ABA licensure in Arizona: who needs a license, how to get one and how to keep it
The short answer
Arizona generally requires a state license to practice behavior analysis, with exemptions under A.R.S. 32-2091.08. Practicing without a required license is a class 2 misdemeanor. The state board of psychologist examiners sets licensing standards, and active and inactive licenses must be renewed every other year. For active-license renewal, the board’s rule generally requires 30 continuing education hours per license period, including 4 in ethics, with the total prorated for the first license period.
What the law says
Confirm with the state board of psychologist examiners before you rely on this.
Arizona's behavior analyst law is Article 7 of Chapter 19.1 of Title 32 of the Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S. 32-2091 to 32-2091.15). The licensing duty:
"A person who wishes to practice as a behavior analyst must be licensed pursuant to this article."
Arizona defines the terms this way:
""Behavior analysis" means the design, implementation and evaluation of systematic environmental modifications by a behavior analyst to produce socially significant improvements in human behavior based on the principles of behavior identified through the experimental analysis of behavior. Behavior analysis does not include cognitive therapies or psychological testing, neuropsychology, psychotherapy, sex therapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy and long-term counseling as treatment modalities."
""Behavior analyst" means a person who is licensed pursuant to this article to practice behavior analysis."
The penalties are in A.R.S. 32-2091.12:
"It is a class 2 misdemeanor for a person who is not licensed pursuant to this article to engage in the practice of behavior analysis."
"It is a class 2 misdemeanor for a person who is not licensed pursuant to this article to use any combination of words, initials and symbols that leads the public to believe the person is licensed to practice behavior analysis in this state."
Arizona's exemptions are in A.R.S. 32-2091.08. Among them:
"A behavior analyst who is employed in a common school, high school or charter school setting and who is certified to use that title by the department of education if the services or activities are a part of the duties of that person's common school, high school or charter school employment."
"A matriculated graduate student, or a trainee whose activities are part of a defined behavior analysis program of study, practicum, intensive practicum or supervised independent fieldwork. The practice under this paragraph requires direct supervision consistent with the standards set by a nationally recognized behavior analyst certification board, as determined by the state board of psychologist examiners. A student or trainee may not claim to be a behavior analyst and must use a title that clearly indicates the person's training status, such as "behavior analysis student" or "behavior analysis trainee"."
"A person who resides outside of this state and who is currently licensed or certified as a behavior analyst in that state if the activities and services conducted in this state are within the behavior analyst's customary area of practice, do not exceed twenty days per year and are not otherwise in violation of this article and the client, public or consumer is informed of the limited nature of these activities and services and that the behavior analyst is not licensed in this state."
The same section also exempts a government employee in a subdoctorate position who uses "assistant" or "associate" after the title and is supervised by an employee in a doctorate position who is licensed as a behavior analyst, including a temporary licensee, employees of Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona or another regionally accredited university in Arizona whose services are part of their salaried faculty duties and who are participating in a graduate program, and members of other state-regulated professions working within their own scope if they do not claim to be a behavior analyst.
By statute, the state's Medicaid agency must treat a licensed behavior analyst as a behavioral health professional: "the Arizona health care cost containment system administration shall recognize a behavior analyst who is licensed pursuant to this article as a behavioral health professional who is eligible for reimbursement of services" (A.R.S. 32-2091.14).
Source: A.R.S. 32-2091; 32-2091.02; 32-2091.08; 32-2091.12; 32-2091.14 (Arizona Legislature).
How to get licensed
An applicant must meet all the requirements in A.R.S. 32-2091.02. They include that the applicant be "at least twenty-one years of age," pay the fees the board sets, and "Beginning January 1, 2022, have applied for a fingerprint clearance card pursuant to title 41, chapter 12, article 3.1."
The education and training standard is in A.R.S. 32-2091.03:
"An applicant for licensure as a behavior analyst must meet standards adopted by the state board of psychologist examiners, including meeting graduate-level education and supervised experience requirements and passing a national examination. The state board of psychologist examiners shall adopt standards consistent with the standards set by a nationally recognized behavior analyst certification board, except that: 1. The number of hours required for supervised experience must be at least one thousand five hundred hours of supervised work experience. 2. If the experience was obtained in a state that licensed behavior analysts at the time of the supervised work experience, the supervisor must be licensed in the state where the behavior analysis trainee services were provided."
