Written for owners, administrators and clinical directors who plan to open, expand, move or keep a licensed addiction or mental health program anywhere in Kansas.
Additional Kansas Licensing Guides
- Kansas Drug and Alcohol Inpatient Treatment Licensing
- Kansas Drug and Alcohol Outpatient Treatment Licensing
- Kansas Mental Health Inpatient Licensing
- Kansas Mental Health Outpatient Licensing
- Kansas License Reinstatement
One Agency, Two Licensing Laws, and SUD Standards Written in 2006
Statute numbers, rule text and form names on this page come from the Kansas Legislature, the official Kansas rules portal and documents KDADS posts itself. Sentences that are our conclusion say so.
Nearly every program on this page answers to one office, the Survey, Certification, and Credentialing Commission inside the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS). Its own page lists private psychiatric hospitals, community mental health centers and substance use disorder treatment facilities among the settings it inspects and licenses. What differs is the law behind the license. A substance use program is licensed under K.S.A. 65-4012, which makes running a public or private treatment facility without a license a class C misdemeanor. Psychiatric hospitals, community mental health centers (CMHCs), crisis intervention centers and residential care facilities come under a separate act, K.S.A. 39-2001 and the sections after it, passed in 2016. That act defines a provider as one offering behavioral health services “excluding substance use disorder services for purposes of this act.”
The two laws do not bite the same way. Under the 2016 act KDADS can assess a civil penalty of up to $500 per day for each deficiency, capped at $2,500, or $5,000 where the penalty is doubled (K.S.A. 39-2016). A denial, suspension or revocation under that act also shuts the door on a new license or reinstatement for two years (K.S.A. 39-2013). Both sections were amended in 2024. We did not find either tool in the substance use statutes, K.S.A. 65-4012 to 65-4015. So an operator holding one license of each kind can face very different consequences for the same sort of lapse, depending on which license the lapse sits under.
Then there is the age of the SUD rulebook. Click “Standards” in the substance use section of the KDADS licensing page today and you get the Standards for Licensure/Certification of Alcohol and/or Other Drug Abuse Treatment Programs, issued November 1, 2006 by the former Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) and numbered R03-101 to R03-810 rather than as a chapter of the Kansas Administrative Regulations. Its levels of care carry Kansas names such as social detoxification, intermediate, reintegration and therapeutic community, with no ASAM numbers attached. Every applicant also signs up for the Alcohol and Drug Assessment and Referral Program, which the New Program Application marks as required for all programs. The Kansas Register’s index of regulations awaiting a future effective date, published October 15, 2026, lists no amendment to K.A.R. 26-52, 30-22 or 30-60, and the 2006 Standards are not a K.A.R. chapter at all, so we know of no pending rewrite of these rules.
Primary Regulatory Agencies
Roles below follow each agency’s own page or the statute or rule that assigns the duty.
- KDADS Behavioral Health Licensing, part of the Survey, Certification, and Credentialing Commission at 503 S Kansas Ave., Topeka, KS 66603-3404, which licenses substance use disorder treatment facilities under K.S.A. 65-4012 and private psychiatric hospitals, CMHCs, crisis intervention centers and residential care facilities under K.S.A. 39-2001 and following
- Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), which under K.A.R. 30-22-5 holds “the responsibility for licensing psychiatric wards of general hospitals” and, where it has adopted health standards for SUD facilities, supplies the certification that must accompany an SUD application (K.S.A. 65-4013)
- Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB), which licenses addiction counselors at three tiers, LAC, LMAC and LCAC, under K.S.A. 65-6607 and following
Kansas Behavioral Health Licensing Snapshot
Values come straight from the statute, rule or KDADS form cited in the same row.
