AN ACT CONCERNING REQUIREMENTS FOR SOBER LIVING HOMES OPERATING IN THE STATE.

House of Representatives
sHB5490 / File No. 600 1

General Assembly File No. 600
February Session, 2026 Substitute House Bill No. 5490

House of Representatives, April 13, 2026

The Committee on Judiciary reported through REP.
STAFSTROM of the 129th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee
on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING REQUIREMENTS FOR SOBER LIVING
HOMES OPERATING IN THE STATE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 17a -716 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 2
(a) As used in this section: 3
(1) "Sober living home" means an alcohol -free and drug -free 4
residence where (A) unrelated adults who are recovering from a 5
substance use disorder choose to live together in a supportive 6
environment during their recovery, and (B) no formal substance use 7
disorder treatment services are provided; and 8
(2) "Operator" means the lawful owner of a sober living home or a 9
person designated by such lawful owner to have primary responsibility 10
for the daily operation of such sober living home. 11
(b) An operator of a sober living home that is certified as a recovery 12
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residence by an affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery 13
Residences, or a successor organization, or another organization 14
recognized by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services 15
as an organization responsible for certifying sober living homes in the 16
state, [may] shall (1) report the sober living home's certified status to the 17
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, [provided such 18
operator maintains at least] (2) provide the department with the name 19
and contact information for any individual who is responsible for 20
oversight of the daily operations of the sober living home, (3) maintain 21
not less than two doses of opioid antagonists, as defined in section 17a-22
714a, on the premises [and provides] for each individual residing at the 23
sober living home, (4) provide annual training to all of its residents in 24
the administration of an opioid antagonist when such home is occupied 25
by at least one resident who has been diagnosed with opioid use 26
disorder, [. An operator of a sober living home that reports its certified 27
status to the department shall] and (5) provide the department with the 28
number of beds available in the sober living home at the time of its 29
report and weekly thereafter. [The department shall post on its Internet 30
web site a list of the sober living homes that have reported their certified 31
status pursuant to this section and the number of beds available at each 32
such sober living home. The department shall update the list of sober 33
living homes and the bed availability at each sober living home on a 34
weekly basis.] 35
(c) In addition, on or before January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, 36
the operator of a sober living home that is certified as a recovery 37
residence by an affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery 38
Residences, or a successor organization, or another organization 39
recognized by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services 40
as an organization responsible for certifying sober living homes in the 41
state, shall report to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction 42
Services and the chief elected official of the municipality in which the 43
sober living house is located on the following: 44
(1) The total bed capacity of the sober living home; 45
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(2) The average number of individuals residing at the sober living 46
home on a daily basis during the prior calendar year; 47
(3) The average number of staff employed by the sober living home 48
on a daily basis during the prior calendar year; 49
(4) The professional licensure or certification credentials of any staff 50
employed at the sober living home; 51
(5) The type of professional training provided to staff on an annual 52
basis, including, but not limited to, training on the administration of 53
opioid antagonists, as defined in section 17a-714a; 54
(6) Whether criminal history records checks are required of the staff 55
at the sober living home; 56
(7) The quantity of opioid antagonists maintained and available on a 57
daily basis for use at the sober living home; 58
(8) The name of the individual or entity that owns the sober living 59
home; 60
(9) The level of professional liability insurance maintained by the 61
individual or entity that owns the sober living home; 62
(10) The number of sinks, toilets, showers and bathtubs available to 63
individuals residing at the sober living home; and 64
(11) Copies of any citations alleging a violation of the Public Health 65
Code, the State Building Code, the Fire Safety Code or a municipal code, 66
as defined in section 8-169aa, received by the sober living home during 67
the time period covered by the report. 68
(d) The department shall post on its Internet web site a list of the sober 69
living homes that have reported their certified status pursuant to this 70
section and the number of beds available at each such sober living home. 71
The department shall update the list of sober living homes and the bed 72
availability at each sober living home on a weekly basis. 73
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[(c)] (e) No operator of a sober living home shall (1) advertise or 74
represent that a sober living home is a facility that is certified or licensed 75
to provide substance use disorder treatment services, [or] (2) publish 76
any claims of particular outcomes for individuals residing in such 77
homes, or (3) without the consent of an individual residing at a sober 78
living home, disclose personally identifiable information to any other 79
person if such disclosure would constitute a violation of federal law, 80
including, but not limited to, the Health Insurance Portability and 81
Accountability Act of 1996 (P.L. 104 -191) (HIPAA), as amended from 82
time to time. Any Internet web site or publication maintained by a sober 83
living home shall include a clear and conspicuous statement in bold 84
typeface that the sober living home (A) is not licensed or certified to 85
provide substance use disorder treatment services, and (B) is a type of 86
housing in which individuals recovering from a substance use disorder 87
voluntarily choose to live together in a supportive environment during 88
their recovery. Any violation of the provisions of this subsection shall 89
constitute an unfair trade practice pursuant to section 42-110b. 90
[(d) On or before August 1, 2018, the ] (f) The commissioner shall 91
create a printable one -page disclosure form for distribution to 92
prospective sober living home residents. Such disclosure form shall (1) 93
be written in plain language and in an easily readable format, (2) state 94
that sober living homes are not licensed or certified to provide substance 95
use disorder treatment services, (3) provide information on sober living 96
homes and resources for individuals recovering from a substance use 97
disorder, and (4) contain a signature line on which a prospective 98
resident may sign the form. Such disclosure form shall be made 99
available to the public on the department's Internet web site. The 100
commissioner shall review and update such disclosure form as 101
necessary. 102
[(e)] (g) The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services 103
may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, 104
to implement the provisions of this section. 105
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2026 17a-716

