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

Maryland

Start with the Maryland State Board of Acupuncture. For licenses issued on or after June 1, 2026, a passing NCCAOM examination score is required on top of a master's-level program. Renewal happens in two fixed seasons and only online.

State license · NCCAOM exam required from June 1, 2026

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Maryland State Board of Acupuncture, Maryland Department of HealthBoard homepage ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Licensed acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture practice

ScopeSource checked: Practice means East Asian medical therapies to normalize energetic physiological functions, including needling, moxibustion, and manual, mechanical, thermal, or electrical therapies performed under East Asian medical theory.Md. Health Occ. §1A-101 ↗
License requiredSource checked: An individual must be licensed by the Board before practicing acupuncture, with exceptions for federal employees, supervised students and trainees, and supervised auricular detoxification.Md. Health Occ. §1A-301 ↗
Related practitionersSource checked: Physicians and dentists may perform acupuncture under their own titles; the Act does not limit them.Md. Health Occ. §1A-102 ↗

Auricular detoxification specialist

Limited, supervised by a licensed acupuncturist

RegistrationSource checked: Auricular detoxification specialists register with the Board and renew their registration; this is not an acupuncturist license.Board homepage ↗

Animal acupuncture specialist

Additional certification for a licensed acupuncturist

Additional certificationSource checked: Additional certification is needed to practice on animals.Board homepage ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

EducationSource checked: Graduation from at least a master's-level acupuncture program approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, accredited by ACAHM, or found equivalent by the Board.Md. Health Occ. §1A-302 ↗
ExaminationSource checked: For licenses issued on or after June 1, 2026, a passing score on the NCCAOM examination (or a Board-approved equivalent) is required. Before that date, an NCCAOM Diplomate was an alternative to the exam.Md. Health Occ. §1A-302 ↗
General eligibilitySource checked: At least 18 years old, good moral character, and the ability to communicate in English.Md. Health Occ. §1A-302 ↗
Criminal historySource checked: A 2026 law adds a criminal history records check for applicants; the Board says details are pending.Board homepage ↗
FeesSource checked: The initial application fee is $525; a late application is $100, and a name or address change not reported costs a $50 fine. License verification is $50.COMAR 10.26.01.03 ↗
Processing time and Health Care Commission feeNeeds review: A Board table lists a $26 Health Care Commission fee ($551 total); the table was not re-read. No published processing time was found.Know this? Share an official source
Reciprocity and endorsementNeeds review: Not addressed on the pages read.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine authorityNeeds review: The statutory definition of practice and the Board pages read did not mention herbs. Silence is not a conclusion that herbs are prohibited or permitted.Md. Health Occ. §1A-101 ↗Know this? Share an official source
Herbal credential, 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 seasonsSource checked: Renewal runs in two seasons: April 1 to May 31 and October 1 to November 30; it is online only, and licenses renew every two years.Licensing applications and payment ↗
Continuing educationSource checked: 30 CEUs every two years, at least 20 in East Asian medicine; keep proof for four years after the cycle. A one-time implicit bias training attestation applies at renewals from April 1, 2026.Continuing education and implicit bias ↗
Grace periodSource checked: A licensee has 30 days after expiration to renew retroactively by paying the renewal and any late fee.Md. Health Occ. §1A-306 ↗
Inactive statusSource checked: The Board places a licensee on inactive status on application and fee, for no more than six years.Md. Health Occ. §1A-307 ↗
Renewal feeSource checked: The renewal application fee is $525; a late fee of $100 applies in the 30-day grace period.COMAR 10.26.01.03 ↗
ReinstatementSource checked: From 31 days after expiration, a lapsed license can be reinstated with a reinstatement application, the $200 reinstatement fee plus the renewal fee, and either 30 hours of CE within the two most recent years or passing the NCCAOM acupuncture exam within four years of reinstatement.COMAR 10.26.02.05E ↗
Inactive status termsSource checked: Inactive status is requested within 30 days after expiration with a $100 fee, renewed every two years for at most six years. Reactivation requires meeting current renewal requirements and 30 hours of CE.COMAR 10.26.02.05F ↗

What to confirm

Rules after you open

Display of noticeSource checked: A licensee in private practice must display the Board's notice conspicuously in each office.Md. Health Occ. §1A-313 ↗
AdvertisingSource checked: A licensee may advertise only as permitted by regulations adopted by the Board.Maryland Acupuncture Act, §1A-306(g) ↗
Records, liability insurance, and telehealthNeeds review: Not located on the pages read; COMAR 10.26 was not searched in full.COMAR Subtitle 10.26 ↗Know this? Share an official source

Go to the source

Official resources

Board homepageSource checked: Maryland State Board of AcupunctureOpen ↗
QualificationsSource checked: Practitioner qualifications, training, and certificationOpen ↗
Verify a licenseSource checked: Board license verificationOpen ↗
LawSource checked: The Maryland Acupuncture Act (Health Occupations Title 1A)Open ↗

Community review

Help improve the Maryland 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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