| Primary SUD Regulator | KDADS Behavioral Health Licensing, Survey, Certification, and Credentialing Commission (K.S.A. 65-4012) |
| Mental Health Facility Licensing | KDADS licenses private psychiatric hospitals (K.A.R. 30-22), CMHCs (K.A.R. 30-60) and crisis intervention centers (K.A.R. 26-52) under K.S.A. 39-2001 and following. Psychiatric wards of general hospitals are licensed by KDHE |
| Residential Treatment | KDADS SUD license with Kansas-named modalities: intermediate (one qualified staff per 8 residents), inpatient (1:8), therapeutic community and reintegration (1:15), all with awake staff on every shift |
| Outpatient Treatment | Outpatient (R03-703) and intensive outpatient (R03-704) modalities on the same KDADS SUD license |
| Withdrawal Management | Social detoxification (R03-708, one qualified staff per 10 residents) and acute detoxification (R03-710, an RN or LPN on duty on the unit 24 hours a day) |
| Facility License Required | Yes for SUD treatment facilities (K.S.A. 65-4012) and for centers, psychiatric hospitals and providers under K.S.A. 39-2006 |
| Certificate of Need | None. Kansas repealed its health facility CON program in 1997 (HB 2182, L. 1997 ch. 16, approved March 24, 1997), and KDHE’s CON regulations in K.A.R. 28-42 are revoked |
| National Accreditation | Not required to open. A licensed SUD program accredited by CARF, The Joint Commission or COA “shall be granted a license based on such accreditation” (K.S.A. 65-4014), and previously licensed CMHCs get accreditation-based renewal (K.S.A. 39-2008). KDADS still checks standards the accreditor does not cover |
| Inspection | SUD programs are inspected at least once each licensing period (K.S.A. 65-4018), residential premises before the first license (R03-802), and the application packet requires a State Fire Marshal fire and safety inspection |
| License Renewal | SUD: 1, 2 or 3 years based on compliance, $100 per program location. CMHC: up to two years, renewal filed 45 days ahead. Private psychiatric hospital: two years. Crisis intervention center: annual fee of $100 plus $30 per licensed bed |
| Key Regulations | K.S.A. 65-4012 to 65-4024a and the 2006 SUD Standards (R03-101 to R03-810), K.S.A. 39-2001 to 39-2019, K.A.R. 30-22, 30-60, 30-61 and 26-52, K.S.A. 65-6607 and following (addiction counselors) |
Which Kansas Law Covers Which Program
KDADS does not publish a chart like this. The arrangement is ours, built from the statutes and rules in each row.
| Program | License and statute | Rules | What accreditation changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential SUD (intermediate, inpatient, therapeutic community, reintegration) | KDADS SUD license, K.S.A. 65-4012 | 2006 Standards, R03-705 to R03-709 | License granted on accreditation once the program already holds a KDADS license (K.S.A. 65-4014) |
| Social or acute detoxification | KDADS SUD license, K.S.A. 65-4012 | R03-708, R03-710 | Same as above |
| Outpatient and intensive outpatient SUD | KDADS SUD license, K.S.A. 65-4012 | R03-703, R03-704 | Same as above |
| Private psychiatric hospital | KDADS license, K.S.A. 39-2001 and following | K.A.R. 30-22 | No accreditation-based licensing found in the sections we read |
| Psychiatric ward of a general hospital | KDHE hospital licensing | K.A.R. 30-22-5 assigns it to KDHE | Outside KDADS |
| Crisis intervention center | KDADS license, K.S.A. 39-2001 and following | K.A.R. 26-52 (2024) | None found |
| Community mental health center | KDADS license, one per designated service area | K.A.R. 30-60 and 30-61 | Renewal granted on accreditation (K.S.A. 39-2008) |
| Private outpatient therapy practice | No KDADS rule licensing it found. Whether K.S.A. 39-2006 reaches it is unsettled | None found | None found |
Because the 2006 Standards name levels instead of numbering them, a Kansas residential license will not say 3.5 or 3.7 anywhere, and we found no KDADS crosswalk that maps intermediate or inpatient to an ASAM level. A residential operator who wants an outside party to stand behind a level can look at CARF’s ASAM Level of Care Certification, a program ASAM runs in partnership with CARF that certifies adult residential programs at Levels 3.1, 3.5 and 3.7. Matching a Kansas modality to one of those levels is a judgment the operator makes with CARF, not something KDADS has published. The certification does not cover withdrawal management on either organization’s page, so it has nothing to say about a social or acute detox unit. Referral partners can confirm a program’s certification in CARF’s provider search using the “ASAM Level of Care 3.7” filter, or the 3.1 and 3.5 filters.
Programs Covered
- Residential SUD treatment under the intermediate, inpatient, therapeutic community and reintegration modalities
- Social detoxification and acute detoxification
- Outpatient and intensive outpatient SUD treatment
- Private psychiatric hospitals and crisis intervention centers
- Outpatient mental health, including how CMHC licensing works and where private practices stand
Key Licensing Requirements
Taken from the KDADS New Program Application packet, the 2006 Standards and the statutes cited.
