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Behavior Technician Credentials by State

March 31, 2026 50 states + DC Special Learning

Does your state require the RBT? Does it have its own behavior technician credential? Do you need both? Search your state to find out what credentials you need to work as a behavior technician.

~25
States: RBT required or accepted
~10
States: RBT + state registration
~3
States: Parallel state credential
~13
States: No state BT requirement
Regardless of state law, most employers and insurance companies require the RBT. Even in states with no legal mandate, the practical reality is that you need the RBT to get hired and to bill insurance. The state-level requirements below are in addition to the BACB RBT, not instead of it.

Search Your State

About the 51 entries below: they were compiled in March 2026 from secondary sources and have not been checked against the state boards. Confirm your own state with its behavior analyst licensing board before acting on anything here.
How current is this, honestly: the 51 state entries above were compiled in March 2026 from secondary sources, not from the state boards themselves, and nobody has since checked them against a board. We are telling you that rather than leaving you to assume they were verified. On a sister page of ours the same kind of table turned out to be wrong on the first six states we checked, so please treat every entry here as a starting point and confirm it with your state licensing board before you act on it — particularly the payer and billing lines, which describe what insurers typically ask for, not a legal requirement. Special Learning is not a legal authority on state licensure. For the BACB national RBT requirement, visit bacb.com/rbt.

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The RBT is the national standard. 40 hours of training, no degree required, and it works in every state.

How to Become an RBT BT vs RBT Explained PDU Requirements by State

Related: BT vs RBT | How to Become an RBT | PDU by State | Salary Guide | RBT FAQ

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If the RBT credential is your next step

The national credential, before the state paperwork

The RBT Readiness Webinar is $39 — a recorded session on what the BACB requires and what the exam covers. State registration is separate and this does not replace it.

RBT Readiness, $39 →

Questions about state BT credentials

Requirements vary. The state table on this page lists 51 entries (50 states plus DC): 38 where the RBT is required, 2 with a parallel state-specific credential, and 11 with no state-level behavior technician requirement. Treat those as a starting point, not a legal answer — the table was compiled in March 2026 from secondary sources and has not been checked against the state boards themselves, so confirm your own state with its licensing board. Many accept the BACB RBT as meeting their state requirement. Some states (like Pennsylvania) have parallel state-specific credentials. A handful of states have no state-level BT requirement at all. In practice, most employers and insurance companies require the RBT regardless of state law.

In some states, yes, legally. But practically, most employers require it because insurance companies require it for billing. Working without the RBT limits your job options and typically means lower pay. The trend across all states is toward requiring the RBT.

The RBT is a national credential from the BACB. State registration or licensure is a separate state-level requirement. In many states, holding the RBT satisfies the state requirement. In others, you need both: the BACB RBT plus a separate state registration. Check your state's specific rules.