Guide
New Jersey sober living laws and regulations
New Jersey regulates sober living homes as cooperative sober living residences, licensed by the Department of Community Affairs under a Class F license (N.J.A.C. 5:27). A home may house no more than 10 residents, needs two operators with one on site from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and may not provide clinical treatment. A 2025 law added certified operators, inspections at least twice a year and a public list of licensed homes.
- Who licenses
- NJ Department of Community Affairs
- License
- Class F, since January 16, 2018
- Rules
- N.J.A.C. 5:27 and N.J.S.A. 55:13B
- Latest change
- P.L.2025, c.60; inspections from January 1, 2026
Reviewed against public records, October 2026: N.J.A.C. 5:27, P.L.2025, c.60, federal fair-housing law and the New Jersey Legislature's bill records. General information, not legal advice. Sources
Who licenses sober living homes in New Jersey?
The Department of Community Affairs' Bureau of Rooming and Boarding House Standards licenses and inspects sober living homes. Since January 16, 2018, any home operating as a cooperative sober living residence must hold a Class F license, which is valid only for these homes (N.J.A.C. 5:27-1.3, 1.4, 1.6).
The Class F license sits inside New Jersey's rooming and boarding house law (N.J.S.A. 55:13B), so a sober home is licensed the way a rooming house is, with its own added rules. The annual license fee is $356, plus $56 for a home with 6 to 10 residents (N.J.A.C. 5:27-1.6(c)). The state can refuse a license for certain fraud convictions and findings of discrimination (N.J.A.C. 5:27-1.6(e), (i)).
Sober living homes are also called recovery residences. A state license is not the same thing as certification by a standards body such as a NARR affiliate; the four recovery residence levels explain that system. And a sober living home is not a halfway house, which in New Jersey is usually a corrections program (how the two differ).
At a glance
The Class F license in four facts
- DCAThe Bureau of Rooming and Boarding House Standards licenses and inspects
- Class FValid only for cooperative sober living residences
- 10Residents at most, not counting the operators
- 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.An operator on site overnight when residents are home
N.J.A.C. 5:27-1.3, 1.6 and 2.1
What counts as a cooperative sober living residence?
New Jersey defines it as a home only for people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction, where residents support each other's sobriety. To qualify, it must meet six conditions (N.J.A.C. 5:27-2.1).
- Two operatorsOne is on site from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. whenever residents are present; at least one lives in the home and sets its rules.5:27-2.1
- Ten residents at mostThe count doesn't include the operators.5:27-2.1
- Alcohol- and drug-freeThe home must stay free of alcohol and drugs.5:27-2.1
- No treatment on siteThe licensee provides no counseling, therapy or clinical treatment in the home.5:27-2.1
- No personal servicesThe licensee provides no food, laundry, financial or other personal services.5:27-2.1
- Recovery support allowedNon-clinical support is optional, and the home may require or encourage self-help meetings.5:27-2.1
Every residence must also have a full kitchen the residents can use (N.J.A.C. 5:27-4.2(b)).
What can house rules require in a Class F home?
House rules carry most of the day-to-day detail. The state lets them require weekly drug and alcohol tests and a reasonable curfew, and it sets a few limits every recovery home must follow.
| Topic | What the rule says | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Written rules | Posted in the home, given to each resident at move-in, and provided to the state on request. | 5:27-3.2(c) |
| Drug and alcohol tests | House rules may require weekly screening of all residents. | 5:27-13.2(a) |
| Curfew | A reasonable curfew is allowed. It can't apply during work or recovery activities, or stop residents from having visitors or running errands. | 5:27-13.2(b) |
| Medication | The home provides lockboxes for prescription medication. | 5:27-13.3(b) |
| Bedroom doors | No keyed entry locks or deadbolts. | 5:27-13.3(c) |
| Serious incidents | A death, overdose or assault is reported to the state by phone at once, then in writing within 72 hours. | 5:27-13.3(a) |
| Medical care | No medical certificate is needed to move in; residents contact their own doctor. | 5:27-3.5 |
If you take prescribed medication for opioid use disorder, ask each home how its lockbox and medication policy work; sober living on MAT covers the questions to ask.
What rights do sober living residents have in New Jersey?
The resident rights in New Jersey's rooming-house rules are not on the Class F exemption list, so they apply in a sober living home too (N.J.A.C. 5:27-3.1, 13.1).
- Your moneyManage your own financial affairs.
- Privacy and mailA right to privacy, and to send and receive sealed mail.
- PhoneAccess to a phone at a reasonable hour.
- VisitorsSee and talk with anyone you choose at a reasonable hour.
- Your own doctorKeep your own physician, and the confidentiality of your medical care.
- BelongingsKeep and use your personal property in your room, with limits only for safety or others' rights.
- ComplaintsRaise grievances with the home or the state without retaliation.
- Civil rightsNo constitutional, civil or legal right is lost by living there.
Federal fair-housing law adds a layer: it counts alcoholism and past drug addiction as disabilities, which protects people in recovery from housing discrimination. Current illegal drug use is not covered (42 U.S.C. § 3602(h); 24 C.F.R. § 100.201).
Can a sober living home remove a resident?
