Consolidated license and certification.

Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to license and regulate adult alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facilities that provide residential nonmedical services, as specified, and further requires the department to certify and regulate alcohol and other drug programs, as specified. Existing law requires the department to charge various fees for a license or certification. This bill would, beginning January 1, 2027, require the department to offer a consolidated license and certification that allows the holder to operate more than one facility that requires a license, a program that requires a certification, or a combination thereof, that the holder operates within the same geographic location. This bill would define "same geographic location" as the physical location where clients are generally colocated, intermingle, reside, or receive services in one building or multiple buildings within 1,000 feet of each other in areas not zoned exclusively for residential use under local zoning ordinances. The bill would require a consolidated license and certification to, among other things, impose the same minimum standards as if an applicant had applied and operated under separate licenses and certification for each of its facilities and programs. The bill would authorize the department to promulgate regulations and impose a charge to implement a consolidated license and certification.