What LegitScript certification actually requires

Since 2018, the major ad platforms — Google, Microsoft, and Meta — have required LegitScript certification before an addiction-treatment provider can run ads. No certification, no paid search, no paid social. For most operators, that makes it the gate to compliant demand generation.

Certification is a standard, not a formality. To earn it, a provider has to be properly registered as a legal entity and adequately licensed for the services it offers in every jurisdiction it serves. It has to show written policies and procedures that demonstrate real clinical practice — and document that staff have genuine training in addiction treatment, typically including a medical director or clinically credentialed lead, and in many cases an on-site medical provider.

The process runs in steps: create an account, submit an application with the associated fee, complete a detailed questionnaire covering your business practices, licensure, and privacy policies, and then work through LegitScript's review. Budget for it — application fees per facility generally run in the four figures, with recurring annual fees to maintain certification.

Eligibility is where centers get surprised. Sober living homes and recovery residences, lead-generation companies, providers based outside the United States, and facilities without an on-site medical provider are not currently eligible. If your model falls into one of those buckets, the answer isn't a workaround — it's a different, compliant growth strategy.

We treat LegitScript as a baseline, not a badge. Getting certified is the floor for running ethical, platform-compliant campaigns. Keeping that certification clean — accurate claims, honest intake, no fear-based copy — is what protects both your ad accounts and the people on the other end of them.