Yes. A resident who breaks the house rules, including the rules against alcohol and drugs, can be removed by the operator's decision or by a vote of the residents, following the procedure the house rules set out (N.J.A.C. 5:27-3.3(c)). The county welfare board notice that applies to other rooming-house moves doesn't apply to those removals (N.J.A.C. 5:27-3.4(c)).
Ask how removal works, and what happens after a slip, before you move in. What to do after a relapse
What changed with New Jersey's 2025 sober living law?
P.L.2025, c.60, signed June 3, 2025, wrote new requirements for sober living homes into state law, on top of the Class F rules the state adopted in January 2025.
Since October 1, 2025, the law requires two operators certified as meeting the Department of Community Affairs' qualifications, one on site from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and one living in the home. Homes must forbid alcohol and illicit drugs, test at random, and encourage self-help programs. They must notify the state of serious incidents and send a written report within five working days. The department must publish a list of licensed homes with their location and contact information. From January 1, 2026, it inspects each home and reviews its records, unannounced, at least twice a year.
Timeline
New Jersey's sober living rules, 2018 to 2026
- January 16, 2018The Class F license for cooperative sober living residences takes effect.
- January 6, 2025New Class F rules on house rules, testing, curfews, lockboxes and incident reports.
- June 3, 2025P.L.2025, c.60 is signed into law.
- October 1, 2025The law takes effect: certified operators, random testing, incident reports and a public list of licensed homes.
- January 1, 2026Unannounced inspections and record reviews, at least twice a year.
N.J.A.C. 5:27 chapter notes; P.L.2025, c.60
Which sober living bills are pending in New Jersey?
Several bills would change how recovery housing is regulated in New Jersey. None of them is law.
| Bill | What it would do | Status, October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| A2198 / S4015 | Have the Department of Human Services regulate sober living homes and halfway houses as residential aftercare facilities, with background checks. | Not enacted in the 2024–2025 session; last action December 18, 2025 |
| A123 | Require a town's preliminary approval before a cooperative sober living residence can be licensed. | Introduced January 13, 2026; in Assembly committee |
| S2127 / A1313 | Require written approvals from local zoning, fire, health and building officials with a Class F license application. | Introduced January 13, 2026; in Senate committee |
Bill status changes. The New Jersey Legislature's bill search at njleg.state.nj.us shows the current status of each bill.
How can you check a sober living home in New Jersey?
Four questions show whether a home works under the state's rules. Ask them on the phone, then again on the visit.
Ask for the Class F license
Then look for the home on the Department of Community Affairs' list of licensed residences.
Get the house rules in writing
Testing, curfew, guests, rent and removal should all be in them.
Ask who is on site tonight
An operator should be there from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Ask about medication and removal
Where the lockboxes are, and how a resident is asked to leave.
For the rest of the questions to ask, see how to choose a sober living home.
Questions about New Jersey sober living rules
No. In New Jersey, a halfway house usually means a corrections reentry program that a person is placed into while still serving a sentence. A sober living home is substance-free housing a person chooses, and the state licenses it as a cooperative sober living residence under a Class F license.
No. New Jersey's rules require a Class F license for a cooperative sober living residence; they don't require NARR certification. The certification in the 2025 law is a different thing: it means the operators are certified as meeting the Department of Community Affairs' qualifications.
Yes. The Class F rules let house rules require weekly drug and alcohol screening of every resident (N.J.A.C. 5:27-13.2), and the 2025 law requires homes to forbid alcohol and illicit drugs and to test at random (P.L.2025, c.60). Ask for the testing policy in writing before you move in.
Not as a cooperative sober living residence. The state definition caps the home at 10 residents, not counting the operators (N.J.A.C. 5:27-2.1).
No. The licensee may not provide counseling, therapy or clinical treatment in the home (N.J.A.C. 5:27-2.1). It may offer non-clinical recovery support and require or encourage self-help meetings; residents get treatment from outside programs.
Talk to NJ Sober Living
Four recovery homes in Bergen County, each Class F licensed by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Call or check availability online, and ask about anything on this page.
Sources
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. N.J.A.C. 5:27, Regulations Governing Rooming and Boarding Houses, including subchapter 13, Additional Rules Regarding Class F Cooperative Sober Living Residences (R.2025 d.005, effective January 6, 2025). nj.gov
- N.J.A.C. 5:27-2.1, Definitions, and 5:27-3.1, Rights of residents. Cornell LII (5:27-2.1), Cornell LII (5:27-3.1)
- New Jersey Legislature. P.L.2025, c.60 (Assembly No. 4535), approved June 3, 2025. pub.njleg.gov
- New Jersey Legislature, bill records: A2198 and S4015 (2024–2025 session); A123 and S2127 (2026–2027 session). Status checked October 25, 2026.
- Fair Housing Act definition of handicap, 42 U.S.C. § 3602(h), and HUD's regulation, 24 C.F.R. § 100.201. Cornell LII (42 U.S.C. 3602), Cornell LII (24 C.F.R. 100.201)
This guide describes New Jersey's sober living rules as general information. It is not legal advice. NJ Sober Living's four homes are Class F cooperative sober living residences licensed by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA).