The federal government is giving cities some new guidance on how far they can go in regulating sober homes.
The Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development issued the joint statement Thursday.
It gives local governments some legal wiggle room to oversee group housing for recovering addicts on a case-by-case basis.
For example, many cities bar more than three unrelated people from living in a single-family home. But sober homes are often given an exemption to that rule because the occupants are considered to be disabled and are protected by federal law.
Under the new guidelines, cities have more legal authority to grant or deny the exemptions that allow a sober home to move in.
The guidelines also allow cities to determine how close the homes can be to one another.
Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein said in a statement the new guidelines recognize zoning and land use are best determined by local government.
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