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

Michigan

Start with the Michigan Board of Acupuncture at LARA. Acupuncture changed from registration to licensure in 2021; applicants need current certification from the NCBAHM (the certifier also called NCCAOM elsewhere). The license is $484.50 for two years and renews with 30 hours of continuing education. Herbal medicine is included in the statutory definition of East Asian medicine techniques.

State license · Board of Acupuncture (LARA) · NCBAHM certification

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Michigan Board of Acupuncture and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory AffairsBoard acupuncture page ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture practice

License requiredSource checked: Practicing acupuncture or using the title acupuncturist requires a license; other licensed professionals may do acupuncture within their scope, and physicians need 300 hours of acupuncture education including 100 live hours.MCL 333.16513 ↗
Limited licenseSource checked: A limited license was available for people who had practiced under a physician for two years and held another health license, supervised and without insurer payment. The 36-month window ran from the licensure rules' effective date (April 1, 2021 per the licensing guide), so it has closed.MCL 333.16515(3) ↗
Dry needlingNeeds review: Dry needling by other licensed professionals is allowed within their scope, but is also defined as acupuncture for licensees.MCL 333.16501, 16513 ↗Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Getting your first license

Licensure by endorsementSource checked: An applicant holds an active license or registration in good standing from another state (or a Canadian province), current NCCAOM Diplomate certification, discloses every other health-profession license and provides verification that no discipline is pending or in force.R 338.13016 ↗
FeesSource checked: $484.50 covers the application and the first two-year license; relicensure is $504.50; paid online through MiPLUS.Licensing guide (revised 2/10/2026) ↗
Examination and certificationSource checked: By examination: current NCBAHM certification in acupuncture or acupuncture and herbal medicine, verified directly to the Bureau.Licensing guide ↗
EndorsementSource checked: Active license or registration in good standing in another state or Canadian province, plus current NCBAHM certification.Licensing guide ↗
Other requirementsSource checked: Criminal background check, good moral character questions, one-time human trafficking training, 2 hours of implicit bias training within five years, SSN, verification of every license held, and English proficiency.Licensing guide ↗
Earlier non-certified and limited routes endedSource checked: The routes for applicants without NCCAOM certification (R 338.13012), limited licenses for long-supervised practitioners (R 338.13014), and delegated practice by registered acupuncturists (R 338.13041) ran only from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2024. New applicants now qualify through the certified route.R 338.13012, 13014, 13041 ↗

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine authoritySource checked: "East Asian medicine techniques" in the practice definition include treatment with herbal medicines, defined as plants, plant extracts, minerals or animal products that are not prescription drugs.MCL 333.16501(1)(h), (j), (o) ↗
Dispensing and compoundingNeeds review: The statute does not separately address selling, compounding or labeling herbs; other Public Health Code rules may apply.MCL 333.16501 ↗Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

Renewal cycle and feeSource checked: Two-year license; renewal is $408.Licensing guide ↗
Continuing educationSource checked: 30 hours in the two years before renewal, at least 5 in pain and symptom management; NCBAHM professional development counts and meeting NCBAHM standards satisfies it.Licensing guide ↗
Implicit bias trainingSource checked: One hour of implicit bias training per year of the cycle, repeated each cycle.Licensing guide ↗
LapseSource checked: Relicensure needs the 30 CE hours; a license lapsed three or more years also needs current NCBAHM certification.Licensing guide ↗

What to confirm

Rules after you open

TelehealthSource checked: An acupuncturist must obtain consent before providing a telehealth service under MCL 333.16284, act within their scope of practice and exercise the same standard of care as in-person care.R 338.13003 ↗
Records, supervision and advertisingNeeds review: The Acupuncture General Rules (R 338.13001 to 13045, as amended through 2024 MR 11) contain no records-retention, advertising or display rule; the Public Health Code's general provisions were not searched. This is not a conclusion that none applies.Know this? Share an official source

Go to the source

Official resources

Board pageSource checked: Michigan Board of AcupunctureOpen ↗
Licensing guideSource checked: Acupuncturist licensing guide and FAQOpen ↗
LawSource checked: Public Health Code part 165, acupunctureOpen ↗
Online licensingSource checked: MiPLUSOpen ↗

Community review

Help improve the Michigan 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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