These days, a licensed behavior analyst is the only acceptable type of ABA provider for people in need of these services. But behavioral analysts generally worked without certification or licensing up until 1993, when Florida became the first state to offer a certification path. The evolution of ABA licensing hasn’t followed a straight line, though, and hasn’t resulted in a perfectly uniform set of licensing laws across all states.
Creating a system for licensing, and establishing a licensing board to maintain standards and to act as arbiter and authority adds overhead and compliance costs. However licensure has also improved the standing of the field of applied behavior analysis, bolstered the professional stature of practitioners and given them a better chance at receiving compensation from insurance companies for the services they provide.
Still, faced with the task of establishing ABA licensing requirements and standards, many states balked at the difficulty and expense—even Florida eventually stepped away from managing their own program.
Into the gap stepped the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), a national non-profit established in 1998 to meet the professional credentialing needs of governments, insurers, and analysts themselves. In the years to follow, the licensed behavior analyst would become a fixture in many states as licensing laws began to take shape one state at a time.
BACB both offers independent credentialing, in the form of the Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) series of certifications, and provides assistance to regulatory bodies by establishing a model for regulatory legislation in the form of the BACB Model Act.
The Model Act provides the legislative language that states often draw from when creating ABA license requirements. It outlines standards for the licensed behavior analyst and suggested qualifications for behavior analysts (including BCBA® certificates) that state legislators can use to base their own individual laws on.
Amid a growing need for professionally-qualified and officially-licensed behavior analysts, driven largely by a growing body of knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder – and insurance companies demanding that the profession be regulated – many states have begun joining the movement to implement licensing laws.
The Making of a Licensed Behavior Analyst – State Boards Establish ABA License Requirements
State licensing departments are responsible for establishing the requirements for issuing behavior analyst licenses on a state-by-state basis. There is no national licensing scheme for the profession.
As with many other state licensed professions – from advanced practice nursing to certified public accounting – many state licensing departments delegate the actual responsibility for determining qualifications to a regulatory board made up of experienced professionals from the same field. A typical state board will include both behavior analysts and other medical professionals to provide a well-rounded evaluation of prospective candidates for licensure.
In some states existing medical or psychological licensing boards have taken on the role of evaluating behavior analysts and setting certain ABA license requirements. In others, new boards have been created from scratch to handle the task.
In states where no ABA board is in place, the licensing department itself issues licenses, usually based on an evaluation process that relies more on experience and education than examination and certification.
Meeting ABA License Requirements – What Does it Take To Get Licensed as a Behavior Analyst?
Generally, some combination of a degree and a specified number of classroom hours in specific behavior analysis studies would qualify a candidate for licensing. Many states, particularly those that have adopted the BACB Model Act closely, require a BCBA® certification.
The BCBA® recognizes three options for candidates applying for the certificate:
- An acceptable graduate degree from an accredited university, including coursework in behavior analysis
- A defined period of supervised practical experience
- Passing the BCBA® exam
OR
- An acceptable graduate degree from an accredited university
- A full-time faculty position teaching behavior analysis
- Passing the BCBA® exam
OR
- An acceptable doctoral degree conferred at least ten years prior to applying for a license
- Ten years of practical experience
- Passing the BCBA® exam
ABA Licensure by State: Find Detailed Information on ABA License Requirements in Your State
In nearly every state, even those that do not require the BCBA®, a master’s degree is the standard minimum qualification to become a licensed behavior analyst. Click on your state for detailed information on the ABA license requirements where you live.
ABA License Requirements by State
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
State-by-State Licensing Overview
All states fall into one of four categories in terms of how they approach behavior analyst licensing:
- Require a BACB certification for licensing
- Offer multiple paths to licensing
- Have not yet established license requirements but have legislation in process
- Have not established licensing requirements
Generally, those states that adopted licensing requirements sooner have more detailed and clear-cut requirements, so we have listed the year the laws were adopted together with a link to the regulatory body responsible for issuing the license.
Many states have not yet passed legislation for regulating behavioral analysts. Others have done so only very recently and the practical process for obtaining a license is still being worked out.
Although some states, such as Florida and Connecticut, do not regulate the actual practice of behavioral analysts, they may have statutory regulations against individuals assuming the title without BCBA® certification.
Other states, such as Delaware, may not regulate behavioral analysts separately but may have other legislation, such as autism care requirements, which outlines requirements for behavior analyst certification when practicing in certain contexts.
License Available, BCBA® Required
Alabama
- Regulatory Body: Department of Mental Health, Division of Developmental Disabilities
- Law Adopted: 2014
Hawaii
- Regulatory Body: Hawaii Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs
- Law Adopted: 2015
Kentucky
- Regulatory Body: Kentucky Applied Behavior Analyst Licensing Board
- Law Adopted: 2010
Massachusetts
- Regulatory Body: Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professionals
- Law Adopted: 2013
Mississippi
- Regulatory Body: Mississippi Autism Board, Mississippi Licensing Board for the Practice of Applied Behavioral Analysis
- Law Adopted: 2015
Missouri
- Regulatory Body: Missouri Behavior Analyst Advisory Board
- Law Adopted: 2010
Nevada
- Regulatory Body: Board of Psychological Examiners
- Law Adopted: 2009
Oklahoma
- Regulatory Body: Oklahoma Licensed Behavior Analyst Board
- Law Adopted: 2009
Tennessee
- Regulatory Body: Applied Behavior Analyst Licensing Committee
- Law Adopted: 2014
Virginia
- Regulatory Body: Board of Medicine
- Law Adopted: 2012
Wisconsin
- Regulatory Body: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- Law Adopted: 2010
License Available, BCBA® Optional
Alaska
- Regulatory Body: Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business & Professional Licensing
- Law Adopted: 2014
Arizona
- Regulatory Body: Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners
- Law Adopted: 2010
Arkansas
- Regulatory Body: Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling
Applied Behaviorists fall under state laws for becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Behavioral Analysts are a recognized specialization area, with BACB guidelines followed for their evaluation.
