Advertising rules for treatment centers

Alumni are still patients.

Addiction treatment is the one health category where Google, Meta and federal law all name the business model. Google and Meta want LegitScript before an ad runs. The FTC can seek civil penalties for deceptive treatment and referral marketing. Federal and state kickback laws reach how referrals are paid. And under 42 CFR Part 2, a patient is still a patient after discharge. Each line below is quoted, with the date we read it.

Book a Call →The full rulebook →
Formerpatients are covered by 42 CFR Part 2, the same as current ones
$200,000maximum federal fine for each paid referral to a treatment facility
$3.8MFTC civil penalty judgment in its first recovery fraud case, suspended on inability to pay

For an addiction treatment center, a compliant ad runs only after LegitScript Addiction Treatment Certification and Google's certification or Meta's written permission. It names the levels of care you are licensed for, never promises recovery, and never presents your own line as an independent referral service. Alumni appear only with written consent that covers 42 CFR Part 2, and no referral source is ever paid per patient.

Every rule on this page was read on the platform's or regulator's own page on 26 September 2026. Rules change; the date is on each item.
Addiction treatment, most regulated tier

Four rules on every treatment center ad.

  • Certified before it runs: LegitScript, then Google's own certification and Meta's written permission for Facebook and Instagram.
  • The license writes the copy. Name only the levels of care you are licensed or certified for, in the states where you are.
  • Nothing per referral. Federal law bars paying to induce a referral to a recovery home or clinical treatment facility, and Florida's patient brokering law reaches any health care provider.
  • Alumni are patients. 42 CFR Part 2 covers former patients, so an alumni story runs only with written consent.
Clinic owner looking at an ads dashboard that reads Ad account disabled, policy personal attributes
Why treatment center ads get rejected

Five ways it goes wrong.

  • No certification on file. Google lets only advertisers it has certified promote recovery-oriented drug and alcohol services, and Meta requires LegitScript and its written permission. Without them the ad does not run.
  • A helpline that hides who answers. The FTC's first case under the Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act was against a network that promised callers an expert-vetted match. The FTC alleged the owner deciding membership had no qualifying experience.
  • A referral paid by the head. For services covered by a health care benefit program, federal law sets a fine of up to $200,000, up to 10 years in prison, or both, for each occurrence of paying to induce a referral to a recovery home or clinical treatment facility.
  • A face without the right consent. Part 2 defines a patient to include "both current and former patients." An alumni video tells the viewer the person was treated, which is why we handle it as a disclosure.
  • A promise of recovery. The FTC can seek civil penalties for deceptive practices about any substance use disorder treatment service, which the law defines to include treatment, referrals and recovery housing.
The rules, with dates

What Google, Meta and the FTC say about treatment ads.

Each card quotes the rule's own page, read on 26 September 2026. We run this read on every treatment center ad, page and alumni story before it goes live.

CertifiedGoogle: "Advertisers targeting certain locations are able to promote recovery-oriented drug and alcohol addiction services if certified by Google." In the US that starts with LegitScript.Google Ads, Healthcare and medicines
PermissionMeta: "Advertisers can run ads for drug and alcohol addiction treatment in the United States as long as they're certified with LegitScript and have written permission from Meta."Meta Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment policy
Lead gen tooGoogle's addiction policy names clinical treatment providers, sober living, "Lead generators or referral agencies for addiction services" and crisis hotlines.Google Ads, Addiction services
ReferralsThe FTC's recovery fraud law covers services that "purport to provide treatment, referrals to treatment, or recovery housing."FTC, Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act of 2018

Your own program or a referral line: what changes

Your ad sells your own programYour ad routes callers to others
GoogleLegitScript and Google certification, and only the levels of care you are licensed for.The same certification, since the policy names lead generators and referral agencies. Google says services LegitScript will not certify are not allowed to advertise.
MetaLegitScript and Meta's written permission, for in-person, online and hotline services.The same. Meta's policy lists hotlines and groups that give information about treatment.
FTCCivil penalties are available for deceptive claims about any substance use disorder treatment service.The law's definition includes referrals. R360 promised an expert-vetted network; the FTC alleged no qualified expert chose the centers.
KickbacksFederal law's employee exception holds only when pay does not vary with the number of people referred.No commission, bonus or split fee to induce a referral. Florida's law says so for any person, including providers and facilities.
What it costsLegitScript, per facility: $1,395 to $1,595 to apply, then $2,550 to $3,095 a year, lower at higher facility counts. Expedited review is $2,500 more.Individual practitioners: $535 to apply, then $1,070 a year. Not every referral or lead service is eligible for certification.

Platform and FTC lines read on each source's own page on 26 September 2026. LegitScript fees as our pages state them, from LegitScript's addiction treatment certification page, checked 25 September 2026. LegitScript sets and changes them, so confirm the current figure before you apply.

