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

Minnesota

Start with the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, which administers the acupuncture chapter with an advisory council. Licensure turns on current NCCAOM certification (unless licensed by reciprocity), renews annually, and the statute lists herbal therapies in scope. A 2026 law reportedly amended the chapter, so the text below needs a currency check.

State license · Board of Medical Practice · NCCAOM certification required

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Board of Medical Practice or its designee, advised by a seven-member Acupuncture Advisory CouncilMinn. Stat. §§147B.01 subd. 7, 147B.05 ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Licensed acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture practice

L.Ac.

License requiredSource checked: Practicing acupuncture without a valid license is unlawful; the license must be displayed at the place of practice and "L.Ac." or "licensed acupuncturist" used in advertising and billing. Violations are misdemeanors.Minn. Stat. §147B.02 subds. 1–3 ↗
ExemptionsSource checked: Physicians and osteopaths (ch. 147), chiropractors (ch. 148), supervised students, visiting instructors (up to one year, two one-year extensions) and visiting presenters (up to 30 days a year).Minn. Stat. §147B.02 subd. 4 ↗
Temporary permitSource checked: Issued only when the application is complete and all requirements are met; expires at the Board meeting that decides the license.Minn. Stat. §147B.02 subd. 13 ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

CertificationSource checked: Applicants must provide current NCCAOM certification unless licensed by reciprocity. The chapter sets no education-hour or exam-score requirement of its own.Minn. Stat. §147B.02 subd. 7 ↗
ReciprocitySource checked: The Board must license an applicant holding a current license or certificate in another jurisdiction whose standards meet or exceed Minnesota's, with a letter of good standing.Minn. Stat. §147B.02 subd. 6 ↗
ApplicationSource checked: Board form, fees, signed statement of accuracy and a signed records-access waiver; the Board decides within 120 days and a denied applicant may request a hearing within 20 days.Minn. Stat. §§147B.02 subd. 7, 147B.04 ↗
FeesSource checked: Statute lists a $150 application fee, $150 annual renewal, $60 temporary registration, $50 inactive status and $50 late fee.Minn. Stat. §147B.08 subd. 4 ↗
Current Board feesSource checked: The Board of Medical Practice fee list shows $335 for an initial acupuncture license (initial application fee, annual license fee and criminal background check fee) and $150 annual renewal with a $50 late fee. The statute's $150 application fee is a ceiling schedule that does not match the Board's total.Board fee list ↗
Current forms and 2026 amendmentsNeeds review: The Revisor page states 2026 legislation (Chapter 115) amended several subdivisions; the text read was the 2025 version. The Board's own acupuncture application page was not located.Minn. Stat. ch. 147B ↗Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine authoritySource checked: Scope of practice includes treatment plans with herbal therapies (herbs and patent herbal remedies used as supplements) and dietary counseling.Minn. Stat. §§147B.01 subd. 14, 147B.06 subd. 4 ↗
Herbal credential, dispensing, and retail limitsNeeds review: The chapter contains no herb-specific licensing or dispensing rules; do not read that silence as no limits.Minn. Stat. ch. 147B ↗Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

RenewalSource checked: Licenses expire annually; renewal requires the form, fee and documentation of current, active NCCAOM certification. Late or incomplete renewals are removed from the authorized-practice list.Minn. Stat. §147B.02 subds. 8–11 ↗
Continuing educationSource checked: Non-reciprocity licensees meet NCCAOM professional-development requirements (Board-approved CE can satisfy them); the Board randomly audits and practice-management courses do not count.Minn. Stat. §147B.03 ↗
Inactive and lapsedSource checked: Inactive status is available for a fee. A license lapsed more than two annual cycles cannot be renewed or restored; reactivation needs NCCAOM evidence, the inactive and annual fees and back fees.Minn. Stat. §147B.02 subd. 12 ↗

What to confirm

Rules after you open

Informed consent and disclosureSource checked: Check whether the patient has seen a licensed provider, disclose qualifications and possible side effects in writing, and get written acknowledgment about consulting a primary care physician.Minn. Stat. §147B.06 subd. 1 ↗
Records and referralSource checked: Each patient needs a record with consent, history, diagnosis, treatment points and instructions; serious conditions require referral or a physician's written diagnosis.Minn. Stat. §147B.06 subds. 5–6 ↗
Malpractice insuranceNeeds review: Not addressed in chapter 147B; Board rules were not read.Know this? Share an official source

Go to the source

Official resources

LawSource checked: Minnesota Statutes chapter 147BOpen ↗
Verify a licenseSource checked: Board of Medical Practice license searchOpen ↗
Board acupuncture application page: Not confirmed yet. We only publish what an official source supports.Know this? Share an official source

Community review

Help improve the Minnesota 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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