{"data":{"id":"us-co/c.r.s.-27-50-1001","jurisdiction":"us-co","citation":"C.R.S. § 27-50-1001","heading":"Regulation of recovery residences - license - violations and penalties - rules.","body":"(1) On and after July 1, 2027, it is unlawful for a person to conduct or maintain a recovery residence without having obtained a license from the BHA.\n\n(2) A person that has been found to have violated subsection (1) of this section by a court of competent jurisdiction may be subject to a civil penalty assessed by the BHA of not less than fifty dollars but not more than one hundred dollars for each day the unlicensed recovery residence violated subsection (1) of this section. The assessed penalty accrues from the date the BHA finds that the person is in violation of this section. The BHA shall assess, enforce, and collect the penalty in accordance with article 4 of title 24 and credit the money to the general fund. Enforcement and collection of the penalty occurs following the decision reached in accordance with procedures set forth in section 24-4-105.\n\n(3) The BHA shall take action on an application for licensure within thirty days after the date that the BHA receives the complete application.\n\n(4) (a) Beginning July 1, 2027, a licensed, registered, or certified health-care provider; a behavioral health administrative services organization; a managed care entity, as defined in section 25.5-5-802 (5); a managed care organization, as defined in section 25.5-5-403 (5); a licensed health-care facility; or a governmental entity shall not refer an individual to a recovery residence or purchase or contract for services from a recovery residence unless the recovery residence has obtained a license from the behavioral health administration.\n\n(b) (I) A recovery residence that is certified pursuant to section 27-80-129 as of June 30, 2027, shall give notice to the BHA prior to July 1, 2027, in the form and manner prescribed by the BHA, that the recovery residence:\n\n(A) Holds a certification as of June 30, 2027;\n\n(B) Is in compliance with all applicable rules for operating a recovery residence adopted pursuant to section 27-50-1002; and\n\n(C) Intends to pursue a recovery residence license from the BHA pursuant to this section.\n\n(II) The certified recovery residence may operate in this state and receive referrals. A certification is in lieu of licensure until the recovery residence is licensed.\n\n(c) (I) A certified recovery residence shall submit an application for licensure to the BHA no less than sixty days prior to one year after the date the recovery residence's certification was last issued pursuant to section 27-80-129. The application must be submitted in the form and manner prescribed by the BHA pursuant to section 27-50-1003.\n\n(II) On and after July 1, 2028, a recovery residence previously certified pursuant to section 27-80-129 shall not operate without applying and being approved for a license pursuant to section 27-50-1003.\n\n(d) Beginning July 1, 2027, a certified recovery residence shall report the occurrences described in section 27-50-1006 to the BHA. The reporting requirements in section 27-50-1006 continue to apply after the certified recovery residence receives a license pursuant to section 27-50-1003.\n\n(e) Beginning July 1, 2027, the BHA may inspect a recovery residence as it deems necessary to ensure the recovery residents' health, safety, and welfare are protected. The recovery residence shall submit in writing, in the form and manner prescribed by the BHA, a plan detailing the measures that the recovery residence will take to correct violations found by the BHA as a result of inspections conducted pursuant to this subsection (4)(e). The BHA may take additional actions in accordance with section 27-50-1005.\n\n(5) (a) A recovery residence owner, employee, or manager, or an individual related to a recovery residence owner, employee, or manager, shall not directly or indirectly:\n\n(I) Solicit, accept, or receive a commission, payment, trade, fee, or anything of monetary or material value for an application to reside in the recovery residence or for any process to determine whether an individual will reside in the recovery residence; or\n\n(II) Solicit, accept, or receive a commission, payment, trade, fee, or anything of monetary or material value from a toxicology laboratory that provides confirmation testing or point-of-care testing for recovery residents.\n\n(b) Subsection (5)(a)(I) of this section does not prevent a recovery residence from receiving payment or fees:\n\n(I) For an individual to reside and receive supports in a recovery residence; or\n\n(II) For supportive services that are required to place the recovery resident.\n\n(6) (a) A recovery residence shall not deny admission to an individual based on the individual's participation in prescribed medication-assisted treatment, as defined in section 23-21-803, for a substance use disorder, including any prescribed or dispensed agonist treatment that is approved by the federal food and drug administration. The recovery residence shall not require an individual to discontinue or taper usage of medication-assisted treatment as a condition of residing in the recovery residence.