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

South Carolina

Start with the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners and its Acupuncture Advisory Committee. Licensure needs active NCCAOM certification, good moral character and no felony or moral-turpitude conviction; a temporary license can follow an interview. Renewal is biennial, tied to active certification. Application and renewal fees are on the Board's forms and the statute leaves them to the Board.

State license · Board of Medical Examiners with an Acupuncture Advisory Committee · NCCAOM certification

At a glance

Start with the responsible authority.

Regulatory authoritySource checked: State Board of Medical Examiners, advised by a five-member Acupuncture Advisory CommitteeS.C. Code §§40-47-705, -710 ↗

Last checked October 10, 2026

Know which credential fits

License types

Acupuncturist

Independent acupuncture practice

License requiredSource checked: Only licensees may use "Licensed Acupuncturist" (L.Ac.) or "Acupuncturist"; the license must be displayed in the place of practice.S.C. Code §§40-47-745, -775 ↗
Auricular therapist and detoxification specialistSource checked: Separate licenses cover ear-only needling and the five-point NADA protocol, both under supervision of a licensed acupuncturist or physician.S.C. Code §§40-47-730 to -755 ↗
Existing practitionersSource checked: People approved by the Board when the Act began and with clean needle training received a two-year license; continuous practice since 1980 qualifies for licensure without the new requirements.S.C. Code §40-47-725 ↗

What to confirm

Getting your first license

QualificationsSource checked: Active NCCAOM certification, good moral character, and no plea or conviction for a felony or crime of moral turpitude.S.C. Code §40-47-720(A) ↗
ApplicationSource checked: A complete application with a non-refundable $100 fee (2015 form), a passport photo, NCCAOM verification sent by NCCAOM, a clean needle course and an interview with a committee or board member before a temporary license issues.Board application packet (rev. 06/2015) ↗
Current feeNeeds review: The packet is dated 2015; the statute leaves fees to the Board.S.C. Code §40-47-800 ↗Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine authority: The Act defines acupuncture as oriental medical techniques, treatment and adjunctive therapies without naming herbs; Board regulations were not read.Know this? Share an official source
Retail, compounding, and dispensing: Not confirmed yet. We only publish what an official source supports.Know this? Share an official source

What to confirm

Keeping the license active

Renewal cycle and requirementsSource checked: Biennial renewal with the fee, continuing education and professional development set by Board regulation, and active NCCAOM certification.S.C. Code §40-47-780(A) ↗
Renewal fee and deadlineNeeds review: The 2025–2027 late renewal form shows $130 in one place and a $145 renewal fee in another and a September 30, 2025 expiration; the Board's fee schedule was not found.Late renewal application 2025–2027 ↗Know this? Share an official source
Continuing education hours: The regulation setting hours was not found.Know this? Share an official source
Inactive statusSource checked: A licensee may request inactive status and later reactivate under Board conditions.S.C. Code §40-47-785 ↗

What to confirm

Rules after you open

Referral to a physicianSource checked: Grounds for discipline include failing to refer a patient whose condition is beyond scope, and continuing to treat a patient seen monthly for three months without improvement unless the patient is told in writing to seek a medical diagnosis.S.C. Code §40-47-765(12)–(13) ↗
InspectionsSource checked: The Board may make unscheduled inspections of acupuncturists' offices.S.C. Code §40-47-770 ↗

Go to the source

Official resources

LawSource checked: South Carolina Acupuncture Act, Title 40 chapter 47 article 6Open ↗
Application packetSource checked: Application to practice acupuncture (2015)Open ↗
Renewal formSource checked: 2025–2027 late renewal applicationOpen ↗

Community review

Help improve the South Carolina 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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