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

Iowa

Start with the Iowa Board of Medicine's acupuncture page at the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing. Applicants need a three-year program accredited or meeting NCBAHM standards and an NCBAHM-approved clean needle course. The license costs $345 and renews every two years for $300 on October 31 of even years with current NCBAHM diplomate status. Patients must sign a disclosure sheet.

State license · Board of Medicine · NCBAHM diplomate

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Iowa Board of Medicine, with licensing handled by the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and LicensingDIAL acupuncture page ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Licensed acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture practice

Exempt professionalsSource checked: Physicians, chiropractors, dentists and podiatrists may practice acupuncture under their own Iowa licenses, and supervised students need no license.DIAL acupuncture page ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

EligibilitySource checked: A three-year postsecondary or college acupuncture program accredited by, in candidacy for accreditation by, or meeting the standards of the NCBAHM, and an NCBAHM-approved clean needle technique course.DIAL acupuncture page ↗
FeesSource checked: $300 application plus a $45 background check ($345 total); reinstatement of an inactive license is $445.DIAL acupuncture page ↗

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Scope as definedSource checked: Iowa Code 148E.1 defines the practice of acupuncture as inserting needles and applying moxibustion based on oriental medical diagnosis as a primary mode of therapy, with adjunctive manual, mechanical, thermal, electrical and electromagnetic treatment and the recommendation of dietary guidelines and therapeutic exercise. Herbs are not named; that is not a conclusion that herbal practice is permitted or prohibited.Iowa Code 148E.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

Cycle and feeSource checked: Licenses expire October 31 of even-numbered years; two-year renewal costs $300 and a late fee of $50 applies during the grace period.DIAL acupuncture page ↗
CertificationSource checked: Renewal needs documented current active NCBAHM diplomate status in acupuncture or Oriental medicine.DIAL acupuncture page ↗

What to confirm

Rules after you open

Disclosure sheetSource checked: Give each patient a signed, dated disclosure sheet at initial contact, listing credentials and stating that the Board of Medicine regulates acupuncture; keep it five years after treatment ends.Iowa Code §148E.6 via DIAL page ↗

Go to the source

Official resources

Board pageSource checked: Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing: acupunctureOpen ↗

Community review

Help improve the Iowa 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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