Oregon Behavior Analyst Licensing

Oregon regulates applied behavior analysis under ORS 676.802 to 676.830, administered by the Health Licensing Office with the Behavior Analysis Regulatory Board. The BACB lists 2013 as Oregon's licensing year. There are three credentials:

• the licensed behavior analyst;
• the licensed assistant behavior analyst; and
• the registered behavior analysis interventionist, Oregon's technician credential.

ORS 676.820 provides that an individual licensed or registered under these sections "may practice applied behavior analysis," and only they may use the titles "licensed behavior analyst," "licensed assistant behavior analyst" or "registered behavior analysis interventionist." Licensed health care professionals in other Oregon professions whose scope includes ABA are recognized separately in the statute.

What does a behavior analyst need?

ORS 676.810 says licensing criteria "must include the requirement that the applicant have successfully completed a state and nationwide criminal records check that requires fingerprinting," and may include BACB certification as a BCBA or equivalent. The Health Licensing Office's license page lists what an applicant must do:

1. Submit the completed application with the $150 application fee.
2. Submit two forms of government-issued identification with your current legal name, at least one with a photo. Mailed copies must show the front and back clearly.
3. "Arrange for proof of certification by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Inc. as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst to be sent in from the BACB to the Office."
4. Pass a fingerprint-based nationwide criminal records check.
5. If applicable, submit an Affidavit of Licensure from any state where you hold or have held a behavior analyst license, "whether the license is active or inactive."
6. Pay the $200 license fee.

The affidavit step is what a BCBA practicing in more than one state should plan around. Each issuing board has its own process for sending verification, and inactive or lapsed licenses count. See license verifications for behavior analysts and fingerprints and background checks.

What does the assistant license require?

The assistant application mirrors the behavior analyst list at the BCaBA level, with a $125 application fee and a $175 license fee, and one more condition: you must "be supervised by a Behavior Analyst who is licensed by BARB," the Behavior Analysis Regulatory Board. A supervisor licensed only in another state does not meet that requirement. See supervision rules for licensed assistant behavior analysts.

How does the interventionist registration work?

ORS 676.815 sets the minimum criteria for registering a behavior analysis interventionist:

• a high school diploma, modified diploma, GED or equivalent, or a postsecondary degree;
• age 18 or older;
• a state and nationwide fingerprint-based criminal records check;
• at least 40 hours of professional training in applied behavior analysis approved by the office; and
• ongoing training and supervision "by a licensed behavior analyst, by a licensed assistant behavior analyst or by another licensed health care professional."

The office's page lists a $75 application fee and a $100 registration fee, two forms of identification, documentation of the diploma or GED, and documentation of the 40 training hours on the office's Verification of Professional Training form, verified by a qualified licensee.

The statute also requires a provisional registration. If an applicant meets the criteria, the office must issue a provisional registration "within five business days of the date on which the office received the completed application" if the full registration has not issued by then. It lasts until the registration is issued or denied. For agencies hiring in Oregon, that provision matters: a complete application gets a new hire working quickly, and an incomplete one does not. Our post on Oregon's registered behavior analysis interventionist goes deeper, and do RBTs need a state license or registration? compares other states.

Does Oregon set its own CE requirement?

The Health Licensing Office states that a behavior analyst "must complete a minimum of sixteen (16) continuing education (CE) hours every licensure year," with at least one hour on ethics in applied behavior analysis, and an assistant must complete at least ten hours each licensure year, also with one hour on ethics. Licensees attest to compliance on the renewal application and must keep documentation for two years after renewal for possible audit. Pre-approval of CE courses is optional.

A yearly CE count is different from the BACB's two-year cycle, so it needs its own calendar entry. See CE requirements across states and BACB recertification and state renewal.

Is there endorsement or temporary practice in Oregon?

The office's license page describes a single application path that relies on BACB certification sent directly from the BACB, plus affidavits from any other state that has licensed you. We did not find a separate endorsement track or a visiting-practice window for behavior analysts in the statutes and office pages we reviewed, so plan on the full Oregon application before serving Oregon clients. See BCBA license by endorsement for states that do have one.

What should agencies expanding into Oregon plan for?

• Every technician needs a registration, with a fingerprint check and 40 approved training hours. RBT certification by itself is not an Oregon registration.
• Supervisors of assistants must hold an Oregon license.
• Fingerprints for everyone. Licenses and registrations alike require the fingerprint-based nationwide check.
• Payer credentialing. ORS 676.830 addresses health benefit plan credentialing for ABA providers, a separate step from licensing. Our sister site White Glove Credentialing covers behavioral health credentialing.

How do we help in Oregon?

We prepare, organize and track: the application and identification documents, the BACB verification request, affidavits from every state that has licensed you, the fingerprint check, and for agencies, each interventionist's training verification and registration file. You, and each technician, review, sign and submit your own applications. The BACB has warned that letting another person or entity complete a licensure application on your behalf "may be a violation of state law," and we never ask for anyone's login.

License by Endorsement is $599 per state, the Full State License Application is $749, the Assistant Behavior Analyst License is $399, and Behavior Technician Registration is $149 per technician. Office fees are separate. See pricing and the Oregon state page.