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

Idaho

Start with the Idaho State Board of Acupuncture within the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses. Applicants need NCCAOM certification (or a 1,725-hour approved program) plus an internship and an exam. Herbal and nutritional treatments are listed as adjunctive therapies within acupuncture. Renewal needs 30 continuing education hours per 24 months.

State license · Board of Acupuncture (DOPL) · NCCAOM certification or program graduation

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Idaho State Board of AcupunctureIdaho Code §54-4704 ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Licensed acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture practice

Practice definitionSource checked: Needle insertion and similar devices and moxibustion; it excludes surgery and prescribing or administering legend drugs.Idaho Code §54-4702 ↗
CertificationSource checked: A separate certification covers chiropractors, dentists, podiatrists and naturopathic doctors who complete an approved acupuncture program, or full members of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture.Idaho Code §54-4707 ↗
Acupuncture trainee permitSource checked: Trainees enrolled in an approved program practice under a licensed or certified supervisor; the first 100 hours need direct supervision.Idaho Code §54-4708; IDAPA 24.17.01 §101 ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

RequirementsSource checked: Written application and fees, NCCAOM certification or similar requirements approved by the Board, an acupuncture internship or equivalent experience, and an exam or proficiency demonstration.Idaho Code §54-4706 ↗
EducationSource checked: The rules accept NCCAOM certification or graduation from an approved program of at least 1,725 hours with 1,000 didactic and 500 clinical hours.IDAPA 24.17.01 §100 ↗
Fee ceilingsSource checked: Rule maximums: $50 application, $300 license, $150 trainee permit. Actual fees may be lower.IDAPA 24.17.01 §400 ↗
EndorsementSource checked: A license from a state with substantially equivalent requirements may be recognized by endorsement.Idaho Code §54-4709 ↗

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine authoritySource checked: Adjunctive therapies within acupuncture include herbal and nutritional treatments, therapeutic exercise and other therapies based on Oriental medical theory.Idaho Code §54-4702(1) ↗
Retail, compounding, and dispensing: Not confirmed yet. We only publish what an official source supports.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

Continuing educationSource checked: 30 Board-approved hours in the preceding 24 months; up to 10 hours for teaching or supervision.IDAPA 24.17.01 §105 ↗
Fee ceilings and inactive statusSource checked: Annual renewal may not exceed $200 and fees may be aggregated for biennial licensure; inactive status is capped at $50 a year and reinstatement at $250.IDAPA 24.17.01 §400 ↗
Reinstatement and return from inactiveSource checked: An expired license needs one to two years of continuing education; a return from inactive needs one year of continuing education per inactive year, up to two; after five or more inactive years, 45 hours plus proof of recent practice elsewhere or of competence.IDAPA 24.17.01 §§103–104 ↗
Renewal dateNeeds review: DOPL is phasing in new renewal cycles; the board's page was not checked for the current date.IDAPA 24.17.01 ↗Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Rules after you open

Other rulesNeeds review: Records, advertising and informed-consent rules were not read; the rule text shows an effective date of 7-1-26 on some provisions.IDAPA 24.17.01 ↗Know this? Share an official source

Go to the source

Official resources

LawSource checked: Idaho Code Title 54, chapter 47Open ↗
RulesSource checked: IDAPA 24.17.01, Rules of the State Board of AcupunctureOpen ↗

Community review

Help improve the Idaho 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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