- A separate New Program Application and $100 fee for every program location, sent in no later than 90 days before services begin (R03-802)
- A policy and procedure manual written for the specific program, keyed to the R03 standards in the packet’s review table. The packet says general policies or copies of the standards are not accepted
- A staff list showing BSRB credentials, an organizational chart that includes the governing board, and proof of liability and malpractice insurance
- A fire and safety inspection by the State Fire Marshal, plus a KDADS premises inspection before a residential program’s first license
- For a psychiatric hospital or crisis intervention center, the separate KDADS application for that license type, and State Fire Marshal approval before a license or provisional license issues (K.S.A. 39-2008, 39-2012)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Kansas charge to license a behavioral health program?
The state fees are small. K.S.A. 65-4013 caps the SUD application fee at $100, and KDADS charges it per program location, so a program at two addresses pays $200. Renewal is another $100 per location. A crisis intervention center owes $100 a year plus $30 per licensed bed under K.A.R. 26-52-2. We found no license fee for a private psychiatric hospital or a CMHC in K.A.R. 30-22 or 30-60, though K.S.A. 39-2008 lets the secretary set one by rule. Kansas also has no Certificate of Need review to pay for. The real spending goes to the building, the program-specific policy manual and payroll before the first client arrives.
How long does Kansas licensing take?
KDADS has 90 calendar days to act on a complete SUD application, and R03-802 asks programs to file at least 90 days before they plan to start. Residential programs add the State Fire Marshal inspection and a KDADS premises inspection before the first license. We plan on 3 to 6 months for outpatient SUD and 4 to 8 months for a residential program, an estimate of ours rather than a KDADS figure. For a private psychiatric hospital, K.A.R. 30-22-6 has the director recommend approval or disapproval within 60 days of filing.
Where do Kansas applications usually run into trouble?
Three places come up often. The SUD application forms still print a 2017 contact at 612 S. Kansas Avenue, while the commission now lists 503 S Kansas Ave. and the newer KDADS forms name Behavioral Health Services Licensing Manager Wendy Jacobs, so confirm where the packet goes before mailing it. Applicants also treat accreditation as a substitute for the first license, when K.S.A. 65-4014, as we read it, grants a license on accreditation only to programs KDADS has already licensed. And some policy writers rely on a December 2024 KDADS memo about 180-day treatment plans, which is an internal recommendation with reviewer objections attached, not an adopted rule.
Can you guarantee a Kansas license?
No one outside KDADS can. The decision on a policy manual, a site visit or a waiver belongs to the commission. What we can promise is a packet written against the 2006 Standards and the statute that actually governs the program, with the Fire Marshal inspection and the BSRB credential list in place before it goes in.
How many staff will a new Kansas program need, and what will they cost?
Size depends on the modality, because the 2006 Standards set residential ratios of one qualified staff per 8 residents for intermediate and inpatient programs, 1 per 10 in social detox and 1 per 15 in therapeutic community and reintegration, with awake staff on all shifts, and acute detox needs an RN or LPN on the unit around the clock. For counselors, BLS reports a Kansas median of $59,470 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors, with $44,370 at the 25th percentile and $73,630 at the 75th (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a shade over the $59,350 national median. Three counselors paid the Kansas median add up to about $178,410 in yearly base wages, before benefits. Kansas licensing tiers give a new owner real room to bring that down. The LCAC requires 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience after the master’s degree, so a program can hire LACs and LMACs who are building those hours, put them under one LCAC clinical director, and pay them below fully licensed rates, which commonly puts the counseling budget 40 to 60 percent under an all-LCAC roster. Nursing works the same way when one RN oversees several LPNs instead of every shift being RN-staffed. We size the real roster once the modalities and the expected census are known.
Licensing
Which Kansas law licenses my program?
If the program treats substance use disorders, K.S.A. 65-4012. The definition of treatment facility it relies on, in K.S.A. 59-29b46, leaves out licensed medical care facilities, adult care homes, programs licensed under K.S.A. 39-2001 and following, and physicians or independent-level BSRB licensees who see clients with substance problems as part of a general practice, so long as treating those problems is not their primary work. Psychiatric hospitals, CMHCs and crisis intervention centers are licensed under K.S.A. 39-2006, which makes it unlawful to operate one without a KDADS license.
