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

Massachusetts

Start with the Committee on Acupuncture at the Board of Registration in Medicine. Massachusetts requires NCCAOM certification for first-time applicants, and using herbs needs the Committee's separate approval.

State license · NCCAOM certification required

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Committee on Acupuncture, Board of Registration in MedicineLicensing requirements ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Full license

Independent acupuncture practice

L.Ac.

ScopeSource checked: Practice includes needling, electro- and laser acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and adjunctive therapies including herbology.243 CMR 5.01(2) ↗
Title in advertisingSource checked: A licensee must use the title “Licensed Acupuncturist” beside their name on public materials about their practice.243 CMR 5.09 ↗

Temporary license

Limited supervised settings, not independent practice

Allowed settingsSource checked: Supervising interns, demonstrating at a seminar, postgraduate clinical training, or a continuing-education course with needling, generally under an active full licensee.243 CMR 5.02(2) ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

General eligibilitySource checked: At least 18 years old, good moral character, and English proficiency by TOEFL or a certified interpreter at the applicant's expense.Licensing requirements ↗
EducationSource checked: Two years of undergraduate study (60 semester hours) including biology, anatomy, and physiology, plus a minimum of 1,905 acupuncture hours with 100 supervised patient hours, from a Committee-approved school.Licensing requirements ↗
Examination and certificationSource checked: NCCAOM certification is required; the licensure exam consists of NCCAOM Acupuncture, Foundations of Oriental Medicine, Point Location, and Biomedicine plus the Clean Needle Technique course.Licensing requirements ↗
ReciprocitySource checked: A license from another state does not excuse any requirement unless the Committee has a reciprocal agreement or exempts a specific requirement.243 CMR 5.02(9) ↗
Initial fees, fingerprints, and processing timeNeeds review: The regulation lists civil and criminal litigation statements on the application; a fingerprint requirement and current fees were not confirmed.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine authoritySource checked: Herbology is listed as an adjunctive therapy within the practice of acupuncture.243 CMR 5.01(2) ↗
Baseline herbal educationSource checked: Every licensure applicant needs at least 30 hours of herbal medicine training from a Committee-approved school or program.Licensing requirements ↗
Approval to use herbal therapySource checked: For licensees on or after Jan. 1, 2009: an ACAOM program with at least 1,905 hours, including 660 herb hours and 210 clinical herb-and-acupuncture hours, plus NCCAOM Chinese Herbology certification.243 CMR 5.03(2)(h) ↗
Herbal continuing educationSource checked: Licensees approved for herbal therapy must take at least 10 of their 30 CE hours in herbology.243 CMR 5.03(2)(i) ↗
Compounding, dispensing, and retail limitsNeeds review: Pharmacy, labeling, and product-sale rules were not researched.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

Renewal cycle and feeSource checked: Renewal every two years on the licensee's birthday; the Board lists a $200 renewal fee and online renewal.Renew my acupuncture license ↗
Continuing educationSource checked: 30 hours per two-year period, with a signed, notarized attestation at renewal.243 CMR 5.10 ↗
Inactive and lapsedSource checked: Inactive status is available on written request. A license lapsed more than two years requires a new full application.243 CMR 5.07 ↗

What to confirm

Rules after you open

Patient recordsSource checked: Keep a record for each patient, retained for at least seven years from the last treatment.243 CMR 5.09(2) ↗
AdvertisingSource checked: Advertising may not be false, deceptive, or guarantee a cure; advertising content must be kept for three years.243 CMR 5.09 ↗
Address changesSource checked: Notify the Committee of a new address within 30 days.243 CMR 5.01(5) ↗
Display of licenseSource checked: A licensee must conspicuously display the license certificate in the office; a licensee approved to use herbs displays a certificate showing that approval.243 CMR 5.09(4) ↗
Title in advertisingSource checked: Advertising and materials visible to the public use the title "Licensed Acupuncturist" (abbreviated "L.Ac." or "Lic. Ac.") with the licensee's name, business address and title.243 CMR 5.09(1) ↗
Records after retirementSource checked: A retired licensee, successor or estate must keep patient records at least seven years and make them available to former patients.243 CMR 5.09(6) ↗
Needle and sterilization rulesSource checked: Nondisposable equipment is sterilized after each use by autoclave, dry heat or ethylene oxide, not by boiling, alcohol soaking or glass beads; patients who normally receive reusable needles must be told they may choose disposable needles at their own expense.243 CMR 5.08 ↗
Telehealth and liability insuranceNeeds review: The regulation (dated 01/15/2009) has no telehealth or liability-insurance provision in the sections read (5.01 to 5.09); absence is not a conclusion that none applies, and M.G.L. c. 112 was not searched.243 CMR 5.00 ↗Know this? Share an official source

Go to the source

Official resources

Licensing requirementsSource checked: Board summary of requirementsOpen ↗
Renew a licenseSource checked: Renewal instructionsOpen ↗
RegulationsSource checked: 243 CMR 5.00Open ↗
License verification link: Not confirmed yet. We only publish what an official source supports.Know this? Share an official source

Community review

Help improve the Massachusetts 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.

Licensed and ready to open?

Goji handles scheduling, charting, and superbills for acupuncture practices. Start free and see it with your own services.

Start free