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

Maine

Start with the Maine Board of Complementary Health Care Providers. Licensure needs a bachelor's degree (or nursing or physician associate credentials), 1,000 classroom and 300 clinical hours, and NCCAOM certification. Chinese patent and premade herbal remedies are within every acupuncturist's scope; formulating custom herbal blends needs a separate certification.

State license · Board of Complementary Health Care Providers · NCCAOM certification

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Board of Complementary Health Care Providers, within the Office of Professional and Occupational RegulationBoard acupuncture page ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Licensed acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture practice

License requiredSource checked: No one may practice acupuncture without a Board license, except students with a year of full-time study in a supervised, board-approved internship; other licensed healers may use acupuncture within their own scope.32 MRS §12511 ↗
Auricular detoxification specialistSource checked: A separate license (Subchapter 5) covers acupuncture detoxification specialists; its requirements were not read.32 MRS §§12551–12554 ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

EligibilitySource checked: At least 21; a baccalaureate degree, Maine RN license or physician associate credentials; 1,000 hours of classroom instruction and 300 clinical hours; and NCCAOM (or Board-approved) certification or a Board-approved written exam.32 MRS §12512 ↗
FeesSource checked: $180 license fee plus a $21 criminal background check, applied for online.Board acupuncture page ↗
EndorsementSource checked: A holder of a current license from a state with at least equal requirements must be licensed; the Board is also building an endorsement process.32 MRS §§12512(2), 12513-B ↗

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Chinese patent and premade remediesSource checked: Recommending and dispensing Chinese patent or premade herbal remedies is within every licensed acupuncturist's scope.32 MRS §12513-A(2) ↗
Custom herbal formulationsSource checked: Formulating and dispensing custom-made Chinese herbal formulations needs additional Board certification: NCCAOM Oriental medicine or Chinese herbology certification, a master's-level Oriental medicine program, or a 450-hour herb program plus experience statements. License $35, renewal $50 annually, no extra continuing education.Custom herbal certification page ↗

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

Renewal cycle and feeSource checked: Annual renewal due October 31 for $180.Board acupuncture page ↗
Continuing educationSource checked: 30 units each two-year period, for programs related to acupuncture and Oriental medicine.Board acupuncture page ↗
Late renewalSource checked: Within 90 days of expiration add a $50 late fee; after 90 days the applicant is treated as new.32 MRS §12516; board page ↗

What to confirm

Rules after you open

Rules not readNeeds review: The Board's rules (Chapters 3, 3-A and 5) cover supervision, records and conduct and were not read in this pass.Board laws and rules ↗Know this? Share an official source
Records, advertising, and telehealth: Not confirmed yet. We only publish what an official source supports.Know this? Share an official source

Go to the source

Official resources

Board pageSource checked: Board of Complementary Health Care Providers: acupunctureOpen ↗
Herbal certificationSource checked: Custom Maine Chinese Herbal Formulations certificationOpen ↗
LawSource checked: Maine Revised Statutes, Title 32, chapter 113-BOpen ↗
Online licensingSource checked: Apply onlineOpen ↗

Community review

Help improve the Maine 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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