Illinois Behavioral Health & Substance Use Licensing Guide

Licensing agency

IDHS Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR)Merged SUPR and the Division of Mental Health in 2025

Substance use license

Treatment or intervention license77 Ill. Adm. Code 2060, new Part effective April 2, 2025

Fees and term

No application feeLicenses run for up to three years

Mental health

Rule 132 certification (CSP or CMHC)Accredited CMHCs get deemed status

Opioid treatment

Methadone is licensed as an adjunct to a treatment level of careAccreditation must follow within one year

Licensing or accrediting a program here? Book a free consultation or call 561-396-0813.

Who licenses behavioral health programs in Illinois?

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), through DBHR. Executive Order 2025-01, signed February 14, 2025, merged the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR) and the Division of Mental Health into DBHR, effective July 1, 2025. Existing rules carried over to the new division.⁵ Substance use disorder (SUD) license applications now go to DBHR’s licensing unit.¹

Community mental health providers that want IDHS funding or Medicaid billing are certified rather than licensed, under Rule 132. The certifying agency is IDHS or the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), depending on which funds most of the provider’s services.^{7, 8}

Hospitals licensed by the Department of Public Health do not need a separate SUD license for treatment on their licensed premises.³ They use their own form to apply for SUD Medicaid certification.¹ A licensed professional who personally treats SUD outpatients in their own name is also exempt, unless the practice holds itself out as an SUD treatment provider.³

Part 2060 license types

• Treatment license: early intervention, Level 1 outpatient, Level 2 intensive outpatient, Level 2.5 partial hospitalization, and residential Levels 3.1, 3.2 (clinically managed withdrawal management), 3.5 and 3.7 (medically monitored withdrawal management). The license lists each level and whether it covers adults or adolescents.²
• Intervention license: DUI evaluation, DUI risk education, designated programs for criminal justice clients and recovery homes.²
• Adjuncts: methadone for opioid use disorder can be added to any treatment level. Since July 24, 2026, gambling disorder treatment can be added to treatment levels and recovery homes.³

Outpatient, DUI and designated program services can run off-site without another license, provided the licensee averages no more than 15 staff hours a week at that location.²

Recovery homes need an intervention license. They must be on the IDHS Recovery Residence Registry, hold peer-led gatherings at least five days a week and keep two months of operating expenses in reserve.² Oxford Houses and other sober living homes are not licensed but are encouraged to register.^{3, 10}

Law and rules

SUD licensure comes from Article 15 of the Substance Use Disorder Act (20 ILCS 301).³ The licensing rules are in 77 Ill. Adm. Code 2060. A new Part 2060 replaced the old one on April 2, 2025, and since July 1, 2025 adult services must use the fourth edition of the ASAM Criteria.² SUD Medicaid certification falls under 77 Ill. Adm. Code 2090, and community mental health certification under 59 Ill. Adm. Code 132.^{6, 7} Every site needs written zoning approval and must meet the State Fire Marshal’s rules and the 2015 edition of NFPA 101.²

How to apply for a Part 2060 license

1. Set up the organizationGet a certificate of good standing from the Secretary of State, plus a W-9 and your IRS letter. For-profits list everyone who owns 5% or more on Schedule A, and nonprofits need a board of directors.^{4, 2}
2. Clear the siteGet municipal zoning approval, Schedule C with a life safety inspection report (correct any findings before you apply) and proof of fire, hazard and liability insurance.⁴
3. Staff itTreatment programs name a medical director on Schedule E, and each professional staff member gets a Schedule L. Clinicians need an ICB CADC or a qualifying Illinois license such as LCPC or LCSW.^{4, 2}
4. Write the narrativeAnswer the 11 narrative questions, which cover local need, fiscal solvency and how you will apply the ASAM Criteria. Submit policies that show you know the rule.^{4, 2}
5. Submit and interviewSend the application to DBHR by mail or email.¹ You have 60 days to fix any errors DBHR flags. DBHR may interview staff and visit the site before it issues a license.²

Renewals and changes: file renewals at least 30 days before the license expires. A license is void if more than 25% of ownership changes within a year, or if half of a nonprofit’s board changes. Give DBHR at least 10 days’ notice before an ownership change and 30 days before a relocation.² A license does not guarantee funding or Medicaid certification.⁴

Licensing fees

The Act lets IDHS set license fees by rule, but the current Part 2060 charges only the two late-notice fees.^{3, 2}