What is the difference between licensure and certification on the SUD application?
Both appear as choices on the New Program Application. Standard R03-806 defines certification as the track for an agency “in good standing with a national behavioral health accreditation body” or licensed as a mental health center. To use that track a program gives KDADS its accreditation certificate together with the latest survey’s findings and the corrective action plans that answered them, files no later than 90 days ahead of its license expiration, and should expect KDADS to keep visiting to review client records.
Does accreditation replace the KDADS application?
Not for a new program. K.S.A. 65-4014 covers programs “that have been licensed by the secretary” and have also been accredited, and it sits in the renewal part of the statute. Our reading is that a new program gets its first license the ordinary way and uses accreditation afterward. The statute names the “commission on accreditation of rehabilitation services,” The Joint Commission and the Council on Accreditation, or another accreditor KDADS approves.
Facility
Is there a Certificate of Need for behavioral health beds?
No. HB 2182, approved March 24, 1997, repealed the state’s certificate of need program for health facilities, and every section of KDHE’s former CON regulations is revoked or reserved. The one-license-per-service-area rule for CMHCs in K.A.R. 30-60-5 is a designation rule for those centers, not a CON.
What happens if I move or add a location?
Under R03-808 an SUD program adding a modality or a site files an application with evidence of sufficient qualified staff, and KDADS decides within 90 calendar days of a complete filing. A relocation needs at least 30 days’ notice before the move. Because the application fee is charged per program location, a second site also means a second $100 fee.
Staffing
What counselor credentials does Kansas recognize?
The BSRB licenses addiction counselors at three tiers. An LAC needs at least a bachelor’s degree, either from an addiction counseling program or with board-approved substance use coursework (K.S.A. 65-6610 also lets certain other BSRB licensees qualify), plus a passing score on a board-approved exam. An LMAC follows the same pattern at the master’s level. An LCAC needs a master’s plus at least two years of postgraduate supervised experience, including 3,000 supervised hours, 1,500 hours of direct client contact in substance abuse assessment and treatment, and 100 hours of face-to-face clinical supervision. The board also issues a 24-month temporary license for $50. A 2026 bill to create an addiction counselor apprentice license, HB 2506, died after a February 11, 2026 hearing at which the BSRB testified in opposition.
Does an SUD program need a medical director?
Under the 2006 Standards, only the opioid maintenance modality requires one. For inpatient, R03-709 asks for a physician or nurse who is either in the building or reachable on call, plus licensed medical or nursing staff handling medications at all hours. Intermediate, therapeutic community, reintegration and social detox programs must ensure access to consultation with a licensed physician.
Operations
How should a Kansas program handle MOUD?
Since DEA’s January 12, 2023 letter to registrants, buprenorphine for opioid use disorder takes only a standard DEA registration, with no separate waiver. We found no Kansas statute or KDADS standard that requires a licensed residential or outpatient SUD program to offer or allow MOUD. Opioid maintenance is a separate modality under R03-711 with its own medical director and accreditation requirements, so most programs coordinate with an opioid treatment program instead.
What incidents must be reported, and how fast?
Standard R03-401 requires a licensee to report a client death on licensed premises and charges of abuse, neglect or exploitation within 72 hours, with a written final disposition within 30 calendar days. KDADS’s current Adverse Incidents Protocol asks licensed providers to enter an adverse incident report in its web tool within 24 hours of becoming aware of it, and the agency’s June 2025 training allows the next business day for providers not open around the clock. The same KDADS training says an adverse incident report does not replace a report to adult or child protective services, which K.S.A. 38-2223 and 39-1431 separately require.
Enforcement
What happens after a KDADS site visit finds problems at an SUD program?
R03-804 gives the program 30 calendar days to send a written response. If the violations are not fixed within 90 calendar days of the site visit report, KDADS starts suspension or revocation under K.S.A. 65-4015, which requires notice and a hearing set at least 30 days out under the Kansas Administrative Procedure Act. A complaint left unresolved for twelve months can also cost the license (R03-810).
How is enforcement different for a mental health license?
