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

New York

Start with the New York State Education Department. The professional license is permanent unless acted on, but registration must remain current to practice.

State license · periodic registration

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: New York State Education Department, Office of the ProfessionsProfession page ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Licensed Acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture practice

L.Ac.

Basic eligibilitySource checked: Age 21, good moral character, qualifying education, examinations, and English proficiency when applicable.License requirements ↗
ExaminationsSource checked: National Acupuncture with Point Location and Foundations of Oriental Medicine examinations are listed, with historical alternatives for some applicants.License requirements ↗
Limited permitSource checked: A supervised, on-site permit is available after education is complete; it is issued for one year and may be renewed once.License requirements ↗
Related pathwaysSource checked: Physicians and dentists may be certified to practice acupuncture under a separate process, not licensure.License requirements ↗
Specialist's assistantSource checked: Article 160 excludes a validly registered "specialist's assistant-acupuncture" from the article's licensure provisions; that registration is not an acupuncturist license.Education Law Article 160 ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

Application and initial feeSource checked: File Form 1; NYSED currently lists $788 for licensure and first registration. A limited permit is $70.Application forms ↗
EducationSource checked: At least 60 semester hours of general education, including 9 bioscience hours, plus a qualifying professional program or accepted equivalent.License requirements ↗
Out-of-state and international equivalencySource checked: NYSED evaluates education and examination equivalency using official institution and license-verification forms.Application forms ↗
Fingerprints, jurisprudence, and published processing timeNeeds review: Not confirmed yet. We only publish what an official source supports.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine authoritySource checked: Scope guidance includes recommending diet, herbs, dietary supplements, and natural products under East Asian medical theory.Recommendation and sale guidance ↗
Pharmacy boundarySource checked: The acupuncture license does not authorize compounding prescription drugs or controlled substances, or otherwise practicing pharmacy.Recommendation and sale guidance ↗
Separate herbal credentialNeeds review: No separate state herbal credential was identified in the first pass; confirm before publication.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

License versus registrationSource checked: The professional license is valid for life unless revoked, annulled, or suspended; active practice requires periodic registration.Application forms ↗
Registration feeSource checked: The current NYSED fee table lists $288 for acupuncture re-registration.NYSED fee schedule ↗
Continuing educationNeeds review: No acupuncture-specific CE mandate was located in the official first pass; this is not yet a conclusion that none applies.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Rules after you open

Patient physician noticeSource checked: Advise patients of the importance of consulting a licensed physician and retain the signed attestation in the patient record.Record keeping and attestation ↗
Record retentionSource checked: NYSED guidance says records generally must be kept at least six years, or until age 22 for a minor, whichever is longer.Consumer information ↗
Practice entitySource checked: General business corporations may not provide acupuncture services; NYSED describes authorized entities and fee-splitting limits.Practicing acupuncture ↗
Telehealth, display, and liability insuranceNeeds review: Not confirmed yet. We only publish what an official source supports.Know this? Share an official source

Go to the source

Official resources

Profession homepageSource checked: NYSED AcupunctureOpen ↗
ApplySource checked: License application formsOpen ↗
Verify a licenseSource checked: Office of the Professions verification searchOpen ↗
Law and rulesSource checked: Article 160Open ↗

Community review

Help improve the New York 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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