Why ABA License Applications Take as Long as They Do

The most common question we get is how long a license takes. The honest answer is that no one outside the board can promise a date, and anyone who does is guessing. What we can tell you is what sets the pace, because the same few things decide it almost everywhere.

When does the board's clock actually start?

Usually when the file is complete, not when you first send something. Nevada's statute is explicit: an application "is not considered complete and received for purposes of evaluation" until the board has the fingerprints or proof they were sent electronically, and written authorization (NRS 641D.300(3)). Only then does the 120-day window to evaluate and issue a written decision begin (NRS 641D.310(4)). Oregon's five-business-day provisional registration for interventionists also runs from receipt of the "completed application" (ORS 676.815(3)).

So the realistic timeline is your time to assemble the file, plus third parties' time to send their pieces, plus the board's time once it is whole.

Which statutes put a number on it?

• Nevada, standard application: evaluation and a written determination within 120 days of receiving the application and evidence; a denial must explain the reasons in detail (NRS 641D.310).
• Nevada, license by endorsement: the board must tell the applicant what else it needs within 30 business days, and, unless it denies for good cause, issue the license within 45 days of receiving the application or 10 days after the fingerprint report arrives, whichever is later (NRS 641D.340). An expedited track for military members, spouses and veterans works the same way and allows a provisional license (NRS 641D.350).
• Oregon, interventionists: a provisional registration within five business days of a completed application if the full one has not issued (ORS 676.815(3)).

Most states we have read set no deadline at all. That is the normal case.

Which pieces take the longest?

Fingerprints

The Nevada ABA Board says LiveScan results return in about 10 to 14 days. Louisiana's board says live scan results reach it within one to three days of printing. Illinois requires prints no more than 60 days old at submission, so printing too early means printing again (IDFPR). Washington says employer checks do not transfer.

Verifications

Each state where you hold or held a license has to send something, on its own schedule. Washington wants verifications from every state you have ever been credentialed in (WAC 246-805-510), and Oregon wants an affidavit from every state where you hold or held a license, active or inactive (OAR 824-030-0010). One slow board holds up the whole file. New York tells applicants: "It is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material."

The BACB, for new BCBAs

If you are newly certified, the BACB's own queue comes first. Its Application Processing Updates page, updated October 9, 2026, showed it reviewing BCBA and BCaBA certification applications submitted from October 5, 2026. Fast at the moment, but it changes, and it only covers the certification step.

Board meetings and review

Files with a disclosed criminal or disciplinary history often go to the board rather than staff. Louisiana's board, for example, says a line technician applicant who answers yes to the application's history question "will not be registered until the Board has the opportunity to review the matter," in a board opinion issued in 2014. Louisiana also reviews renewal extension requests at its next regularly scheduled meeting (rule 403).

New systems

Boards migrate software. IDFPR moved behavior analysts to its CORE system in January 2025 and delayed enforcement against unlicensed practice to April 21, 2025 to work through the volume. The Nevada board said in October 2026 it had left its previous platform and was reopening online applications. Transitions slow everything.

How long does an application stay open?

Illinois keeps an application active for three years from receipt (IDFPR), and its statute says an assistant application not completed in three years is denied and the fee forfeited (225 ILCS 6/35(c)). Washington requires a technician trainee to finish training and apply within one year of starting the program (WAC 246-805-310). An abandoned file usually means paying again.

What can you control?

1. Send a complete file the first time. Every deficiency letter restarts part of the wait.
2. Order third-party documents the same week you apply. Verifications, BACB letters and transcripts run in parallel, not in series.
3. Sequence fingerprints correctly. Apply first where the board requires it (Nevada, Louisiana), and print within the window (Illinois).
4. Disclose fully. A history question answered "yes" with documents attached moves faster than one discovered later.
5. Use temporary options where they exist. Washington offers a 180-day temporary license to nonresidents licensed in another state (WAC 246-805-520); see temporary practice rules.

Can anyone speed up a board?

We prepare the complete package for your review, order every verification at once, schedule fingerprints in the board's required order, and check the file's status on a schedule until the board decides, answering deficiency letters with you. You review, sign and submit; we do not need your board login, and no one can promise a decision date. License by Endorsement is $599 per state and a Full State License Application is $749 per state. See pricing, license verifications, and application mistakes that cost weeks.