Licensing directory · all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Find your state’s acupuncture licensing path.

Choose a state to find the license, herbal-medicine rules, application steps, renewal requirements and the official places to confirm what applies to you.

Pick your state.

Claims link to primary sources where we found them. Gaps and open questions stay labeled so you can tell what has, and has not, been confirmed.

Licensing in

Arizona

Start with the Arizona Acupuncture Board of Examiners. Arizona requires qualifying education, national examinations or certification, Clean Needle Technique, and a current fingerprint clearance card; its statutory herbal scope is unusually explicit.

State license · fingerprint clearance

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Arizona Acupuncture Board of ExaminersApplications and forms ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture practice

L.Ac.

EducationSource checked: Complete a Board-approved program with at least 1,850 training hours, including 800 hours of approved clinical training.ARS §32-3924 ↗
Certification or examinationSource checked: Qualify through recognized national acupuncture certification, the listed national examination modules, or substantially similar out-of-state licensure.ARS §32-3924 ↗
Auricular acupuncture certificateSource checked: Arizona offers a separate limited auricular acupuncture certificate; it is not the unrestricted acupuncturist license.Applications and forms ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

Clean Needle TechniqueSource checked: Applicants must complete a Board-approved Clean Needle Technique course.ARS §32-3924 ↗
Fingerprint clearance cardSource checked: Initial and renewal applicants must hold a valid Arizona fingerprint clearance card.ARS §32-3924 ↗
FeesSource checked: The Board currently lists a $150 nonrefundable application fee and $275 initial-license fee, totaling $425.Initial license application (2025) ↗
Universal recognition and processing timeNeeds review: Arizona provides an out-of-state universal-recognition route; eligibility and any temporary license are applicant-specific.Applications and forms ↗Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine authoritySource checked: The acupuncture scope includes using and prescribing herbal therapies commensurate with the acupuncturist's education and training.ARS §32-3901 ↗
Herbal therapy definitionSource checked: Herbal therapies include prescribing, administering, injecting, compounding, and dispensing herbal medicines and plant, animal, mineral, and natural substances.ARS §32-3901 ↗
Modality-specific training and pharmacy boundariesNeeds review: Authority is tied to education and training; product, injection, labeling, and pharmacy requirements need modality-specific review.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

Annual renewal and feeSource checked: The unrestricted license renews annually; the Board currently lists a $315 renewal fee.Renewal application ↗
Continuing educationSource checked: Complete at least 15 hours of Board-approved continuing education each year and retain course records for at least two years.Renewal application ↗
Late reinstatementSource checked: The renewal form describes a 60-day reinstatement window with the renewal fee, a $100 late fee, 15 CE hours, and an affidavit of no practice after expiration.Renewal application ↗

What to confirm

Rules after you open

Patient records and advertisingSource checked: Arizona defines inadequate patient records and false, deceptive, or misleading advertising as unprofessional conduct.ARS §32-3901 ↗
Financial-interest disclosureSource checked: A practitioner must disclose in writing a financial interest in products endorsed or recommended to a patient.ARS §32-3901 ↗
License posting and titlesSource checked: Post the license in a conspicuous place in the reception area of each office. A licensee may use "licensed acupuncturist" and "L.Ac.", may not use "doctor" or "physician" on the strength of the license alone, and may not represent that the license covers any modality other than acupuncture.ARS §32-3923 ↗
Records retention period, practice closure, and telehealthNeeds review: Arizona defines inadequate records as unprofessional conduct, but no retention period, closure rule or telehealth provision was found in ARS 32-3921 to 32-3928; Board rules (A.A.C. Title 4, chapter 8 area) were not read. This is not a conclusion that none applies.Know this? Share an official source

Go to the source

Official resources

Board homepageSource checked: Arizona Acupuncture Board of ExaminersOpen ↗
Apply and renewSource checked: Applications and formsOpen ↗
Verify a licenseSource checked: Arizona Board verification instructionsOpen ↗
StatutesSource checked: Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 32 Chapter 39Open ↗

Community review

Help improve the Arizona page.

Fix an error, fill a research gap, or share a newer official source. Contributions enter a review queue and never change the guide automatically.

Frequently asked

Licensing questions, answered.

Is this legal or licensing advice?

No. It points you to the responsible state authority and the statutes, rules and forms that apply, and says what to confirm. The board’s own decision controls, so confirm your situation with it before you apply or practice.

What do “Source checked,” “Needs review” and “Help wanted” mean?

Source checked means the claim was read against a named official page. Needs review means we found something but could not fully confirm it, or sources disagree. Help wanted means we have not confirmed it from an official source yet and would welcome one. None of these is a statement that a rule does not exist.

Has every state page been independently verified?

Not yet. Every state has a first research pass from official sources, and a separate verification pass is still under way. Each page shows the date its sources were last opened. Fees and deadlines change, so check the linked board page before relying on them.

Why do Oklahoma and South Dakota have so little?

We did not find a licensing act for either state, only bills that were introduced. That is not proof that practice is unregulated or prohibited, so those pages say what we found and stop there.

A fact on my state’s page is wrong or out of date. What do I do?

Use the correction form on that state’s page. Send the official source link if you have one. We review every report against the controlling source before anything changes; nothing updates automatically. Do not include patient or confidential information.

Does it say whether I can prescribe or sell herbs?

Each state has its own herbal section that separates recommending herbs from dispensing, compounding or selling them, because states treat those differently. Where the rules were not found or not clear, the section says so.

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