November 2026: What One Legal Win Means for Operators Nationwide
After nine years of fighting the City of Costa Mesa, the Ohio House won the right to keep serving people in recovery. The courts didn’t deliver that win. Relationships did.
Brothers Brandon and Ryan Stump, the founders of Ohio House, joined our November Rehab Owners Community meeting to share how it all unfolded, from the ordinance that started it in 2015 to the City Council vote this fall. It was an honest conversation, and plenty of members heard their own zoning fights in the story.
Where Ohio House Started
Ohio House began in 2010 with one person helping his friends. After getting sober in California, Brandon started bringing friends out to do the same. A few friends became a few houses, and Ryan eventually joined full-time to help run them.
Today, Ohio House runs without paid advertising. Referrals come from grassroots relationships with treatment providers, and residents stay an average of seven and a half months.
Nine Years, Three Strategies
In 2015, Costa Mesa adopted ordinances aimed at sober living homes. Ohio House owned 17 houses at the time, and five were directly affected. About 80% of similar operators left the city. Brandon and Ryan stayed, because their residents and alumni were counting on them.
1. Collaboration. Ohio House first tried working with city officials and code enforcement. When the ordinance was adopted, they were shut out of the process.
2. Litigation. After the city denied their reasonable accommodation requests, Ohio House filed a federal lawsuit in 2019 alleging discrimination against residents with disabilities. The city countersued in state court. Ohio House lost both cases.
3. State agencies and relationships. In 2025, residents filed complaints with California’s Civil Rights Department and Department of Housing and Community Development. State officials found the ordinance conflicted with fair housing protections.
At the same time, Brandon and Ryan did something they hadn’t done in nine years: they sat down with the mayor and City Council members outside of the legal process. They talked about the roughly 100 people Ohio House employs locally and the alumni who have gone on to start businesses and treatment programs of their own. The conversation shifted from “problem” to “contributor.”
On October 20, the City Council voted 7–0 to approve Ohio House’s conditional use permit (CUP). The settlement also spared Ohio House from millions in legal fees the city could have pursued after its court wins, and the CUP can transfer if the business or properties change hands.
Does This Set a Precedent?
Not in Costa Mesa itself. It was clear that the settlement doesn’t create new rules for other operators in the city. But neighboring Orange County cities weighing similar ordinances are paying attention, and that could shape what gets written next.
View Recording from November 10th:
Passcode: n3z7W5$k
Takeaways for Operators
Show up before the ordinance does. When Ohio House enters a new city now, Brandon meets the mayor and council early to build relationships and learn the local process.
Know your rights before you litigate. The Fair Housing Act and ADA protect people in recovery, but lawsuits are slow and expensive. Talk to a behavioral health attorney early.
Build a record of community support. Letters from local businesses, neighbors, and alumni carried real weight with city leaders.
Bring in state agencies. State housing and civil rights offices can review local ordinances when the courts won’t move.
Keep the issue alive. Advocacy is a long game. Keep the conversation going and stay in front of decision-makers long after the first meeting.
Tell your outcomes story. Payers are increasingly weighing long-term outcomes and recidivism, especially for young adults. Length of stay and continuum of care are part of that story.
What’s Next for ROC
Join us in December for our year-end overview meeting. Details are coming soon. And if your city is considering rules that affect recovery housing, bring it to the group. This community exists so no operator has to fight alone.
Tuesday, December 8th | 11 am - 12 pm PST