What Is CARF Accreditation?
CARF International — the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities — is an independent, nonprofit organization that evaluates addiction treatment programs against internationally recognized standards of care. A CARF-accredited facility has voluntarily undergone a rigorous review process and demonstrated a commitment to quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
For Patients & Families
Why CARF Accreditation Matters
Choosing a rehab facility is one of the most consequential decisions a person or family can make. CARF accreditation provides an objective, third-party signal that a treatment center has met a high bar for clinical quality and operational integrity.
Unlike state licensing — which sets a minimum legal threshold to operate — CARF accreditation is voluntary and goes significantly further. Facilities that pursue it are investing time, staff resources, and money to prove they deliver care that meets international best-practice standards. CARF surveyors visit the facility on-site, review documentation, interview staff and patients, and assess every aspect of the program over multiple days.
Accreditation must be renewed every one to three years depending on the level awarded, which means the facility is subject to ongoing accountability — not a one-time checkbox.
What Gets Evaluated
Key Standards a CARF Facility Must Meet
Our Process
How We Verify CARF Accreditation
When a facility owner claims their listing on our directory, they can upload their CARF accreditation certificate directly through their dashboard. The certificate is stored securely in a private bucket — it is never displayed publicly.
Our team reviews the submission manually. Once approved, a CARF accreditation badge appears on the facility’s listing page and on city-level directory cards. We do not fabricate, assume, or infer accreditation — the facility must provide proof, and we must verify it.
For full details on what “verified” means on our platform and the limitations of our review, see our Verification Policy.
An Important Distinction
Displaying a CARF badge on our site means the facility has provided documentation of their accreditation and we have reviewed it. It does not mean we conducted the accreditation survey ourselves, nor does it constitute an endorsement of clinical outcomes. CARF accreditation is granted by CARF International — not by our directory. We display it as a factual credential, exactly as earned.
Official Source
Learn More From CARF
CARF International maintains a public directory of accredited organizations. You can verify any facility’s accreditation status directly on their website.
Visit carf.orgFind CARF-Accredited Treatment Centers
Browse our directory to find facilities displaying verified CARF accreditation. Look for the blue CARF badge on any listing.
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