Reinstating a Lapsed or Inactive Chiropractic License

A lapsed chiropractic license can usually be brought back, but the route depends on two things: whether you put the license on inactive status or simply let it expire, and how long it has been. Short lapses mean late fees and CE. Long ones can mean the SPEC exam, NBCE Part IV, a board appearance, or a brand-new application. The rules below are from Texas, Florida, Alaska and Nevada, as of October 2026; other states follow similar patterns with their own numbers.

Is the license expired, inactive or delinquent?

The word on the board's lookup matters, because each status has its own path back:

• Inactive usually means you chose it at renewal, paid the inactive fee and stopped practicing in that state. It is the easiest to reverse.
• Expired, lapsed or delinquent usually means the renewal date passed without a renewal or an inactive election. The clock starts running against you.
• Null and void, canceled or retired often means the license cannot be reactivated and you apply as new.

Texas

Texas licenses renew every two years, on or before the first day of the licensee's birth month (22 Tex. Admin. Code § 72.14). The fee rule lists $300 for a biennial renewal and $145 for reinstatement (§ 72.1).

An expired Texas license

• Expired less than one year: renew by meeting the normal requirements and paying a late fee: $450 if less than 90 days late, $600 from 90 days up to a year (§§ 72.14(g), 72.1).
• Expired one year or more: you may not renew. You obtain a new license by meeting every requirement for an initial license (§ 72.14(h)).
• Expired one to three years: the board may waive the new-license requirement for good cause shown, with all late fees paid (§ 72.14(i)).
• Moved out of state: the board may renew an expired license without reexamination for a DC who moved to another state, is currently licensed in good standing there, and has practiced there for the two years before applying, for a fee equal to the renewal fee (Tex. Occ. Code § 201.355).

An inactive Texas license

• An inactive licensee renews and re-requests inactive status every cycle and does not need CE while inactive (§ 72.16(b)-(c)).
• Inactive less than six years: apply for active status, show the CE hours that would have been required for renewal, and pay the fee (§ 72.16(e)). CE from the calendar year before reactivation counts.
• Inactive six years or more: pass NBCE Part IV or score at least 375 on SPEC, plus the Texas jurisprudence exam (§ 72.16(g)). The board may exempt a licensee who held an active, unrestricted license in good standing in another state (§ 72.16(h)).
• No license may stay inactive for more than 20 years, and practicing in Texas on an inactive license is practicing without one (§ 72.16(i)-(j)).

Military service members get an additional two years to complete CE and other renewal requirements, including late fees (§ 72.14(j)).

Florida

Florida's biennial renewal fee is $300 (Fla. Admin. Code R. 64B2-12.005).

• Delinquent: a license becomes delinquent if the holder does not elect active or inactive status before it expires. The licensee must apply for active or inactive status during the same licensure cycle; if not, the license becomes "null and void without further action" (R. 64B2-13.003). Fixing it means the status fee, a delinquency fee, possibly a processing fee, and proof of CE for active status.
• Inactive: a licensee can return to active status at any time by meeting the CE requirement and paying the $250 reactivation fee (R. 64B2-12.007), plus a processing fee if mid-cycle. If the license has been inactive for more than two consecutive biennial cycles and the licensee has not practiced anywhere in that time, the licensee must appear before the board, which may impose conditions (R. 64B2-13.0049).
• Null and void: the only way back is a new application. For a DC who graduated more than 10 years earlier, the board may require SPEC (Fla. Stat. § 460.406(1)).

Alaska and Nevada

Alaska does not reinstate a license that has been lapsed five years or more; the DC applies as a new applicant (12 AAC 16.390). Nevada lists SPEC as a possible requirement for reinstatement.

Where does SPEC fit?

The NBCE allows anyone who holds or has held a license, including a lapsed one, to take SPEC with a board's authorization. It runs six times a year, costs $1,500, and the remaining 2026 window is December 7 to 12 with a December 2 deadline. If a board will require it, start the authorization request early. See the SPEC exam.

Where should I start?

1. Look up the exact status on the board's verification site and note the expiration date.
2. Count the time against that state's thresholds: Texas's one year, three years and six years; Florida's cycle and two-cycle rules; Alaska's five years.
3. Tally CE. Most reactivations require the hours you would have needed to renew. Gather certificates now.
4. Check whether practice elsewhere helps. Texas's § 201.355 and § 72.16(h) both credit active licensure in another state.
5. Do not practice until the board shows the license active.

If you keep licenses in several states, the cleanest fix is not letting them lapse. Our Annual Renewal & CE Compliance service ($299 per license, per year) tracks renewal dates and CE for each license; see also keeping several chiropractic licenses current. For a lapsed license, our Chiropractic Licensure Readiness Review ($149) works out the route back, and a Full State License Application ($749 per state) handles a new application if that is what the rules require. Board fees are separate, and boards decide. Each state's renewal rules are in our state license index.