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(c)(11), commas were added for proper form.

JUD Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO

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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Mental Health & Addiction
Serv., Dept.
GF - Cost at least
$100,000
at least
$100,000
Note: GF=General Fund

Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill results in a cost of at least $ 100,000 to the Department of
Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) associated with
reporting requirements for sober living homes. Costs reflect increased
contract costs to expand the current work done by Advanced Behavioral
Health around the sober house network.
Under current law, certified sober living homes are allowed but not
required to report their certified status to DMHAS, provided such
homes maintain at least two doses of an opioid antagonist and train all
residents when at least one resident has an opioid use disorder. The bill
requires all homes to report on their certified status, name and contact
information for anyone responsible for daily oversight and provide a
weekly report on bed availabilit y.1 The bill also requires homes to
annually report to DMHAS, beginning by 1/1/27, various information
including the average daily number of residents and staff, professional
or certification credentials of staff and any training provided
throughout the year, the quantity of opioid antagonists maintained and

1 As under current law, DMHAS must post and update the list of reported sober living
homes and associated bed availability on their website on a weekly basis.
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available on a daily basis , the number of sinks, toilets, showers, and
bathtubs available to residents, and copies of any citations related to
public health, building, fire, or municipal code violations.
To the extent DMHAS is required to verify
that sober living homes are meeting the requirements of the bill, the
agency will incur additional staffing and contract costs.
The bill also adds a provision to an existing unfair trade practice
violation concerning sober living homes resulting in no fiscal impact to
the state. The Department of Consumer Protection investigates these
violations and has the resources and expertise to meet the requirements
of the bill.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to inflation.

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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5490

AN ACT CONCERNING REQUIREMENTS FOR SOBER LIVING
HOMES OPERATING IN THE STATE.

