Do you need a license to practice ABA in New Mexico? What New Mexico law says
The short answer
The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department’s board list, reviewed October 30, 2026, does not list a behavior analyst board. We could not search the full state statutes, so these sources do not establish whether a separate state license is required. New Mexico’s Medicaid rule specifies qualifications for ABA providers, including national certification. Confirm with the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department before you rely on this.
What we found
On October 30, 2026, we read the Regulation and Licensing Department's "Individual Boards and Commissions" page, which lists the boards the department supports. It includes boards for counseling and therapy practice, occupational therapy, psychologist examiners, social work examiners and speech-language pathology, audiology and hearing aid dispensing practices. It does not list a behavior analyst board. We also read the Medicaid rule 8.321.2 NMAC from the State Records Center. We could not run a full-text search of the New Mexico Statutes Annotated 1978, because the official statute site did not return readable text to us. This page therefore states what we read. It is not a search of the whole code.
What New Mexico does have
The New Mexico Health Care Authority issues the Medicaid rule 8.321.2 NMAC, effective December 10, 2024 per section 8.321.2.5. Its ABA section says Medicaid pays for the services this way:
"MAD pays for medically necessary, empirically supported, applied behavior analysis (ABA) services for eligible recipients who have a well-documented medical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and for eligible recipients who have well-documented risk for the development of ASD."
It describes three stages: evaluation, assessment and treatment. The rule says who renders the treatment stages:
"ABA stage two and three services are rendered by a behavior analyst certification board (BACB) approved behavior analyst (BA), a board certified assistant behavior analyst (BCaBA) or a behavior technician (BT), in accordance with the treatment plan (stage three)."
It sets the qualification for the behavior analyst who writes the plan and supervises:
"a BA who is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA® or BCBA-D®) by the behavior analyst certification board (BACB®) or a psychologist who is certified by the American board of professional psychology in behavior and cognitive psychology and who was tested in the ABA part of their certification, may render ABA stage two-behavior analytic assessment, service model determination and treatment plan development and stage three services-implementation of an ABA treatment plan."
For assistants and technicians, the rule says:
"A BAA who is a board certified assistant behavior analyst (BCaBA®) by the BACB® may assist their supervising BA in rendering a ABA stage two-behavior or functional analytic assessment, service model determination and ABA treatment plans development and stage three services implementation of the ABA treatment plans, when the BAA’s supervising BA determines they have the skills and knowledge to render such services."
"A BT, under supervision of a BA, may assist stage two and implement stage three ABA treatment plan interventions and services."
The rule adds:
"All providers must successfully complete a criminal background registry check."
These are Medicaid enrollment and reimbursement rules for providers. They are not a state practice license. Medicaid providers should read the full rule and the Health Care Authority's billing manual.
Source: 8.321.2 NMAC, State Records Center; Regulation and Licensing Department, Individual Boards and Commissions.
Training the staff you supervise
If you run a program in New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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.