How accreditation counts in Illinois

SUD licensing: Part 2060 has no deemed status, so accreditation does not replace DBHR review. The application asks about Joint Commission, CARF, COA or AAAHC accreditation, and accredited programs attach their latest survey report.^{4, 2} DBHR also weighs accreditation when it decides rule exception requests.²

Mental health certification: Rule 132 gives accredited community mental health centers (CMHCs) deemed status. The accreditors it lists are The Joint Commission, COA, CQL, CARF and HFAP. Deemed status covers only the standards IDHS has matched to each accreditor. The center files its latest accreditation report, and the state can still review it at any time.⁷

Opioid treatment: state approval to use methadone is conditional for up to one year, until DBHR receives proof of accreditation and DEA authorization.² Federal rules also require accreditation by a SAMHSA-approved body.¹¹

Getting accredited? See our CARF accreditation consultants and Joint Commission consultants, available nationwide.

Opioid treatment programs

• Licensing: methadone is an adjunct that you select for each treatment level on the application, not a separate license.^{3, 4}
• Medical director: must be a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches.²
• Clinical rules: a physician sees each patient before the first dose, which is capped at 30 mg. Each patient gets at least eight random drug tests a year, and the diversion control plan is tested at least quarterly.²
• Fingerprints: Medicaid certification with methadone requires fingerprint checks of every owner of 5% or more and every managing officer or employee.¹
• Federal approvals: SAMHSA certification (provisional for up to one year), accreditation and DEA registration.¹¹

Other approvals you may need

• SUD Medicaid certification (Part 2090): as written, the rule accepts new applicants only after two years of licensure and experience.⁶ Applicants also need contracts with the Medicaid managed care plans and must plan around the bed rules for institutions for mental disease.⁴
• Rule 132 certification: each certified specialty provider (CSP) site is certified on its own and needs a State Fire Marshal inspection.⁸ CMHCs must be nonprofits or local governments, and they start with a 12-month provisional certificate.⁷ Each CMHC site also needs its own NPI and an IMPACT enrollment before it can bill Medicaid.⁹

Recent changes

• New Part 2060 (April 2, 2025): replaced the old licensing rule in full.²
• ASAM Criteria, fourth edition (July 1, 2025): now required for adult services.²
• DBHR (July 1, 2025): SUPR and the Division of Mental Health merged.⁵
• P.A. 104-626 (effective July 24, 2026): brought gambling disorders under the Act.^{12, 3}
• P.A. 104-742 (effective January 1, 2027): replaces references to SUPR and the Division of Mental Health in state law with DBHR.¹³
• P.A. 104-829 (effective January 1, 2027): recasts designated programs as case management and lets courts make the services a condition of pretrial release.¹⁴

Confirm these with DBHR

• Whether Part 2090’s two-year wait still applies, since the license application now asks about Medicaid certification up front.
• Level 3.2, which Part 2060 includes but the May 2026 application form leaves out.
• How gambling disorder services will be added to a license, since Part 2060 has not yet been updated for P.A. 104-626.
• Whether IDHS or DCFS is your Rule 132 certifying agency, and which standards are deemed for your accreditor.

Sources

1. Illinois DHS, SUD treatment and intervention license and Medicaid certification. dhs.state.il.us
2. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 2060, Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Intervention Services. ilga.gov
3. Illinois General Assembly, Substance Use Disorder Act (20 ILCS 301). ilga.gov
4. Illinois DHS, New license application instructions and checklist (IL462-9617). dhs.state.il.us
5. Office of the Governor, Executive Order 2025-01. illinois.gov
6. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 2090, Subacute Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Treatment Services. ilga.gov
7. 59 Ill. Adm. Code 132, Community Mental Health Services Program. ilga.gov
8. Illinois DHS, New certified specialty provider certification. dhs.state.il.us
9. Illinois DHS, New community mental health center certification. dhs.state.il.us
10. Illinois DHS, Recovery residence registry. dhs.state.il.us
11. SAMHSA, Become an opioid treatment program. samhsa.gov
12. Illinois General Assembly, SB 2749 (P.A. 104-626). ilga.gov
13. Illinois General Assembly, SB 3722 (P.A. 104-742). ilga.gov
14. Illinois General Assembly, SB 3880 (P.A. 104-829). ilga.gov

This guide summarizes Illinois statutes, rules and IDHS pages as of the date above. It is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change; confirm with IDHS before you apply.