SUMMARY
This bill makes several changes regarding the oversight of sober
living homes. By law, these are alcohol- and drug-free residences where
(1) unrelated adults who are recovering from substance use disorder
choose to live together in a supportive environment during their
recovery and (2) no formal substance use disorder treatment services are
provided.
First, the bill increases reporting requirements for the operators of
sober living homes that are certified as recovery residences by an
affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (see
BACKGROUND) or a successor organization , or another organization
the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS)
recognizes as certifying sober living homes in the state. It does this by
requiring operators to:
1. report the home’s certified status to DMHAS, instead of allowing
them to do this;
2. give DHMAS (a) the name and contact information of anyone
who oversees daily operations and (b) weekly information on the
number of available beds; and
3. beginning by January 1, 2027, annually report certain operational
information to DMHAS and the municipality where the home is
located.
The bill also requires these operators to (1) keep on the home’s
premises at least two doses of opioid antagonists (Narcan, for example)
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for each resident and (2) annually train all residents on how to
administer it when at least one resident has a diagnosed opioid use
disorder.
Additionally, it prohibits all sober living home operator s from
disclosing personally identifiable information , without the resident’s
consent, to another person if doing so would violate federal law, such
as the Health Insurance Portability and Protection Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
It makes doing this an unfair trade practice (see BACKGROUND).
Existing law, unchanged by the bill, authorizes DMHAS to adopt
regulations to implement these oversight requirements.
Lastly, the bill makes technical and conforming changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2026
CERTIFIED SOBER LIVING HOME REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Reporting Certified Status
Current law allows the operators of certified sober living homes to
report a home’s certified to status to DMHAS as long as the home keeps
at least two doses of an opioid antagonist and trains all residents on how
to administer it if at least one resident has an opioid use disorder . By
law, the operator is the owner or other designated person who manages
the home’s daily operations.
The bill makes reporting the certified status mandatory, and not only
for homes that meet the opioid antagonist requirements. Additionally,
the homes must give DMHAS:
1. the name and contact information for anyone who is responsible
for the home’s daily operations and
2. weekly information on the number of beds available, which,
under current law, is only required for the homes that opt to
report their certified status.
Annual Reporting to DMHAS and Municipalities
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Under the bill, a certified sober living home operator must annually
report the following information to DMHAS and the chief elected
official of the municipality where the home is located:
1. name of the individual or entity that owns the home;
2. total bed capacity of the home;
3. how many sinks, toilets, showers, and bathtubs are available to
the home’s residents;
4. for the previous calendar year, the average daily number of (a)
residents living at the home and (b) staff employed by the home;
and
5. quantity of opioid antagonists that are maintained and available
for use at the home on a daily basis.
Additionally, t he operator must include information on (1)
professional licensure or certification held by any staff of the home; (2)
the types of professional training that staff receive each year, including
on how to administer opioid antagonists; (3) whether criminal
background checks are required of staff; and (4) the level of professional
liability insurance the home’s owner maintains. It must also provide
copies of any citations the home received during the reporting period
that allege a violation of the state’s public health, building, or fire safety
codes, or a violation of certain municipal codes (for example, building,
blight, fire, or health ordinances).
BACKGROUND
Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA)
By law, CUTPA prohibits businesses from engaging in unfair and
deceptive acts or practices. It allows the consumer protection
commissioner, under specified procedures, to issue regulations defining
an unfair trade practice, investigate complaints, issue cease and desist
orders, order restitution in cases involving less than $10,000, impose
civil penalties of up to $5,000 , enter into consent agreements, ask the
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attorney general to seek injunctive relief, and accept voluntary
statements of compliance. It also allows individuals to sue. Courts may
issue restraining orders; award actual and punitive damages, costs, and
reasonable attorney’s fees; and impose civil penalties of up to $5,000 for
willful violations and up to $25,000 for a restraining order violation.
National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR)
NARR is a nonprofit recovery community organization. It has
national standards for recovery residences that categorize four types of
housing and services ( known as levels or levels of support). The most
recent standards were released in 201 8. NARR does not directly certify
recovery residences. However, it licenses its national certification
program to affiliated organizations that provide certification.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Judiciary Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 37 Nay 0 (03/24/2026)