A behavior analyst licensed or certified in another state may apply under A.R.S. 32-2091.04 if that state's requirements are "substantially equivalent" to Arizona's "at an equivalent or higher practice level as determined by the board." The statute also lets the board issue a temporary license, under 32-2091.06, to a behavior analyst licensed or certified in another jurisdiction when the board requires an additional examination. The statute leaves fees to the board.
Source: A.R.S. 32-2091.02; 32-2091.03; 32-2091.04; 32-2091.06.
Assistants, RBTs and technicians
Arizona's statute has no license for assistant behavior analysts. It does protect the way technicians describe themselves. A.R.S. 32-2091.08 exempts:
"A noncredentialed individual who delivers applied behavior analysis services under the extended authority and direction of a licensed behavior analyst. The individual may not claim to be a professional behavior analyst and must use a title indicating the person's nonprofessional status, such as "ABA technician", "behavior technician" or "tutor"."
The statute defines a "supervisee" as "a person who acts under the extended authority of a behavior analyst to provide behavioral services and includes a person who is in training to provide these services." We did not find an Arizona statute that licenses or registers RBTs by name.
Source: A.R.S. 32-2091; 32-2091.08.
Renewal and state-required training
A.R.S. 32-2091.07 sets the renewal cycle:
"A person holding an active or inactive license shall apply to renew the license on or before the last day of the birth month of the licensee every other year as follows: 1. In each odd-numbered year, if the licensee holds an odd-numbered license. 2. In each even-numbered year, if the licensee holds an even-numbered license."
Under A.R.S. 32-2091.07(C), a license generally expires if it is not renewed by the applicable birth-month deadline, subject to the exceptions in A.R.S. 32-4301 and 41-1092.11. The statute allows reinstatement within set periods for a fee the board sets, and after a year the person "may reapply for licensure." A person renewing must attach a report of disciplinary actions from other boards or ethics committees, and a first renewal on or after January 1, 2022 requires that the licensee "possess or have applied for a fingerprint clearance card."
On continuing education, the statute says only:
"A person who renews an active license to practice behavior analysis in this state shall satisfy a continuing education requirement designed to provide the necessary understanding of current developments, skills, procedures or treatment related to the practice of behavior analysis in the amount and during the period the board prescribes. The board shall prescribe documentation requirements."
The board's rule, A.A.C. R4-26-409, sets the amount:
"A licensee shall complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education during each license period. A licensee shall ensure a minimum of four hours of continuing education during each license period addresses ethics."
The first license period is pro-rated:
"During a licensee’s first license period, the licensee shall complete a pro-rated number of continuing education hours. To determine the number of continuing education hours required during the first license period, the licensee shall multiply the number of whole months from the month of license issuance to the end of the license period by 1.25."
The rule also lists which activities count and caps some of them, so read it before you plan your hours. It adds:
"Hours obtained in excess of the minimum required during a license period shall not be carried over to a subsequent license period."
Keep your evidence of attendance for two licensing periods; the board may ask for it and may audit compliance.
Source: A.R.S. 32-2091.07; A.A.C. R4-26-409, Title 4, Chapter 26, Supp. 25-3.
Training the staff you supervise
If you run a program in Arizona and need new technicians or aides trained in the basics, this is what our Intro to ABA Level 1 course covers.
The Intro to ABA Level 1 course teaches methods and techniques of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for parents and caregivers, teachers, paraprofessionals and behavior technicians who work with a child every day. Topics include what autism is, what ABA is, pairing, errorless teaching and prompting, and active student responding. Complete the course and pass its 40-question final exam with a score of at least 80%. Completing this course earns a Special Learning certificate of completion. That certificate is not a continuing education (CE) certificate. It is basic training in ABA methods for daily practice, not a professional credential. It is not the 40-hour training required for the RBT credential. We do not claim Arizona state approval or continuing education credit for this course.
Two ways to start
- For one person: try the first two sessions free for 7 days; account creation is required, with no payment information requested. The full course costs $199, paid once, with no subscription or recurring charge. Activate your license code within 90 days of purchase; the published completion window is 10 weeks after activation. You may request a later start date, no later than three months after purchase. Start the free sessions
- For your team: tell us how many people need training and when, and we will send a quote; each participant who completes the course and passes its 40-question final exam with a score of at least 80% earns an individual certificate of completion. Ask for a team quote
Last reviewed: October 30, 2026.