What Is a Sober Living House in Ohio?
Ohio law has its own name for it: a recovery housing residence. Section 5119.01 of the Ohio Revised Code defines one 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 the everyday name. The National Alliance for Recovery Residences, which writes the national standard, says in its standards that homes at its second level “are frequently called sober homes or sober living.”
A sober living house is a place to live with other people in recovery. Treatment happens somewhere else.
Does a Sober Living House in Ohio Have to Be Certified?
Yes. Section 5119.392 says: “Beginning January 1, 2025, no person or government entity shall operate a recovery housing residence unless either of the following applies”. One case is a residence that the state has certified, or that an organization the state accepts has accredited. The other is a newer residence that “has been operating for not more than eighteen months and is actively engaged in efforts to obtain certification or accreditation, as applicable.”
Section 5119.39 names the organizations whose accreditation the state can accept. Two are named outright: “The Ohio affiliate of the national alliance for recovery residences” and “Oxford house, inc.” The Ohio affiliate is Ohio Recovery Housing, which describes itself as “a state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR).”
The words sober living are covered as well. Under section 5119.395, “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 it meets one of two conditions. The first is that it “is on the registry established and maintained under section 5119.394 of the Revised Code”. The second covers halfway houses that the state’s corrections department regulates.
So a house in Columbus that calls itself sober living should be on the state registry. That gives you something you can check yourself.
How Do You Find a Sober Living House in Columbus?
Start with the registry. Section 5119.394 requires the state to keep it and says “The department shall make the registry available to the public on the department’s web site.” The search page is Search for Recovery Housing Residences. It lists residences “that are accredited as described in Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) 5119.392 or, if newer (in operation for not more than 18 months), are actively engaged in efforts to obtain such accreditation.”
To see the houses in and around Columbus:
- Open the search page.
- Under County, choose Franklin. You can also search by city or zip code.
- Under Target Population, choose who the house should serve. The choices are Men, Women, Men with Children, Women with Children and Families with Children.
- Tick Handicap Accessible if you need it.
- Press Search.
You can also open the Franklin County list directly.
What the Franklin County List Showed on October 7, 2026
The search returned 334 residences. Each row gives the residence’s name, its city and zip code, a phone number, a bed count, its level, the people it serves, whether it is handicap accessible and a complaints count.
- Where: 292 gave Columbus as the city. Reynoldsburg had 16, Whitehall 13 and Groveport 7, and the last 6 were spread over five other places.
- Size: the bed counts added up to 2,222.
- Who they serve: 171 listed men and 83 listed women. 67 listed every group, and 13 listed parents with children or families.
- Level: 27 were listed as Peer-Run, 275 as Managed and 32 as Supervised.
- Access: 50 were marked handicap accessible.
- Complaints: 2 showed a complaint. Section 5119.394 says the registry carries a complaint once it “has been investigated and substantiated”.
The list changes as houses open, close or lose their standing, so run the search again on the day you need it.
Two Other Places to Look
- Oxford House. Oxford House, Inc. is one of the organizations the statute names. Its website describes Oxford Houses as “self-run, self-supported homes for individuals in recovery from a Substance Use Disorder.” Its vacancy finder can be set to Ohio and to a county.
- The county board. The ADAMH Board of Franklin County says it “helps Franklin County residents find the right places to turn for affordable, quality alcohol, substance use disorder and mental health services.” Some of the agencies in its network run recovery housing.
Wherever you hear about a house, look it up on the registry before you pay anything.
What Are the Levels of Sober Living?
The national standard sorts recovery housing into four levels. In the words of the standard:
- Level I, peer-run. These “are democratically run alcohol and illicit substance-free recovery homes.”
- Level II, monitored. These are the homes that “are frequently called sober homes or sober living.” They “utilize house rules and peer accountability to maintain safe and healthy living environments.”
- Level III, supervised. This level “delivers weekly, structured programming including peer-based and other recovery support services”.
- Level IV, clinical. “In addition to peer-based recovery support, recovery support services, and life skills development, Level IV’s offer clinical addiction treatment.”
The state registry lists the first three. Its label for the second level is Managed.
Level IV is a different kind of place in Ohio. Ohio Recovery Housing says: “In Ohio, these settings are considered to be residential treatment facilities, and must be licensed by the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health.”
