The travel therapist's guide to licenses and CE
Working in more than one state means meeting more than one board's rules. The licensure compacts make that easier for many states, and for the rest, the planner below puts every license's CE rules and deadlines side by side.
Plan your CE across states
Pick the states where you hold a license. You'll see each state's hours, cycle, renewal deadline and how many specific topics it requires, with a link to the full rules.
| State | Hours | Assistant | Cycle | Renewal deadline | Required topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick one or more states above. | |||||
The PT Compact
A compact privilege lets a PT or PTA licensed in one member state practice in another member state without a separate license. You buy a privilege for each state through the PT Compact Commission, and it stays valid only as long as your home-state license does, so keep renewing your home license on time. Some states also require their jurisprudence exam before they'll grant a privilege.
38 jurisdictions issue and accept privileges: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Joined but not issuing yet: Maine, Michigan and Rhode Island. Not members: California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York and Wyoming, plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Bills have been introduced in Illinois and Massachusetts.
From the PT Compact map, checked October 24, 2026. States join often, so check the map before you apply.
The OT Compact
The OT Licensure Compact began issuing privileges to practice in 2026. You apply through the OT Compact, not through state boards, and each member state opens applications on its own schedule. Until a state is accepting applications, you still need that state's license.
States accepting OT Compact applications: Minnesota (since January 12, 2026), Ohio (since January 12, 2026), West Virginia (since January 12, 2026), Indiana (since March 9, 2026), Virginia (since March 20, 2026), Maryland (since April 15, 2026), Tennessee (since May 20, 2026), Wisconsin (since May 29, 2026), Arkansas (since October 5, 2026), Mississippi (since October 5, 2026).
Other member states, not accepting applications yet: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.
From the OT Compact's state list, checked October 24, 2026.
Tips for CE across several licenses
- Law courses never transfer. A jurisprudence course or exam only counts in the state that requires it, and several states require one at every renewal. See state law requirements by state.
- Some states only accept their own approvals. Texas PTs need courses approved through CCAP, Georgia PT ethics courses must come from approved sources, and Hawaii's ethics course must be approved by the Hawaii board. A course approved in one state isn't automatically approved in another.
- Live hours count differently. Florida, Georgia and Mississippi, among others, require a minimum share of live or in-person hours. In-person courses usually satisfy every state's live requirement at once.
- Deadlines don't line up. One state may renew in your birth month and another every odd year, so keep certificates for every license in one place.
- Scope differs too. Dry needling, for example, is allowed in some states and not others. See dry needling laws by state.