Kansas
- Regulatory Body: Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board
- Law Adopted: 2014
Specific alternatives to BACB certification have not yet been established for meeting license requirements.
Louisiana
- Regulatory Body: Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board
- Law Adopted: 2013
Maryland
- Regulatory Body: Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists
- Law Adopted: 2014
Specific alternatives to BACB certification have not yet been established for meeting license requirements.
Michigan
- Regulatory Body: Michigan Board of Psychology
Michigan requires that behavior analysts be licensed under existing psychology licensing rules for the state.
New York
- Regulatory Body: New York State Department of Education Office of the Professions
- Law Adopted: 2014
Specific alternatives to BACB certification have not yet been established for meeting license requirements.
North Carolina
- Regulatory Body: North Carolina Psychology Board
North Carolina requires that behavioral analysis practitioners either be licensed as or practicing under psychologists.
North Dakota
- Regulatory Body: North Dakota State Board of Psychologist Examiners
- Law Adopted: 2011
Ohio
- Regulatory Body: State Board of Psychology
- Law Adopted: 2013
Ohio offers certification rather than licensing for behavioral analysts.
Oregon
- Regulatory Body: Behavior Analysis Regulatory Board
- Law Adopted: 2013
Rhode Island
- Regulatory Body: Department of Health
- Law Adopted: 2012
Utah
- Regulatory Body: Utah Psychologist Licensing Board
- Law Adopted: 2015
Specific alternatives to BACB certification have not yet been established for meeting license requirements.
Vermont
- Regulatory Body: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation
- Law Adopted: 2015
Washington
- Regulatory Body: Washington State Department of Health
- Law Adopted: 2015
Specific alternatives to BACB certification have not yet been established for meeting license requirements.
Legislation Proposed to Create a Licensure Requirement
California
Two different measures (AB 1715 and AB 479) introducing licensing for behavioral analysts were introduced to the state legislature in 2015 and 2016, but have not passed into law yet. One measure would require BACB certification for practitioners while the other would make it optional.
Connecticut
Connecticut does not currently require licensure for behavioral analysts. However, HB799 prohibits non-certified individuals from using that title. SB1089 was introduced to the legislature in 2014 to require behavioral analyst licensing and is modeled on the BACB Model Act.
Illinois
Bill SB1895 was introduced in 2015 and remains under consideration and implements most of the provisions of the BACB Model Act.
South Dakota
HB1141 was introduced in 2016 to require licensing for behavioral analysts. BACB certification is among several qualifications acceptable under the proposed law.
Texas
HB 2703 was introduced in 2015 to create a licensing requirement for behavioral analysts and is approximately halfway through the process of becoming law. It adopts much of the BACB model act, including BACB certification as a license requirement.
No Governing Body or Licensing Requirement
Colorado
In Colorado the practice of applied behavior analysis falls within the practice of psychology as defined in the Colorado Mental Health Practice Act (Revised, 2017). Under a strict interpretation of the law, Colorado ABAs would be required to hold a psychologist license issued through the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), State Board of Psychologist Examiners.
Delaware
Although behavior analysts are not regulated directly in Delaware, state regulations for autism service providers both define the profession and accept BACB certification as the sole qualification for service providers.
District of Columbia
While no licensing requirements or direct regulation is in place for behavior analysts in the District of Columbia, the District’s Department on Disability Services, Developmental Disabilities Administration recognizes Board Certified Behavior Analysts as being among those authorized to provide behavior support services that is eligible for Medicaid reimbursement when performed under the supervision of psychiatrists, psychologists, APRNs, or Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers (LICSW) as described in DC Official Code Section 1919.
Florida
SB1212 was introduced in 2014 to introduce licensing requirements but died in committee. No new legislation has been introduced.
The state does have a certification program, however. Florida was the first state to certify behavioral analysts, beginning in 1993 under the auspices of Department of Children and Families. The program administration was assumed by BACB in 2003 and practitioners in Florida are prohibited from calling themselves “Florida Certified Behavior Analysts” unless they participate in the program.
Georgia
No governing body or licensing laws are in place or pending at this time.
Idaho
No governing body or licensing laws are in place or pending at this time.
Indiana
Though no state licensing laws are in place, Indiana prohibits individuals from describing themselves as behavior analysts without possessing BCBA® certification.
Iowa
No governing body or licensing laws are in place or pending at this time.
Maine
Maine insurance codes require that behavior analysts have national board certification in order to receive compensation from insurers.
Minnesota
Minnesota does not license behavior analysts but does outline required qualifications for analysts providing rehabilitation treatment services. This does not include national certification but does require advanced schooling.
Montana
No governing body or licensing laws are in place or pending at this time.
Nebraska
A proposal to license behavioral analysts was considered but rejected in 2011. Currently, no governing body or licensing laws are in place.
New Hampshire
No governing body or licensing laws are in place or pending at this time.
New Jersey
No governing body or licensing laws are in place or pending at this time.
New Mexico
As part of a state plan for defining service provided to special needs individuals, New Mexico recognizes either BCBA® certified practitioners or licensed psychologists as reimbursable for behavioral analyst services.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania does not have a separate licensing category for behavioral analysts, but a license for behavior specialists accepts BACB certification as a credential. Licenses are issued by the Department of State Medical Licensing Board.
South Carolina
No governing body or licensing laws are in place or pending at this time.
West Virginia
No governing body or licensing laws are in place or pending at this time.
Wyoming
No governing body or licensing laws are in place or pending at this time.