There are 2,266 licensed and/or certified rehab centers operating in California. That’s according to the DHCS dataset, where you can find basic information on every licensed drug treatment center in every city and county.

That figure does not include unlicensed or uncertified facilities, which can include sober living homes and some luxury rehab options. We will explain the difference between licensed and unlicensed facilities further below.

We are also going to explore the counties and cities where the most recovery centers have popped up in recent years.

What Counties Are Home to the Most Drug Rehabs?

Los Angeles County is perhaps unsurprisingly the California county with the most drug rehabs. It’s the most populated county in the state. It’s home to 828 facilities that make up around 36.8% of the licensed homes in the state. That’s according to California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).

Orange County centers make up the second-largest concentration in the state at 13.20%, including rehab hot spots like Costa Mesa. San Diego’s clinics make up 7.9% of the whole. Riverside County and the popular Palm Springs destinations make up over 5% of the state’s recovery centers. Sacramento County’s facilities make up 2.8% of the whole.

Here’s a look at the top ten California counties for rehab businesses:

These facilities include adolescent rehabs and women-only facilities.

A few other counties of note and their rehab count:

• Sonoma County is home to 35 facilities.
• San Francisco County has 34 rehabs.
• Santa Barbara County hosts at least 30 facilities.
• Santa Clara County and San Jose have 30 facilities.

What Cities Have the Most California Rehabs?

As with counties, the city with the most people also has the most rehab options. According to the DHCS, Los Angeles is home to 145 licensed and/or certified programs. That is 6.4% of all rehabs in the state.

San Diego came in second with 3.58% of the rehab centers in the state. Costa Mesa in Orange County was third with 1.90% of the state’s rehab centers. Woodland Hills, which is actually a neighborhood in Los Angeles, contains 1.85% of the state’s drug treatment centers. Fresno is home to 1.72% of California’s over two thousand rehabs.

A few of the other notable cities with a considerable number of the state’s rehab centers:

• Huntington Beach has 32 rehab facilities. Newport Beach has 25 locations.
• Riverside contains 26 licensed and/or certified rehab clinics.
• Both Santa Barbara and Thousand Oaks report in with 13 facilities each.
• San Jose is home to 13 rehabs.

Licensed and Unlicensed California Drug Rehab Centers

The DHCS is in charge of regulating and licensing all California drug rehab facilities. Not all rehab businesses must be licensed.

However, those providing elevated services, such as incidental medical services and professional therapy to Substance Use Disorder patients, would be required to be licensed. Detox Facilities serving folks going through a dangerous withdrawal would usually be licensed.

Certified facilities: Licensing is generally for 24-hour care residential programs. Patients live and sleep at the location. Some programs are outpatient facilities that help patients in recovery, but the patients live at home. These treatment centers are often certified, but aren’t required to be licensed.

Other rehab programs, such as Sober Living Homes, do not usually require licensing. As long as they only provide a bed and just peer support to residents, they don’t have to submit to DHCS inspections.

Whether facilities are licensed or not, they are responsible for the care of any patient or resident they agree to care for. If an overdose or withdrawal death is allowed, drug treatment center operators can be held liable for their negligence.