
Beginning January 1, 2025, ORC 5119.395 bars advertising or representing a building as a recovery housing residence, sober living home, or other alcohol- and drug-free housing for people in recovery unless the building is on the registry or is regulated by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction under ORC 2967.14. A missing listing is a reason to ask the operator to show a current registry entry, not a referral to another house. Community addiction and mental health services providers also may not refer clients to recovery housing that is not on the registry on the referral date.
Is being on the registry the same as treatment or a quality guarantee?
No. The registry is a legal baseline, not a treatment license, not a medical credential, and not a promise about daily operations. Read any substantiated-complaint information, get a written resident agreement before you pay or move in, and ask how rules, costs and exits work. This page is not a referral and not medical or legal advice.
Does ACC Solutions operate registered recovery housing or refer people to homes?
No. ACC is not on the Department of Behavioral Health recovery housing registry and has not filed the operator form. This page does not advertise any ACC home as sober living or recovery housing, and ACC does not refer residents to housing providers. ACC provides rehab and property management for group-home and shared-housing owners in Cleveland, as a licensed general contractor, License #CR25025171.