LegitScript certification for addiction treatment providers

The short answer: Google and Meta only run U.S. ads for drug and alcohol addiction treatment from providers certified by LegitScript, and you then apply to each platform separately. Only licensed clinical treatment providers qualify; sober living homes, lead generators and directories don't. As of October 2026, LegitScript publishes a $1,595 non-refundable application fee and a $3,095 annual fee per facility for organizations with 1–9 facilities ($535 and $1,070 for qualifying individual practitioners). Apply after your state license is issued and your website is clean.

Why you need it

After years of patient brokering through search ads and unbranded hotlines, the big ad platforms stopped letting just anyone advertise addiction treatment. Today:

Platform	What it requires for addiction treatment ads in the U.S.
Google Ads	Under Google's addiction services policy, recovery-oriented drug and alcohol addiction services may advertise only if certified by Google, and in the U.S. that means first being certified as an addiction services provider through LegitScript. Providers that aren't eligible for LegitScript certification can't advertise these services on Google. You then apply to Google, at the individual ad account level (not the manager account), with a separate application for each location or group of locations you target.
Meta (Facebook, Instagram)	Under Meta's addiction treatment ad standard, advertisers running addiction treatment ads aimed at people in the U.S. must hold LegitScript certification and apply to Meta for written permission. Certification alone doesn't turn ads on.
Microsoft Advertising, Nextdoor	LegitScript's Certification 101 guide says both also recognize its addiction treatment certification in the U.S.

Without certification, ads for addiction treatment get disapproved, and trying to get around the policy with vague wording risks your ad account. Certification is only about paid ads: your website can rank in ordinary search results, and your Google Business Profile can show on Maps, without it.

Who needs it, and who can't get it

Eligible, according to LegitScript's certification page: licensed clinical providers of substance use disorder treatment in the U.S. or Canada, including detox, residential, outpatient (IOP, PHP and OP), medication for addiction treatment, and co-occurring programs. Care must be delivered in a clinical setting. A Texas program with an HHSC chemical dependency treatment facility license fits this description once the license is issued; our guide to starting an IOP or PHP in Texas covers that license.

Not eligible right now:

• Sober living homes and other recovery residences, which means they can't run addiction-services ads on Google either. Houses grow through certification (in Texas, TROHN), referrals and their own website; see our sober living guide.
• Peer support and recovery coaching services.
• Lead generators, referral services and directories: businesses that send callers to treatment providers they don't own or control.
• Services delivered from private residences or other non-clinical locations.

Mental-health-only programs and therapy practices generally aren't advertising "addiction services". But if your ads, keywords or landing pages promote substance use treatment, expect the addiction policy to apply and plan for certification.

What LegitScript checks

LegitScript publishes its addiction treatment certification standards and an application checklist; read both before you start. The main areas:

• Legal registration and licensure. The business is a registered legal entity and holds the licenses its services require in every state it serves. In Texas, that's the HHSC facility license for each licensed location, and staff licenses (LCDC, LPC, physician and so on) for the people providing care.
• Staff credentials. Documentation of key clinical staff's expertise and required licenses.
• Background checks and history. The applicant and key staff submit to criminal background checks at LegitScript's request, and the application asks about litigation and past offenses or bad acts over the past ten years, which LegitScript can treat as disqualifying in its discretion. Disclose; don't let them find it.
• An honest website. The site conspicuously shows the physical address of each facility where care is delivered, and photos accurately show your facilities. No borrowed photos of somewhere else.
• Every domain you control. You list them all, and privacy protection must be removed from the domains you submit so the registrant is visible.
• Honest advertising. Ads are accurate and clearly identify you, and you don't use another business's name in your ads.
• No patient inducements. Programs that offer incentives such as paying for travel aren't eligible. LegitScript's standards line up with the patient brokering laws; see patient brokering laws explained.

Accreditation doesn't replace certification. LegitScript describes certification as complementing Joint Commission or CARF accreditation, not substituting for it, and its focus is legitimacy and compliance rather than quality of care.

The application, step by step

1. Get the license first. Certification looks at licensure for the services you advertise, so apply after the state license is issued, not while it's pending.
2. Fix the website before you apply. Real address for each location, real photos, real staff and credentials, the services you're actually licensed for, a privacy notice, and your own phone number on every page. Take down any old landing pages, microsites or hotlines you no longer use, or be ready to list them.
3. Inventory your domains. Every domain the business or its owners control, including parked ones. Turn off domain privacy on the ones you submit.
4. Gather the documents: entity registration, facility licenses, key staff licenses and résumés, ownership information, and what you'll need for background checks. LegitScript's application checklist lists the current items.
5. Apply online and pay the application fee. It's non-refundable, so don't apply until the first four steps are done.
6. Answer questions quickly. Reviewers come back with questions or requests for changes. Slow answers are the most common reason a review drags on.
7. Once certified, pay the annual fee and apply to each platform: the Google Ads addiction services certification (per ad account and per location) and Meta's addiction treatment permission request.
8. Build ads that match the site: your name, your real services and no outcome promises. Then measure what each campaign actually brings in; see marketing a treatment center.

