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ABA licensure by state

ABA licensure in Missouri: who needs a license, how to get one and how to keep it

The short answer

Missouri restricts who may practice applied behavior analysis and licenses behavior analysts (LBAs) and assistant behavior analysts (LaBAs), with other permitted groups and exemptions listed in section 337.315. Applicants for these licenses must have passed the certification examination and hold active certification at their respective level; the Board's rules also require a jurisprudence examination for behavior analyst applicants. Confirm with the Behavior Analyst Advisory Board before you rely on this.

What the law says

Missouri's behavior analyst law is Revised Statutes of Missouri sections 337.300 to 337.345 (section 337.345 was repealed in 2012), part of Chapter 337. The Board's rules are in the Code of State Regulations, 20 CSR 2063.

Who must be licensed. Section 337.315 sets out who may practice:

"7. No persons shall practice applied behavior analysis unless they are:

(1) Licensed behavior analysts;

(2) Licensed assistant behavior analysts working under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst;

(3) An individual who has a bachelor's or graduate degree and completed course work for licensure as a behavior analyst and is obtaining supervised field experience under a licensed behavior analyst pursuant to required supervised work experience for licensure at the behavior analyst or assistant behavior analyst level;

(4) Licensed psychologists practicing within the rules and standards of practice for psychologists in the state of Missouri and whose practice is commensurate with their level of training and experience;

(5) Provisionally licensed behavior analysts;

(6) Provisionally licensed assistant behavior analysts;

(7) Temporary licensed behavior analysts; or

(8) Temporary licensed assistant behavior analysts." (RSMo 337.315.7)

Title.

"6. No person shall hold himself or herself out to be licensed behavior analysts or LBA, provisionally licensed behavior analyst or PLBA, provisionally licensed assistant behavior analyst or PLABA, temporary licensed behavior analyst or TLBA, or temporary licensed assistant behavior analyst or TLaBA, licensed assistant behavior analysts or LaBA in the state of Missouri unless they meet the applicable requirements." (RSMo 337.315.6)

What counts as practice.

"(8) "Practice of applied behavior analysis", the application of the principles, methods, and procedures of the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis (including principles of operant and respondent learning) to assess and improve socially important human behaviors. It includes, but is not limited to, applications of those principles, methods, and procedures to: (a) The design, implementation, evaluation, and modification of treatment programs to change behavior of individuals; (b) The design, implementation, evaluation, and modification of treatment programs to change behavior of groups; and (c) Consultation to individuals and organizations;" (RSMo 337.300(8))

Applied behavior analysis "does not include cognitive therapies or psychological testing, personality assessment, intellectual assessment, neuropsychological assessment, psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, sex therapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, family therapy, and long-term counseling as treatment modalities." (RSMo 337.300(1))

Exemptions. Two subsections of section 337.315 matter most:

"8. Notwithstanding the provisions in subsection 6 of this section, any licensed or certified professional may practice components of applied behavior analysis, as defined in section 337.300 if he or she is acting within his or her applicable scope of practice and ethical guidelines."

"11. Persons who provide services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. Section 1400, et seq., or Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. Section 794, or are enrolled in a course of study at a recognized educational institution through which the person provides applied behavior analysis as part of supervised clinical experience shall be exempt from the requirements of this section." (RSMo 337.315.8, .11)

Penalty. "A violation of this section shall be punishable by probation, suspension, or loss of any license held by the violator." (RSMo 337.315.12)

The Board. "There is hereby created under the state committee of psychologists within the division of professional registration the 'Behavior Analyst Advisory Board'." (RSMo 337.305.1) Its members are three licensed behavior analysts, one licensed behavior analyst holding a doctoral degree, one licensed assistant behavior analyst, one professional member of the committee and one public member.

Source: RSMo 337.300, 337.305, 337.315 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes).

How to get licensed

Behavior analyst. The statute says each person wishing to practice as a licensed behavior analyst shall:

"(1) Submit a complete application on a form approved by the committee, which shall include a statement that the applicant has completed two hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training;

(2) Pay all necessary fees as set by the committee;

(3) Submit a two-inch or three-inch photograph or passport photograph taken no more than six months prior to the application date;

(4) Provide two classified sets of fingerprints for processing by the Missouri state highway patrol under section 43.543 ...;

(5) Have passed an examination and been certified as a board-certified behavior analyst by a certifying entity, as defined in section 337.300;

(6) Provide evidence of active status as a board-certified behavior analyst; and

(7) If the applicant holds a license as a behavior analyst in another state, a statement from all issuing states verifying licensure and identifying any disciplinary action taken against the license holder by that state." (RSMo 337.315.2)

The "certifying entity" is "the nationally accredited Behavior Analyst Certification Board, or other equivalent nationally accredited nongovernmental agency approved by the committee which certifies individuals who have completed academic, examination, training, and supervision requirements in applied behavior analysis". (RSMo 337.300(3))

The Board's rule on applications, as printed in the Division of Professional Registration's rule booklet (updated July 2026), also calls for the licensure fee and fingerprint submission, and says: "Passage of the Jurisprudence Examination." It explains: "A jurisprudence examination based on Missouri law and regulations governing the practice of behavior analysts, professional affairs, and ethics will be administered multiple times each year at sites, dates, and times approved by the Behavior Analyst Advisory Board and the State Committee of Psychologists." (20 CSR 2063-2.005(2)(B)) The rule on education and training says applicants "shall meet the education and training requirements and supervised clinical practicum experience required for eligibility to sit for the certification examination for their respective level offered by the certifying entity as defined in 20 CSR 2063-1.010." (20 CSR 2063-4.005(1))