Two phones showing the same clinic ad: Hate your belly rejected, Tired all the time approved
Same clinic, two ads

Describe the program, not the person.

The two phones show a weight loss ad, but the rule behind them, Meta's ban on copy that implies it knows a person's health, decides treatment ads too. "Is drinking ruining your life?" tells the viewer what they have. "Medically supervised detox and outpatient care for alcohol use" tells them what you offer.

Same center, same page, same phone number. One line is about the person and one is about the program. The phones are an illustration, not a client's account.

What we do differently

Every treatment center post, read by a person.

No tool removes the compliance read. Every ad, landing page and alumni story is read by a person against Google's and Meta's certification rules, the FTC's recovery fraud law and your license, two rounds, before it runs. Anything that names a medication for opioid or alcohol use disorder gets a drug-ad review, which is why a creator program for prescription products adds $1,000 a month.

  • ClaimsNo cure, no success rate without its source, no promise of lasting recovery.
  • ConsentWritten consent from every alum or family member shown, reviewed by your counsel for HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2, on file with the ad.
  • ReferralsNo ad that presents your line as an independent helpline. The number reaches your admissions team, and the ad says whose it is.
  • The pageThe levels of care and the states you are licensed for, named on the page and matching what LegitScript certified.
Physician reviewing a creator video on a tablet, second review round, with a printed checklist
Map of the United States with Newport Beach, California marked
Where we work

Newport Beach office. Clients anywhere.

Platform rules are national; licensing and patient brokering laws are state by state. Florida makes it unlawful for any person, including a health care provider or facility, to pay or receive a commission, bonus or split fee for a referral. Preston Durnford built and ran Epic Journey Recovery, so this work comes from the operator's side of the phone. We run it from Newport Beach and work with centers across the United States.

CaliforniaFloridaTexasArizonaNevadaColoradoNew YorkAnywhere in the US
Related

Go deeper.

Treatment centers marketingThe full system for treatment centersCreators for treatment centersWho they are, where it runs, what they can sayThe full rulebookMeta, Google, LegitScript, FDA, with datesBehavioral healthRules for behavioral health and treatment centers
Before the next campaign

Get the account read first.

Fifteen minutes. Bring the ad Google or Meta rejected, or the certification you are waiting on. We will tell you what is holding it and what you can do while you wait.

Book a Call →How creator ads work →
Questions

Asked by treatment centers.

Can a treatment center run Google Ads?
Yes, once it holds LegitScript Addiction Treatment Certification and Google's own certification. Google restricts recovery-oriented drug and alcohol services to certified advertisers and says services LegitScript will not certify are not allowed to advertise them at all. A violation brings a warning at least 7 days before any account suspension.
Can a rehab advertise without LegitScript?
Not with drug and alcohol treatment ads on Google or Meta, since both require LegitScript first. Without it, the work is organic: your website, your Google Business Profile, search content and reviews, none of which are ads.
What does LegitScript cost for a treatment center?
LegitScript charges $1,395 to $1,595 per facility to apply, then $2,550 to $3,095 per facility a year, lower at higher facility counts. Individual practitioners pay $535 to apply, then $1,070 a year, and expedited review is $2,500 more. LegitScript sets these fees, so confirm the current figure before you apply.
Can alumni appear in our ads?
Yes, with written consent that covers both HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2. Part 2 defines a patient to include current and former patients, so discharge does not end the protection. We keep the signed copy on file with the ad, and your counsel reviews the form.
Can we pay for referrals or leads?
Not per patient, and not per lead or per call without your counsel's sign-off. For services covered by a health care benefit program, federal law bars paying to induce a referral to a recovery home or clinical treatment facility, with a fine of up to $200,000 per occurrence, and Florida's patient brokering law reaches any health care provider or facility. Ask your counsel before any referral arrangement.
Can we mention Suboxone or naltrexone in our ads?
In Google ad copy, yes; as a keyword, only with certification to target those terms. Suboxone, buprenorphine and naltrexone are all on Google's prescription drug list. On Meta, promoting a prescription drug is a separate authorization limited to online pharmacies, telehealth providers and manufacturers, so we describe medication-assisted treatment as a service.
Do you work with treatment centers outside California?
Yes. We work with centers across the United States from Newport Beach. Platform rules are the same everywhere; licensing and patient brokering laws are not, and we read both for your state.

Sources, all read on September 26, 2026: Google Ads, Healthcare and medicines, Addiction services and the prescription drug list; Meta Transparency Center, Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment, Privacy Violations and Personal Attributes, and the Business Help Center page on prescription drugs; FTC, Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act of 2018 and the R360 release of May 2022; 18 U.S.C. 220; Florida Statutes 817.505; 42 CFR 2.11; 45 CFR 164.508. LegitScript fees checked September 25, 2026.