Sober Living Homes in Minnesota

What is a sober living home and how is it different from rehab?

A sober living home, also called recovery housing or a recovery residence, is alcohol- and drug-free shared housing that does not provide treatment, which is the main way it differs from rehab. In Minnesota, residents usually pay the rent themselves and attend any counseling elsewhere, billed separately from the house.

Residential treatment is a different service. A licensed program delivers counseling and clinical care on site, and in Minnesota those programs are licensed by the Department of Human Services under chapter 245G. If you need clinical care first, start with residential rehab in Minnesota. Correctional halfway houses are separate again: they operate under a corrections or court order.

Minnesota does not certify sober homes yet, though state law already sets minimum rules: each home must keep naloxone or another opiate antagonist on site, have written policies and give residents a bill of rights. A state certification program and registry for recovery residences take effect on January 1, 2027.

Policies on medication for opioid use disorder vary from home to home. Ask whether a house accepts residents taking buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone, how doses are stored, and what happens after a return to use, since sudden discharge can leave someone without housing.

Are sober living homes in Minnesota certified or regulated?

Minnesota does not certify sober homes yet, but state law already sets minimum requirements for them. Under Minn. Stat. 254B.181, added in 2023, a sober home must:

• keep an opiate antagonist such as naloxone on site
• have written policies
• give residents a bill of rights

Residents can take complaints to the Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.

The Minnesota Association of Sober Homes (MASH) is the state affiliate of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). Affiliate membership is separate from the state requirements and is not a state license.

What changes on January 1, 2027?

Minnesota’s certified recovery residence program and registry take effect on January 1, 2027, under Minn. Stat. 254B.21 to 254B.216. The commissioner of human services runs both, and the current sober home section is repealed on that date. Once the registry is running, residents can use it to look up whether a home holds state certification.

Until then, ask the operator in writing how the home meets 254B.181.

NARR describes four levels of support. The level tells you what staffing to expect. It is not a measure of quality.

How much does sober living cost in Minnesota, and who pays?

Rent at a Minnesota sober home is usually paid by the resident. Ask for the full monthly cost, deposit and any fees in writing.

Some public money in Minnesota supports recovery more broadly:

• The federal State Opioid Response grant has gone to the Department of Human Services since 2018. It funds treatment and recovery support for justice-involved people and adolescents.
• The state’s Opiate Epidemic Response Fund awards grants chosen by an advisory council.

Whether either source reaches rent in a particular home depends on the program. A county worker, probation officer or treatment court team can tell you what applies to you.

Treatment you attend while living in the home, such as outpatient care or an intensive outpatient program, is billed separately from rent. Medical Assistance covers treatment services, but do not assume it or a private plan will pay sober home rent.

What should you ask before moving into a sober home?

Ask for the house rules, written policies and residents’ bill of rights before you move in, since Minnesota law already requires homes to have them. Useful questions include:

• How and how often does the home test for drugs and alcohol?
• How long can residents usually stay?
• What happens to a deposit or prepaid rent if you leave or are asked to leave?
• What happens after a return to use?

Immediate discharge after a return to use can leave a person without housing at a risky moment. Ask whether intake staff help arrange a safe place to stay, a treatment referral or transport.

Overdose risk rises after time away from opioids because tolerance drops. Minnesota homes must keep naloxone on site, so ask where it is kept and whether residents are shown how to use it. Several state laws also support naloxone use:

• Pharmacists can dispense naloxone under a state protocol.
• Steve’s Law protects a person who seeks help for someone overdosing, and the person overdosing, from possession charges. The caller must stay, give contact details and cooperate.

Can you live in a sober home while taking medication for opioid use disorder?

Policies on medication for opioid use disorder differ between Minnesota homes, so ask before you commit. Ask whether the home accepts residents taking buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone, how medication is stored, and whether any rule treats a prescribed dose as a violation. To keep a prescription going, see Suboxone clinics and methadone clinics in Minnesota.

How to search these Minnesota listings

About 42 percent of Minnesota sober living listings are in town settings, 35 percent urban and 23 percent rural. Rochester and Minneapolis appear most often, with others in Fergus Falls, Mora and Princeton. Every listed home sits within 25 miles of a river, a median of 7.2 miles away and most often the Minnesota River. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International is the nearest major airport for about half of them, a median of 18.8 miles away.

Filter the listings by gender, medication-friendly policy, populations served, location and languages. For background on recovery housing nationwide, read the sober living homes guide, or return to all Minnesota listings.