What it costs

LegitScript publishes per-facility pricing for addiction treatment certification. A "facility" is generally each distinct location providing addiction treatment, even under one company. As listed on its pricing page when we checked:

Who	Application fee (non-refundable)	Annual certification fee, per facility
1–9 facilities	$1,595 per facility	$3,095
10–24 facilities	$1,495 per facility	$2,775
25–49 facilities	$1,395 per facility	$2,550
Individual practitioners 1–3 practitioners, one location, one website, no ties to a larger treatment organization	$535	$1,070

Larger groups pay less per facility. LegitScript also offers an expedited option, for an added fee, that starts the review sooner, and an annual fee waiver for qualifying nonprofits facing financial hardship. These numbers change; confirm them on LegitScript's pricing page before budgeting. Budget for the ads themselves separately: certification only lets you buy them.

How long it takes

LegitScript doesn't promise a fixed review time. How long it takes depends mostly on how complete the application is and how fast you answer questions, then on each platform's own review. On the Texas roadmap in our IOP / PHP Program Launch, we plan about a month for certification, starting once the license is issued and the website is done, and we get the website ready before then so it isn't the bottleneck. Don't plan your opening census around ads you can't run yet: referral relationships and your Google Business Profile carry the first months.

Why applications stall or fail

LegitScript doesn't publish a list of rejection reasons, but its standards show where programs run into trouble. These are the gaps we check for before anyone applies:

Problem	Fix before you apply
The license doesn't match what you advertise: a level of care, a location or a service on the site that isn't on the license	Advertise only what's licensed, at licensed addresses. Add services to the site after they're added to the license.
No physical address, or stock "resort" photos	Each facility's address on the site, with your own photos of the real building.
Undisclosed domains or hidden registrants: old landing pages, a "help line" site, privacy-protected domains	List every domain you control; remove privacy on the ones you submit; retire what you don't use.
Ties to lead generators or call centers that route callers, or ads using another business's name	End the arrangement (and ask your attorney about it). Your ads and phone lines name you.
Inducements: paid travel, free housing, or "we cover everything" offers	Remove them from the site, ads and intake scripts, and stop offering them.
Background or litigation history not disclosed	Disclose fully and explain. Surprises cost more than history.
Care in a non-clinical setting, or sober living mixed into the treatment site	Keep housing on its own site and business, separate from the treatment program.
Outcome claims like "guaranteed sobriety" or success rates you can't support	Describe your services, staff and approach. Texas law on treatment facility marketing (Health and Safety Code 164.010) also bars unsupported outcome promises.

After you're certified

• Keep it current. LegitScript monitors certified providers. Before you add a location, domain, service or owner, check its terms for what you must tell them, and renew the annual fee on time.
• Keep the license and the site in step. Put the license renewal and the LegitScript renewal on the same compliance calendar. A lapsed state license or a site that drifts from the truth can cost you the certification and your ad accounts.
• Watch what your vendors do. An ad agency that adds a call-tracking microsite or uses a competitor's name in your ads puts your certification at risk. Your name is on it.

Questions

Do I need LegitScript certification to show up in Google search?

No. Certification is for paid ads. Your website can still rank in regular results and your Google Business Profile can appear on Maps without it. It's required before addiction treatment ads can run on Google or Meta in the U.S.

How much does LegitScript certification cost?

As published by LegitScript in October 2026: for 1–9 facilities, a $1,595 non-refundable application fee and $3,095 a year per facility; less per facility for larger organizations; $535 and $1,070 a year for individual practitioners with 1–3 clinicians, one location and one website. A single-location Texas IOP should budget for the facility tier, plus an optional expedited fee, and confirm on LegitScript's pricing page.

How long does LegitScript certification take?

There's no published fixed time. A complete application, a website that already meets the standards and fast answers to reviewer questions are what make it go quickly. LegitScript sells an expedited option that starts the review sooner. After certification, add time for Google's and Meta's own approvals.

Can a sober living home get LegitScript certified?

Not currently. LegitScript lists sober living homes as ineligible, and Google doesn't allow addiction-services ads from providers that can't be certified. Recovery residences in Texas usually pursue TROHN certification instead and grow through referrals and their website.

We're accredited by Joint Commission. Isn't that enough?

No. Accreditation and LegitScript certification are separate. LegitScript says certification complements accreditation and doesn't replace it, and the ad platforms ask for LegitScript.

Does certification guarantee Google or Meta will approve our ads?

No. You still apply to each platform, and each ad still has to follow its policies. Certification makes you eligible to apply.

Can we apply before the state license is issued?

LegitScript checks licensure for the services you provide, so apply after the license is issued. Use the waiting time to fix the website and gather documents.

Do you file the LegitScript application for us?

For programs in our launch packages, LegitScript is a step on the roadmap: we prepare the website and the documents and work through the application with you, and you sign and pay the fees directly to LegitScript. If you're already open, we can help through advisory or by the hour. We can't promise LegitScript's decision.

Opening a program? The IOP / PHP Program Launch covers the license, policies and payer contracts that come before any ads. See how to start an IOP or PHP in Texas.

Sources

• Google Advertising Policies Help, Healthcare and medicines: Addiction services and Healthcare and medicines
• Meta Transparency Center, Addiction treatment ad policy
• LegitScript, Addiction Treatment Certification, FAQs, Certification 101 guide (2026), application checklist, updated standards and pricing
• Texas Health and Safety Code, Section 164.010 (treatment facility marketing)