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

Illinois

Start with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which licenses acupuncturists through its CORE system. Check the sunset date on the Acupuncture Practice Act before relying on any figure here.

State license · NCCAOM exam · Act scheduled to sunset

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional RegulationAcupuncture page ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Licensed Acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture practice

Scope and referral dutySource checked: Acupuncture includes needling and related modalities; an acupuncturist must refer to a physician or dentist any patient whose condition is beyond the acupuncturist's scope.225 ILCS 2/5, 2/15 ↗
Protected titlesSource checked: Titles such as Acupuncturist, Licensed Acupuncturist, and Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine require a license.225 ILCS 2/50 ↗
Physicians and dentistsSource checked: A licensed physician or dentist may practice acupuncture under their own training; this is not an acupuncturist license.225 ILCS 2/15 ↗

Continuing education sponsor

Not a practitioner license

Sponsor licenseSource checked: IDFPR licenses continuing education sponsors separately and lists an out-of-state CE credit option.Acupuncture page ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

RequirementsSource checked: ACAOM-accredited program or approved equivalent, the Clean Needle Technique course, and the NCCAOM certification exam; applicants by examination must hold current NCCAOM Diplomate status.Requirements for licensure (effective 03/2026) ↗
ApplicationSource checked: New applications are filed in IDFPR's CORE licensing system.Acupuncture page ↗
EndorsementSource checked: An applicant must be actively licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction; those first licensed on or after Jan. 1, 2020 also need NCCAOM Diplomate status.Requirements for licensure (effective 03/2026) ↗
Application feeSource checked: The rule lists a $500 application fee for an acupuncturist license.68 Ill. Adm. Code 1140.20 ↗
Fingerprints, background check, and processing timeNeeds review: Not confirmed yet. We only publish what an official source supports.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Chinese herbology credentialSource checked: A licensee may not hold out as trained in Chinese herbology without NCCAOM Diplomate of Oriental Medicine status, the NCCAOM Chinese Herbology exam, or a Department-approved equivalent.225 ILCS 2/16 ↗
Other licenseesSource checked: The Act does not prohibit a person licensed under another Illinois Act from practicing within that license, including with herbs or supplements.225 ILCS 2/15 ↗
Recommending herbs within the acupuncture scopeNeeds review: The Act restricts holding out as trained in herbology; whether and how a licensee without that credential may recommend herbs needs a closer read.Know this? Share an official source
Compounding, dispensing, and retail limits: Not confirmed yet. We only publish what an official source supports.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

Renewal cycle and feeSource checked: Licenses expire June 30 of odd-numbered years; the rule sets renewal at $250 per year of the cycle.68 Ill. Adm. Code 1140.20, 1140.60 ↗
Continuing educationSource checked: 30 hours of continuing education are required to renew.68 Ill. Adm. Code 1140.60 ↗
Inactive and restorationSource checked: A licensee may elect inactive status; an expired or inactive license can be restored with CE and proof of fitness.225 ILCS 2/70, 2/75 ↗
Required CE subjects and sponsor rulesNeeds review: Section 1140.90 and a 2026 abnormal-skin-growth education provision need a focused read.68 Ill. Adm. Code 1140.90 ↗Know this? Share an official source
Sunset dateNeeds review: The Act's sections carry a notice that they are scheduled to be repealed January 1, 2028. Check whether it has been extended.Acupuncture Practice Act ↗Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Rules after you open

AdvertisingSource checked: Advertising is limited to listed information and may not be false, deceptive, or guarantee success.225 ILCS 2/100 ↗
Address of recordSource checked: Licensees must report a change of address or email within 14 days.225 ILCS 2/12 ↗
Dry needlingNeeds review: The Act addresses dry needling in its definition of acupuncture; the practical effect for other professions needs a separate review.225 ILCS 2/5 ↗Know this? Share an official source
Advertising limitsSource checked: A licensee may advertise name, title, hours, address, telephone, areas of specialization, usual fees (noting fees may be adjusted) and openings, closings and staff changes. Advertising may not include services the licensee is not licensed to render, false or misleading material, guarantees of success, or statements that play on vanity or fears.225 ILCS 2/100 ↗
Records, display, insurance, and telehealthNeeds review: No records-retention, license-display, liability-insurance or telehealth provision was found in the Act text read; 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1140 was not searched for them. This is not a conclusion that none applies.Know this? Share an official source

Go to the source

Official resources

Acupuncture pageSource checked: IDFPR acupuncture licensingOpen ↗
Apply and renewSource checked: IDFPR CORE portalOpen ↗
Verify a licenseSource checked: IDFPR license look-upOpen ↗
Laws and rulesSource checked: Acupuncture Practice ActOpen ↗

Community review

Help improve the Illinois 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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