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

Oregon

Start with the Oregon Medical Board. Oregon requires qualifying acupuncture education, current national acupuncture certification, and English proficiency, and it offers limited postgraduate and visiting-professor licenses for narrower circumstances.

State license · medical board

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Oregon Medical BoardAcupuncturist licensing ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture and Traditional Eastern medicine practice

L.Ac.

EligibilitySource checked: Graduate from an ACAHM-standard or equivalent program, or qualify through the rule's recent-practice alternative; hold current national acupuncture certification and demonstrate English proficiency.Acupuncturist licensing ↗
Pending Examination licenseSource checked: A supervised six-month postgraduate license may be available before the national certifying examination is passed; it cannot be extended or reissued.License definitions ↗
Visiting Professor licenseSource checked: A teaching-position license is limited to approved duties and may be granted for one year, renewable for two additional years.License definitions ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

Application documentationSource checked: The application process requires primary-source education verification and a national-certification status report sent to the Board.Application requirements ↗
National certificationSource checked: Current acupuncture certification from the national certification board is required; the Board says Route 8 certification does not qualify.Acupuncturist licensing ↗
FeesSource checked: Initial acupuncture license application $245, plus a $52 criminal records check fee, $4/year workforce data fee and $25/year Health Professionals' Services Program fee; the rule lists registration at $201/year for active status, collected biennially.OAR 847-005-0005 ↗
FingerprintsSource checked: Applicants provide fingerprints for a state and federal criminal records check, processed through Oregon State Police and the FBI.Application requirements ↗
Jurisprudence examinationSource checked: An applicant must pass an open-book examination on the Medical Practice Act (ORS chapter 677) and OAR chapter 847, division 70; after three failures the applicant meets with Board staff. The Board may also require an interview, re-certification or mentorship if qualifications are in question.OAR 847-070-0019 ↗
Processing timeSource checked: The Board says licenses are usually issued within one week after the initial registration process is complete; applications are valid for one year from the date begun.Application requirements ↗

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Traditional Eastern medicine pharmacopoeiaSource checked: Oregon's acupuncture scope includes use of the Traditional Eastern medicine pharmacopoeia, vitamins, minerals, and dietary advice.ORS Chapter 677 ↗
Pharmacopoeia definitionSource checked: The statute defines the pharmacopoeia as herbs described in Traditional Eastern medicine texts commonly used in accredited schools when the texts are approved by the Board.ORS Chapter 677 ↗
Dispensing, compounding, and retail limitsNeeds review: The scope includes use of the pharmacopoeia, but product handling, labeling, and pharmacy-law boundaries need separate review.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

Renewal cycleSource checked: OAR 847-070-0039 requires renewal of the biennial registration, with the fee, before midnight June 30 of every even-numbered year; failing to renew lapses the license (ORS 677.228).OAR 847-070-0039 ↗
Continuing educationSource checked: Active and locum tenens acupuncturists complete 15 hours of continuing education per year, plus the one-hour Oregon Pain Management Commission course every two years and an average of one hour of cultural competency per year over an audit period; renewal is by attestation and the Board audits randomly.Continuing Education (Oregon Medical Board) ↗
Renewal feesSource checked: Active, inactive, locum tenens and military/public health registration is $201/year (rising to $242/year on or after March 1, 2028); emeritus is $50/year; a delinquent renewal is $80 ($96 from March 1, 2028).OAR 847-005-0005 ↗
Inactive status and re-entrySource checked: A licensee who moves out of state is listed inactive and must file an affidavit of reactivation, pay a fee and be approved before practicing again. After 12 or more months out of practice the Board may require re-certification, 15 CE hours per year out of practice, or a mentorship; 24 or more months may require a re-entry plan.OAR 847-070-0045 ↗
Emeritus eligibilityNeeds review: The $50 emeritus registration fee is in the fee rule, but eligibility conditions were not read.OAR 847-005-0005 ↗Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Rules after you open

License requiredSource checked: A person may not practice acupuncture without an Oregon medical or acupuncture license, subject to the statute's listed exceptions.ORS 677.759 ↗
TelehealthSource checked: An acupuncturist may practice acupuncture by telemedicine for patients located in Oregon.OAR 847-070-0020(6) ↗
Identification and titlesSource checked: An acupuncturist must clearly indicate they are an acupuncturist, wear a name tag reading "Acupuncturist" in hospital or clinic settings with other providers (not required in private practice), and may not represent themselves as a physician. A doctoral-degree holder may use "doctor" only if the degree is federally accredited and designated as ORS 676.110 requires.OAR 847-070-0020 ↗
Records, advertising, display and liability insuranceNeeds review: No acupuncture-specific records, display or liability-insurance rule was found in division 70; chapter 847 general rules and ORS 677.190 were not read. This is not a conclusion that none applies.Know this? Share an official source

Go to the source

Official resources

License overviewSource checked: Oregon Medical Board acupuncturist pageOpen ↗
ApplySource checked: Acupuncture application requirementsOpen ↗
Verify a licenseSource checked: Oregon Medical Board license verificationOpen ↗
Statutes and rulesSource checked: Oregon Medical Board collectionOpen ↗

Community review

Help improve the Oregon 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