Licensed in another state, temporary license. The State Committee of Psychologists may issue a temporary license after receiving a complete application and the required fee, proof of valid licensure as a behavior analyst or assistant behavior analyst in another state, and submitted fingerprints, provided no disqualifying criminal history appears on the family care safety registry. It expires when a license is issued, the application is denied, or 90 days have elapsed, whichever occurs first. The holder is entitled to one 90-day extension upon written request to the committee. (RSMo 337.315.4) Official statute

Provisional license. A person who has not yet passed the certification examination can receive a provisional license after completing the other requirements. A provisional license "shall only authorize and permit the licensee to render behavior analysis under the supervision and the full professional responsibility and control of such licensee's licensed supervisor." It ends on the earliest of issuance of a permanent license, a finding of cause to discipline, the end of supervision, or one year, and may be renewed after one year "with a maximum issuance of two years." (RSMo 337.315.5) The statute also directs the committee to provide procedures for exceptions and variances from the two-year maximum upon a showing of good cause. (RSMo 337.315.5(3))

Source: RSMo 337.315, 337.300; 20 CSR 2063-2.005 and 2063-4.005 (Division of Professional Registration, Behavior Analyst Advisory Board rule booklet).

Assistants, RBTs and technicians

Assistant behavior analysts are licensed. The statute defines a licensed assistant behavior analyst (LaBA) as "an individual who is certified by the certifying entity as a certified assistant behavior analyst and meets the criteria in section 337.315 and as established by committee rule." (RSMo 337.300(6)) The applicant meets requirements parallel to the behavior analyst's, including passing the examination and being certified as a board-certified assistant behavior analyst, showing active status, and:

"(8) Submit documentation satisfactory to the committee that the applicant will be directly supervised by a licensed behavior analyst in a manner consistent with the certifying entity." (RSMo 337.315.3)

The statute says "Licensed assistant behavior analysts shall work under the direct supervision of a licensed behavior analyst as established by committee rule." (RSMo 337.315.10) The rule says the assistant "may only perform services under the direct supervision of a behavior analyst," and that supervision "shall include consultation of the assistant behavior analyst with the supervising behavior analyst prior to the initiation of any patient's/client's treatment plan and modification of treatment plan." (20 CSR 2063-5.005(2))

RBTs and technicians. We found no Missouri license or registration for registered behavior technicians or other behavior technicians in sections 337.300 to 337.340 or in the Board's rules. Neither source mentions them. Section 337.315.7(3) allows an individual with a degree and licensure coursework to obtain supervised field experience under a licensed behavior analyst.

Source: RSMo 337.300, 337.315; 20 CSR 2063-5.005.

Renewal and state-required training

Cycle. The renewal rule refers to a behavior analyst who "fails to renew his/ her license by October 31 of each odd-numbered year" and an assistant behavior analyst who fails to renew "by November 30 of each odd-numbered year." (20 CSR 2063-2.010(1)(D)) The Board's fee rule calls the renewal "Biennial Renewal." (20 CSR 2063-1.015(1)(C)) The division mails a renewal notice before the renewal date. (RSMo 337.320.1)

What renewal takes. Each person renewing shall:

"(1) Submit a complete application on a form approved by the committee, which shall include a statement that the applicant has completed two hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training;

(2) Pay all necessary fees as set by the committee; and

(3) Submit proof of active certification and fulfillment of all requirements for renewal and recertification with the certifying entity." (RSMo 337.320.2)

The rule adds that licensee practice and demographic information for workforce data is submitted with the renewal. (20 CSR 2063-2.010(1)(A))

Continuing education. Missouri's rule points to the certifying entity:

"Any licensee applying for the renewal of a behavior analyst license or assistant behavior analyst license shall meet the continuing education requirements for his/her respective level as required by the certifying entity ... in order to maintain active certification." (20 CSR 2063-4.010(1))

We did not find a Missouri-set number of continuing education hours. The state-required topic we found is the two hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training, which the applicant states on the application and each renewal. The BACB sets its own recertification rules, so check them as well.

Late, lapsed, inactive. A license not renewed within 60 days of the renewal date is revoked, and a person who fails to renew within that 60-day period "shall not perform any act for which a license is required." (RSMo 337.320.3; 20 CSR 2063-2.010(1)(C)) A person may restore a license within two years of the renewal date by renewing, paying the renewal and delinquency fees and showing current certification. (RSMo 337.320.4) The State Committee of Psychologists may issue an inactive license to a person "who is no longer regularly engaged in such practice and who does not hold himself or herself out to the public as being professionally engaged in such practice in this state"; the inactive licensee need not show continuing education. (RSMo 337.320.7)

Competence. A licensee "shall limit his or her practice to demonstrated areas of competence as documented by relevant professional education, training, or experience." (RSMo 337.325)

Source: RSMo 337.320, 337.325; 20 CSR 2063-1.015, 2.010 and 4.010.

Training the staff you supervise

If you run a program in Missouri 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 Missouri state approval or continuing education credit for this course.

Two ways to start

Last reviewed: October 30, 2026.

See every state's ABA licensure rules