Sharper. K.S.A. 39-2016 allows written correction orders and civil penalties up to $500 per day per deficiency, due within 10 days, with an appeal to the secretary that does not pause payment. After a denial, suspension or revocation, K.S.A. 39-2013 bars a new application or reinstatement for two years, except after an emergency order, where a written waiver opens an earlier path. Kansas License Reinstatement covers the steps for both statutes.
How We Work on Kansas Projects
Where we help
Placing a program under the right Kansas statute and modality, writing the program-specific policy manual KDADS reviews against the R03 standards, getting accredited programs ready for the R03-806 certification track, and planning psychiatric hospital and crisis center filings under the 2016 act.
Where we step aside
Medicaid, payer enrollment, billing and marketing are not part of our work. We are glad to suggest people who handle them.
Weighing a Kansas program under one statute or both? We can talk it through with you.
Author: A. Ant, CADC-II, Licensing & Accreditation Expert
Disclaimer: This content is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, regulatory, or licensing advice. Requirements change frequently. Consult qualified professionals for guidance specific to your situation.
Sources
- KDADS, Survey, Certification, and Credentialing Commission: Licensing and Policy (checked October 16, 2026)
- KDADS Behavioral Health Licensing (program types, forms, standards links): Behavioral Health Licensing (checked October 16, 2026)
- KDADS, Standards for Licensure/Certification of Alcohol and/or Other Drug Abuse Treatment Programs (SRS, November 1, 2006): 2006 SUD Standards (PDF) (checked October 16, 2026)
- KDADS, New Program Application Packet and New Program Application: Application Packet and New Program Application (checked October 16, 2026)
- KDADS, Application for Licensure Renewal and Certified Renewal Application: Licensure Renewal and Certified Renewal (checked October 16, 2026)
- KDADS, 12.26.24 180 Day Treatment Plan Memo: Memo (checked October 16, 2026)
- KDADS, private psychiatric hospital new application (Behavioral Health Services Licensing Manager contact): PPH Application for New Facility (checked October 16, 2026)
- KDADS, Adverse Incidents Protocol and AIR for Providers (June 2025): Adverse Incident Definitions and Protocol and AIR for Providers (checked October 16, 2026)
- K.S.A. 65-4012, 65-4013, 65-4014, 65-4015: 65-4012, 65-4013, 65-4014, 65-4015 (checked October 16, 2026)
- K.S.A. 65-4018 (inspection): 65-4018 (checked October 16, 2026)
- K.S.A. 59-29b46 (treatment facility definition, effective January 1, 2026): 59-29b46 (checked October 16, 2026)
- K.S.A. 39-2002, 39-2006, 39-2008, 39-2013, 39-2016: 39-2002, 39-2006, 39-2008, 39-2013, 39-2016 (checked October 16, 2026)
- K.S.A. 39-2012 (provisional license): 39-2012 (checked October 16, 2026)
- K.A.R. 30-22-5 and 30-22-6 (private psychiatric hospitals): 30-22-5 and 30-22-6 (checked October 16, 2026)
- K.A.R. 30-60-5 and 30-60-6 (CMHC licenses): 30-60-5 and 30-60-6 (checked October 16, 2026)
- K.A.R. 26-52-2 (crisis intervention center application and fee): 26-52-2 (checked October 16, 2026)
- Kansas Register, Index to Administrative Regulations (October 15, 2026): Register index (checked October 16, 2026)
- 1997 Session Laws ch. 16 (HB 2182, CON repeal): Chapter 16, and K.A.R. 28-42 via Justia mirror: Article 28-42 (checked October 16, 2026)
- BSRB, addiction counselors (tiers, temporary license, fees): Addiction Counselors (checked October 16, 2026)
- K.S.A. 65-6610 (LAC, LMAC, LCAC requirements), via Justia mirror: 65-6610 (checked October 16, 2026)
- HB 2506 (2026, died): HB 2506 bill page (checked October 16, 2026)
- K.S.A. 38-2223 and 39-1431 (abuse reporting): 38-2223 and 39-1431 (checked October 16, 2026)
- DEA Diversion Control Division, Dear Registrant letter (January 12, 2023): DEA letter (PDF) (checked October 16, 2026)
- CARF, ASAM Level of Care Certification: Level of Care Certification and Find a Provider (checked October 16, 2026)
- ASAM, Level of Care Certification: ASAM Level of Care Certification (checked October 16, 2026)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Kansas, SOC 21-1018: Kansas OEWS and national estimates (checked October 16, 2026)