Drug and alcohol detox programs in Denton operate under a layered licensing system.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is the primary state authority responsible for licensing all Chemical Dependency Treatment Facilities (CDTFs) in Texas, including those in Denton, under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 464.
These standards govern staffing, clinical protocols, patient rights and the specific requirements for medically supervised withdrawal management. Any facility offering detox services must maintain a licensed physician as medical director per 26 TAC Section 564.902.
At the local level, the Denton County MHMR Center is designated as the county’s Local Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Authority.
Grant funding is also changing the landscape of alcohol and substance use disorder treatment in Texas.
In September 2025, MHMR received a $15 million grant from Texas HHSC to sustain and expand its Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services. Without this grant, the center reported its SUD program would have faced significant cuts. This funding directly supports county residents who need assessment, counseling, medication-assisted treatment and withdrawal management services regardless of ability to pay.
As well, the University of North Texas (UNT), a major presence in the city, received a $1.9 million SAMHSA grant to train community health workers in trauma-informed addiction care, and in late 2025 became the first college in Texas to install a dedicated naloxone vending machine on campus.
Legislative changes have also been made to address the impact of opioids in Texas. For example, Texas House Bill 6, effective September 1, 2023, created a new “fentanyl murder” charge for dealers whose drugs cause death, which reflects the serious presence of fentanyl in the North Texas drug supply. Denton County prosecutors have already applied this law in local cases.
Denton is also home to Solutions of North Texas. They launched Denton County’s first no-cost detox program, partnering with Texas Health Resources to provide the medical component for those withdrawing from opioids and benzodiazepines. Intake appointments are offered Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
