New Regulations Support Sober Living Facilities in Bergen County, New Jersey

RUTHERFORD, N.J. - April 12, 2018 - PRLog -- New Jersey regulations are going to be supporting an increasing number of sober living homes in Bergen County.

Local legislators have approved regulations to address the operation of sober living facilities in several other parts of the state, such as residential neighborhoods.

However, that has led to a number of expressions of objection by Bergen County residents, which pushed members of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to adopt new regulations to oversee the performance of sober living homes through the whole state.

The regulations, which were implemented a couple of months ago, will make sure that the sober living facilities provide the necessary safety for the individuals who reside there.

Under the new state regulations, sober living homes cannot provide certain services — such as laundry or food to their residents.

Additionally, the new laws mandate that sober living homes pay a yearly licensing fee; have an owner and/or manager who lives on the site, and accept a maximum of 10 recovering residents.

Those who are against the establishment of these new sober living facilities in residential parts of New Jersey have tried to resort to specific local zoning restrictions to keep more facilities from being established in certain locations but most sober living homes there act as single-family units and have been working within state regulations.

The state defines a family as one or more persons, which includes employees living in a nonprofit unit so the treatment facilities can legally operate in single-family zones.

Although the sober living homes still have to get approvals from their local boards before they can be constructed in some areas, another new assembly bill could significantly facilitate these approvals.

If the latest bill becomes official, the sober living facilities will be allowed to modify their municipal zones if they meet the criteria for inherently beneficial use.

https://www.drugaddictionnow.com/2018/03/28/sober-living-...