Is a Sober Living House the Same as a Halfway House?
People use the two names for the same thing. Ohio’s statutes do not.
A halfway house, in the statutes, belongs to the corrections system. Section 2967.14 says the state “may require or allow a parolee, a releasee, or a prisoner otherwise released from a state correctional institution to reside in a halfway house or other suitable community residential center”.
A sober living house is recovery housing, and it goes on the recovery housing registry. If you are searching for a halfway house in Columbus and what you want is a sober place to live while you work on recovery, the registry is the list to use.
Residential treatment is a third thing. It provides clinical care where you sleep, and the state licenses it.
What Does Sober Living Cost, and Who Pays?
Fees differ from house to house, so ask for them in writing. Here is what the official sources say about who pays.
- Residents pay the house. Oxford House puts it this way: “Each member pays EES (Equal Expense Share) which includes the total amount of rent due for the month, utilities and basic staples for the house.”
- Medicaid does not pay for the bed. Ohio Medicaid’s rule on behavioral health services, rule 5160-27-02, says the services “do not include any of the following”, and the list that follows names “Room and board.” Medicaid can still pay for the treatment you attend.
- Some houses get local funding. The ADAMH Board of Franklin County wrote in a September 16, 2025 article that it “invests in recovery housing programs across its provider network.” Of one men’s house it said the board “funds the day-to-day operations of the recovery house, including staffing, utilities and food.”
Before you agree to move in, ask:
- What the fee is, how often it is due and what it includes.
- Whether there is a deposit and when it is returned.
- What happens to money you have paid if you leave early or are asked to leave.
- Whether anyone helps residents apply for funding.
What Rights Does a Resident Have?
Ohio Recovery Housing sets conditions for the homes it accredits. A Level I, II or III home has to “Maintain a landlord/tenant relationship with residents” and “Maintain a resident-driven length of stay”.
The state has its own list. Rule 5122-31-19 of the Ohio Administrative Code took effect on August 10, 2026. The rights it sets out include:
- “The right to request a written copy of all resident rights and the grievance procedure.”
- “The right to receive behavioral health services and/or medical services from a provider of one’s own choosing.”
- “The right to exercise one’s rights under Ohio landlord/tenant laws.”
- “The right not to be locked out of the residence at any time.”
If something goes wrong, you can complain. Section 5119.393 says the state “shall establish a procedure to receive and investigate complaints from residents, staff, and the public regarding recovery housing residences.” Ohio Recovery Housing takes complaints through a form on its complaints page: “Ohio Recovery Housing Inc. triages all complaints received through the website and refers them to the appropriate accrediting organization or the Department of Behavioral Health.”
Can You Go to Treatment While You Live in Sober Living?
Yes. In a home that Ohio Recovery Housing accredits, treatment has to happen somewhere else. Its conditions say a home must “Not offer clinical treatment services in the same building as the recovery home” and must “Allow residents to have free choice of service providers”.
The registry matters here too. Under section 5119.396, addiction and mental health providers “shall not refer clients to a recovery housing residence unless the residence is on the registry”.
Houses set their own policies on prescribed medication. If you take one, ask about it before you apply.
Looking Outside Columbus?
The registry covers every county in Ohio. Use the same search and choose the county: Montgomery for Dayton, Cuyahoga for Cleveland, Hamilton for Cincinnati, Lucas for Toledo or Summit for Akron.
In Dayton, the Montgomery County ADAMHS Board describes what it supports as “Recovery housing for people coming out of addiction or dependency treatment who would like additional support.”
Where Leora Behavioral Health Fits
Leora Behavioral Health does not run sober living houses. It is an outpatient provider in Columbus and Dayton, so you live somewhere else while you attend. That can be your own home or a sober living house.
- Intensive outpatient in Columbus is three hours of group therapy a day, three to five days a week, with a separate track for substance use.
- Outpatient in Columbus is one to two days a week.
- Virtual IOP is online, with an evening program for substance use.
- Partial hospitalization runs Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:15 pm.
Leora accepts every Ohio Medicaid plan and every commercial carrier, and admissions can check your coverage when you call. That coverage is for treatment. A house’s fees are separate.
If Someone Is in Danger Right Now
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
For a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988. The 988 Lifeline says of itself: “The 988 Lifeline is available 24/7/365.”
