Boards that certify chiropractors in acupuncture usually require about 100 hours of training and an exam, often the NBCE acupuncture exam. Florida certifies under rule 64B2-11.012 ($205 in board fees), Texas issues a permit under 22 TAC 78.14 with 8 CE hours per biennium, and Arizona certifies under A.R.S. 32-922.02(B). Certifications do not transfer.
Several chiropractic boards certify their licensees in acupuncture, and the requirement repeats with variations: about 100 hours of acupuncture training from an accredited institution, then an examination, often the acupuncture exam offered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE lists it as "ACU" among its specialty exams, alongside SPEC). Florida, Texas and Arizona all follow that pattern, and all three issue the credential under the chiropractic board, not the state acupuncture board. A certification issued in one state is not recognized in another; each board certifies its own licensees.
Whether acupuncture is within chiropractic scope in a given state, and what a certified DC may do, are questions for the board and your counsel. Below are the registration requirements only.
What does Florida require?
Section 460.403, Florida Statutes, says a chiropractic physician may not use acupuncture until certified by the Board of Chiropractic Medicine, after completing the required coursework and passing an appropriate examination. Rule 64B2-11.012 fills in the details:
- A course of at least 100 hours in acupuncture from an institution recognized by an accrediting agency approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
- An examination. The board's acupuncture certification page says it adopts the passing score set by the NBCE and asks applicants to have NBCE send official scores to the board office.
- Application on Form DH-MQA 1151. The board page lists a $100 application fee, a $100 initial certification fee and a $5 unlicensed activity fee, $205 in all.
Certification brings a CE obligation. Rule 64B2-13.004(4) requires each acupuncture-certified licensee to take 4 hours of board-approved acupuncture CE (2 in safety and risk management, 2 in technique) inside the 40 hours required every biennium. Florida's certification also matters for dry needling: a DC certified in chiropractic acupuncture needs 24 in-person dry needling hours instead of 40 under section 460.4085. See Florida's dry needling certification.
What does Texas require?
The Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners calls it a permit. Under 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 78.14, a licensee may practice acupuncture only after obtaining a permit from the board, and the renewal license carries a statement that the licensee is permitted. A licensee in good standing qualifies by:
- completing at least 100 hours of acupuncture training and passing the NBCE acupuncture exam; or
- showing a chiropractic license and a passed exam in a 100-hour acupuncture course before January 1, 2010; or
- showing substantial acupuncture training before January 1, 2000 and at least ten years of acupuncture practice before January 1, 2010.
The application is a written request to the board. Permit holders must complete at least 8 hours of board-approved acupuncture courses every biennium, may not delegate acupuncture, and may not advertise in a way that suggests a license from the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners. The rule lists the terms to avoid, including "acupuncturist," "licensed acupuncturist" and "L.Ac." It allows "Board Certified in Chiropractic Acupuncture" only if the advertising also identifies the nationally recognized certifying board.
What does Arizona require?
Arizona puts it in statute. A.R.S. § 32-922.02(B) has the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners certify DCs in acupuncture after 100 hours of acupuncture study through an accredited chiropractic college or its postgraduate staff, and a board-approved acupuncture exam passed at 75 percent. Arizona also runs a separate board certification for physical medicine modalities and therapeutic procedures (120 hours and an exam under § 32-922.02(C)), and chiropractic assistants working for a DC with acupuncture certification need additional coursework under the board's assistant rules. Our Arizona chiropractic license page has the citations.
How do the three compare?
- Training: 100 hours in all three. Florida specifies an institution recognized by a U.S. Department of Education-approved accreditor; Arizona an accredited chiropractic college or its postgraduate staff; Texas says 100 hours of acupuncture training.
- Exam: Texas names the NBCE acupuncture exam. Florida adopts the NBCE passing score. Arizona requires a board-approved exam at 75 percent.
- Ongoing CE: Florida 4 hours per biennium inside the 40; Texas 8 hours per biennium.
- Name of the credential: certification in Florida and Arizona, permit in Texas.
Does an acupuncture certification move with me?
No. There is no interstate recognition of chiropractic acupuncture certifications, just as there is no compact for the chiropractic license itself (see our portability guide). In practice, though, the underlying records travel well. Because the three boards above look for roughly the same 100 hours and an exam, a DC who completed a 100-hour program and passed the NBCE acupuncture exam usually has what a second board wants, provided the institution and exam match that board's wording. The things to check before filing in a new state:
- Does the course provider meet the new board's accreditation language?
- Will NBCE send the acupuncture exam score directly to the new board? Florida asks for it that way.
- Does the new board require the course to be completed within a time window, or does an older course count? Texas's 2010 and 2000 dates show that boards sometimes draw lines.
- What CE will the new state require to keep the certification, and does it count inside or on top of the general CE hours?
Some states also credit acupuncture certification elsewhere in their rules. Florida and Oklahoma both reduce dry needling hours for a DC certified in acupuncture, but only for their own certification.
What about states not listed here?
We list a state when we have read its statute or rule. Some boards treat acupuncture as part of the chiropractic scope without a separate certificate; Nebraska's rules, for example, define acupuncture within chiropractic practice and we found no separate board registration. Others may defer to the acupuncture board. Our state pages show each verified scope add-on with its citation, and an empty list there means unverified, not "none".
Our Scope Add-On Registration service ($249 per registration) prepares the certification or permit filing, arranges NBCE score reports to the board and tracks the CE that keeps it current. Board and NBCE fees are extra, and the board decides.
Common questions
- Is the NBCE acupuncture exam required in every state?
- No. Texas names the NBCE acupuncture exam in its rule, and Florida adopts the NBCE passing score. Arizona requires a board-approved exam passed at 75 percent. Each board decides which exam it accepts.
- Can I call myself an acupuncturist with a chiropractic acupuncture permit in Texas?
- No. Under 22 TAC 78.14(h), a Texas DC with an acupuncture permit may not advertise in a way that suggests a license from the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners, including the terms acupuncturist, licensed acupuncturist and L.Ac.
- How many CE hours do I need to keep a chiropractic acupuncture certification?
- It depends on the state. Florida requires 4 hours of acupuncture CE within the 40 hours due each biennium; Texas requires 8 hours of board-approved acupuncture courses every biennium.
- Does my acupuncture certification reduce dry needling hours in another state?
- Only the issuing state's certification counts in the rules we have read. Florida cuts its dry needling hours from 40 to 24 for DCs certified in chiropractic acupuncture by the Florida board, and Oklahoma halves its 24-hour requirement for acupuncture-certified DCs.
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