\n\n(b) A recovery residence shall not categorically prohibit a recovery resident's ability to take prescribed medications, including controlled medications, in accordance with a physician's orders. Admission to, or continued residence in, a recovery residence must not be contingent upon the cessation of taking prescribed medications unless the recovery residence determines, through an individualized assessment, that the recovery resident's use of the medication poses a risk to the safety of the recovery residents, or to the recovery environment, and that the risk cannot be mitigated by reasonable accommodation. In making an individualized determination, the recovery residence shall consider individual factors for the recovery resident who is prescribed the medication that may mitigate or increase risk of misuse or diversion of the prescribed medication. The recovery residence shall establish policies and procedures to implement this subsection (6)(b).\n\n(c) A recovery residence may implement requirements related to the storage and administration of prescribed medications as a means of ensuring safety and preventing diversion of medications.\n\n(7) A recovery residence that is licensed as a behavioral health entity to provide onsite outpatient services to recovery residents must be licensed as a recovery residence. The BHA shall adopt rules to create streamlined regulations for a recovery residence that is licensed as a behavioral health entity, but the rules must not duplicate oversight regulations for a behavioral health entity that is licensed to provide onsite outpatient services. At a minimum, the rules must include, but are not limited to, recovery resident rights, physical environment standards, and incident reporting.\n\n(8) The BHA shall maintain a publicly available list of licensed recovery residences.\n\n(9) (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part 10, a recovery residence that is chartered by Oxford House, Inc., or its successor organization, referred to in this subsection (9) as a \"chartered recovery residence\", may operate in this state and receive referrals and funding pursuant to this part 10 if the chartered recovery residence:\n\n(I) Operates in accordance with this subsection (9);\n\n(II) Operates in accordance with the requirements of homes established pursuant to 42 U.S.C. sec. 300x-25; and\n\n(III) Is democratically run shared housing that has no operator, manager, paid staff, or provision of professional treatment or therapy.\n\n(b) No later than July 1, 2027, Oxford House, Inc. shall provide to the BHA, in the form and manner prescribed by the BHA, a list of all chartered recovery residences in the state as of the date of the notice.\n\n(c) Beginning July 1, 2027, Oxford House, Inc. shall notify the BHA in the form and manner prescribed by the BHA when it issues a new charter to Oxford House, Inc. in the state.\n\n(d) Upon notification that a recovery residence is chartered by Oxford House, Inc. or its successor organization, the BHA shall issue a recovery residence license to the chartered recovery residence.\n\n(e) On and after July 1, 2027, Oxford House, Inc. shall notify the BHA within ten days after closing or revoking a recovery residence's charter.\n\n(f) Beginning July 1, 2027, a chartered recovery residence shall submit occurrence reports to the BHA, in accordance with section 27-50-1006 and in the form, manner, and time frame prescribed by BHA.\n\n(g) A chartered recovery residence is not subject to an initial or annual onsite licensure survey.\n\n(h) Beginning July 1, 2027, the BHA may inspect a chartered recovery residence in response to a complaint or an occurrence report received by the BHA as it deems necessary to ensure that the health, safety, and welfare of recovery residents are protected, and that the chartered recovery residence is operating in accordance with this subsection (9). The BHA may require that Oxford House, Inc. submit in writing, in a form prescribed by the BHA, a plan detailing the measures that Oxford House, Inc. will take to correct violations found by the BHA as a result of inspections undertaken pursuant to this subsection (9). The BHA may take additional actions in accordance with section 27-50-1005.","path":["Title 27 - BEHAVIORAL HEALTH","Article 50 - Behavioral Health Administration","Part 10 - RECOVERY RESIDENCES"],"source_url":"https://olls.info/crs/crs2026-title-27.htm","current_through":"Colorado Revised Statutes 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:37:45Z","sha256":"6b0ff15f2b93117362eb85eec0e13e4631d4f907370b8808962f43d76d53b4cc","source_id":"us-co","stale":false,"prev":"us-co/c.r.s.-27-50-901-to-27-50-903","next":"us-co/c.r.s.-27-50-1002"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}