COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio lawmakers are considering new limits on addiction-recovery residences after reports of overcrowding and unsafe conditions at some group homes across the state. House Bill legislation sponsored by Rep. Brian Lorenz, a Powell Republican, would cap the number of residents in a recovery home at five if the property is located in a single-family residential area. Homes in multifamily residential zones could continue housing more than five people. The proposal also would allow local governments to limit the concentration of new recovery homes in a neighborhood. It would not permit communities to close recovery residences that are already operating. Lorenz said the measure is intended to address both neighborhood concerns and the well-being of people living in recovery homes. He said his experience working at a group home in Mansfield after college shaped his concerns about crowded conditions. “Anytime you’re creating a more confined environment you’re naturally increasing tension,” Lorenz said. He also pointed to potential fire and building-safety hazards in homes where residents are placed in garages or basements without a second exit or sprinkler systems. In those cases, he said, residential buildings may effectively be used for commercial purposes without adequate protections. Ohio’s Department of Behavioral Health took direct control of recovery-home certification earlier this summer amid concerns that too many facilities were overcrowded. The scrutiny comes as the state continues dealing with the long-term effects of the opioid epidemic and demand for treatment and sober housing. Lea Dooley, executive director of Ohio Recovery Housing, said her organization has not taken a position on Lorenz’s proposal. She said Ohio has developed strong standards for safe, quality recovery residences, but the state still has too few accredited homes to meet demand. “There simply aren’t enough of them,” Dooley said, noting that many Ohioans seeking recovery housing struggle to find options that are both affordable and close to home. Dooley said accreditation programs provide data about residents’ experiences during and after their stays, but she declined to predict how lawmakers’ broader effort to increase oversight will fare. The debate puts two needs in tension: protecting residents and neighbors from unsafe, overcrowded housing while preserving access to stable, community-based homes that can support recovery. The bill’s effect would depend on how its occupancy limits and local zoning provisions are applied as it moves through the Legislature.