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

Rhode Island

Start with the Rhode Island Department of Health. A Doctor of Acupuncture needs the NCCAOM exam, English proficiency, an accredited program and two reference letters; a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine adds herbal training. Licenses renew annually each January 31 and need 40 continuing education hours per two years.

State license · Department of Health · NCCAOM exam · two license types

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: Rhode Island Department of Health216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.2 ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Doctor of Acupuncture

Independent acupuncture practice

EligibilitySource checked: U.S. citizen or legal alien, at least 21, NCCAOM exam passage, English proficiency, an accredited program and clinical internship, and two reference letters (one from a licensed or registered acupuncturist).216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.3.2 ↗
Physician exemptionSource checked: Physicians licensed under chapter 5-37 who are authorized to practice acupuncture are exempt.216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.3.1 ↗

Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

Independent acupuncture and Chinese herbal practice

EligibilitySource checked: The Doctor of Acupuncture requirements plus an ACAHM (or candidate) Oriental medicine program, an equivalent herbal program, or a passing NCCAOM Chinese Herbology module.216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.3.3(B) ↗
Earlier licenseesSource checked: Acupuncturists licensed before January 1, 2022 whose herbal training the Department accepted may continue herbal therapy and be granted this license.216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.3.3(A) ↗

Auricular acupuncture technician

Five-needle ear protocol only

ScopeSource checked: May perform auricular acudetox (NADA protocol) with a certificate of training, in behavioral health and approved settings; may not use the title acupuncturist.216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.5.1 ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

DocumentsSource checked: Application, non-refundable fee, two reference letters, birth certificate or immigration papers, and NCCAOM exam results sent directly.216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.4.1 ↗
ReciprocitySource checked: The Department may license an acupuncturist from another state or territory without examination at its discretion, with verification of good standing everywhere licensed.216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.4.2 ↗
FeesNeeds review: The statutory fee schedule in R.I. Gen. Laws §23-1-54 lists a $310 application fee under §5-37.2-10. A separate "Licensure fee" of $170 follows the acupuncture-assistant line (§5-37.2-13(4)) in the extracted table, and the layout does not make clear which license it belongs to; confirm with the Department. The annual registration fee is set by Department rule and was not read.R.I. Gen. Laws §§5-37.2-10, 23-1-54 ↗Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine authoritySource checked: Herbal therapy is tied to the Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine license; the definition of Chinese herbal medicine is in R.I. Gen. Laws §5-37.2-2(5).216-RICR-40-05-8 §§8.2, 8.3.3 ↗
Dispensing within the herbal definitionSource checked: The statute defines Chinese herbal medicine to include dispensing herbal preparations to patients in pill, tablet, capsule or liquid form; the license that covers it is the Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.R.I. Gen. Laws §5-37.2-2(5), (8) ↗
Retail and pharmacy-law limitsNeeds review: Limits on selling, labeling or sourcing herbs outside the definition were not found in chapter 5-37.2 as read; the Department's rules (216-RICR-40-05-8) were not searched for them.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

Renewal cycleSource checked: Licenses expire each February 1; renewal and fee are due by January 31; an expired license may be renewed by applying and paying.216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.7 ↗
Continuing educationSource checked: 40 hours each two-year renewal period (not required in the initial renewal), attested at renewal with records kept three years; deficits carry into the next period.216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.6 ↗

What to confirm

Rules after you open

License recording and displaySource checked: Record the license with the city or town hall where the office or residence is located, and display it at the place of practice.216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.8 ↗
EthicsSource checked: Licensees must abide by the NCCAOM Code of Ethics.216-RICR-40-05-8 §8.3.1(B) ↗

Go to the source

Official resources

RulesSource checked: Licensing doctors of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, 216-RICR-40-05-8Open ↗

Community review

Help improve the Rhode Island 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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