Nurses, psychologists, counselors and physical therapists have interstate compacts. Behavior analysts do not. Every state that licenses behavior analysts issues its own license, so a BCBA serving clients in three licensing states holds three licenses, each with its own renewal date.
BACB certification is the common thread: every licensing state offers a route for BCBAs. But certification is not a license, and the BACB itself tells certificants to check with the board wherever they practice.
Four ways the map works
- Endorsement or reciprocity
- A license from the new state based on the one you hold. Many licensing states have a reciprocity provision, each with its own conditions.
- Full application
- A first license, or a state without a reciprocity route. The board looks at your BACB certification, record and its own extra steps.
- Temporary practice
- A few states allow short visits, such as 20 days a year in Texas, or a temporary license, such as 30 days a year in Georgia. Most do not.
- No state license
- In the ten states without one, practice turns on BACB certification and payer rules instead of a board license.
States that license behavior analysts
23 of them show a verified reciprocity or endorsement route in our state guides.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Law enacted, not issuing yet
No behavior analyst license
California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia. In these states the gate is usually BACB certification and payer enrollment, which our sister credentialing team handles.
Who submits the application?
You do. The BACB warns that letting another person or entity complete a licensure application on your behalf may be a violation of state law and could affect your ability to get the license. What we do is everything around it: the state-by-state plan, the complete application package, verification and fingerprint requests, and tracking to a decision. Readiness review and license prices.
Questions
- Is there an interstate compact for behavior analysts?
- No. As of October 2026 no compact for behavior analysts has been enacted or drafted as model legislation. Practicing in another licensing state takes that state’s own license, by reciprocity where it offers one or a full application.
- Do I need a license where my client is, or where I am?
- Often where the client is, and some states also count where you are working from. New York, for example, requires its license when the client is in New York or when you are. The BACB adds that remote services or supervision may require a license in that state.
- Can you submit my license application for me?
- No. The BACB warns that letting another person or entity complete a licensure application may violate state law. We prepare the complete package, request your verifications and track it; you review, sign and submit it.
- Which states have no behavior analyst license?
- California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and West Virginia, per the BACB. Pennsylvania has a separate Behavior Specialist license, and Colorado has enacted a law that is not issuing licenses yet.
- Do RBTs need a license in every state?
- No. Only a few states credential technicians, such as Washington, Nevada and Oregon. In most licensing states technicians work under a licensed behavior analyst without a state credential of their own.
Sources: BACB, US Licensure of Behavior Analysts, BACB Newsletter, December 2025, NYSED telepractice guidance. Not affiliated with the BACB, APBA or any board.