District of Columbia Travel Therapy Licensing
For a PT, OT or SLP license in the District of Columbia, you apply to the state’s board for your discipline, linked below; the District of Columbia issues PT Compact privileges, is not in the OT Compact, and does not issue ASLP-IC privileges, and where it issues a compact privilege you can work there on your home-state license instead. Below you’ll find each board’s official site, the fees the boards publish, and the compact details, with the compact status checked October 25, 2026 and November 2, 2026 and November 10, 2026; see the open PT, OT and SLP jobs in the District of Columbia.
Last updated 2026-11-10. Every fee, hour and deadline on this page links to the board document it was taken from — requirements change, so check the source before you file.
Licensing Boards
The District licenses the three disciplines through three separate boards, all administered by DC Health. There is no single “DC therapy board”: apply to the one that covers your discipline.
📋 DC Board of Physical Therapy
dchealth.dc.gov/service/physical-therapy-licensing
Licenses physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. Also administers the District's PT Compact privileges — the board's compact contact is dcbopt@dc.gov. [src]
✋ DC Board of Occupational Therapy
dchealth.dc.gov/service/occupational-therapy-licensing
Licenses occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants; the board's application checklist gives dcboot@dc.gov as its contact. [src]
🗣️ DC Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
dchealth.dc.gov/service/audiology-and-speech-language-pathology-licensing
Licenses speech-language pathologists, SLP assistants and SLP clinical fellows, alongside audiologists. [src]
Quick Facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| PT Application Fee | Endorsement or examination: see the fee on the board’s PT checklist |
| OT Application Fee | The application fee plus a criminal background check fee: see both on the board’s OT checklist |
| SLP Application Fee | See the fee in the board’s SLP application instructions |
| Processing Time | Not published by DC Health. The SLP board reviews a completed application “at its next scheduled meeting”; board meetings are held virtually and each board posts its own date. [src] [src] |
| Temporary License | No. ASHA records “no provisions” for temporary practice by out-of-state SLPs. A first-time PT applicant may practice only under the direct supervision of a DC-licensed PT while the initial application is pending. [src] [src] |
| CE Requirements | PT 40 hrs/2yr · PTA 30 · OT 24 · SLP 20 [src] [src] [src] [src] |
| PT Compact Member | Yes ✓ — actively issuing [src] |
| OT Compact Member | No [src] |
| PT Compact Privilege Fee | The District’s fee plus the Commission fee, the same for PTs and PTAs, with no fee waivers: see the PT Compact’s fee list |
| DC Jurisprudence Exam | Required. Compact privilege: must be passed within 30 days after the privilege is issued (initial only). Traditional route: register through FSBPT with the application. [src] [src] |
| Renewal | Biennial. Every DC credential now expires on the last day of the holder's birth month. The renewal fee for PTs, PTAs, SLPs and audiologists, the background-check fee and the late fee inside the grace period are set out in the board’s renewal notices: [src] [src] |
Compact Privileges
🔎 Check your exact route
Membership and issuing are different things: 3 jurisdictions have enacted the PT Compact without issuing a single privilege yet. Our Compact Eligibility Checker takes your home state and your destination and tells you whether a privilege is actually available today — 38 PT, 11 OT and 4 ASLP-IC jurisdictions are issuing, as each compact’s own list showed on November 3, 2026. [src] [src]
🤝 PT Compact Status
Yes — the District sits in the PT Compact's Member States (38) category, “actively issuing and accepting compact privileges”. Budget for the District’s privilege fee on top of the Commission fee, and check both on the PT Compact’s fee list before you buy. [src] [src] Learn more about the PT Compact →
✋ OT Compact Status
No — the OT Compact lists the jurisdictions accepting applications and states that any jurisdiction not listed is not a member. The District is not listed, so OTs and COTAs file a District application by endorsement. [src] Learn more about the OT Compact →
🗣️ SLP Licensing
ASHA records that “the District of Columbia is not a member of the Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC)”, and the ASLP-IC is issuing privileges in only 4 jurisdictions so far. SLPs need a District license by endorsement. [src] [src] See our SLP Compact status page for updates.
💡 Traveler Tips
Three things make the District different from the states around it. The jurisprudence exam is unavoidable for PTs — it applies on the compact route and the endorsement route alike, and on the compact route its deadline runs from when the privilege is issued, not from when you arrive. The compact is not the cheap option here: a privilege can cost more than the District license itself (compare the PT Compact’s fee list with the board’s fee), so a therapist taking repeat DC assignments may prefer the full license. There is no temporary license, so build the board's review cycle into your start date rather than assuming a fast track. [src] [src] [src]
Application Process Overview
Each board publishes its own application steps, forms and requirements, and they change; this page does not restate them. Start from the board for your discipline:
- PTs and PTAs: see the board’s site, listed in FSBPT's licensing-authorities directory.
- OTs and COTAs: see the board’s site, listed in NBCOT's regulatory-body contact list.
- SLPs: see the board’s site, listed in ASHA's state licensure pages.
If you’d like a recruiter to line up your license in the District of Columbia with your next contract, ask: Find my next contract.
Need Help With DC Licensing?
A travel therapy recruiter who places therapists in the District can help you decide between a compact privilege and a full license, time the jurisprudence exam, and line the paperwork up with your start date.
- Free licensing support from experienced recruiters
- Document checklist specific to the District's three boards
- Compact privilege vs. endorsement cost comparison
- Jurisprudence exam timing
Free Licensing Consultation
Get help navigating this jurisdiction's licensing process from a travel therapy specialist.
Frequently Asked Questions — District of Columbia
Is the District of Columbia in the PT Compact?
Yes. The District of Columbia is listed among the PT Compact's 38 member states that are actively issuing and accepting compact privileges, so an eligible PT or PTA with a compact home-state license can buy a privilege instead of filing a full District application. [src]
What does a DC PT Compact privilege cost?
The compact privilege fee for the District is the District’s fee plus the Commission fee, the same for PTs and PTAs, and the PT Compact Commission records no state fee waivers for the District. The amounts are on the Commission’s fee list. [src]
Do I have to take a DC jurisprudence exam?
Yes, for physical therapy. Compact privilege holders must pass the DC Jurisprudence exam within 30 days after the privilege is issued (initial privilege only), and the District requires you to complete the compact application and pay for the exam before registering for it — allow 48–72 hours after payment for your ATT letter. Applicants taking the traditional route register for the exam through FSBPT as part of the application package. [src]
Can OTs and SLPs use a compact to work in the District of Columbia?
No. The OT Compact publishes the jurisdictions accepting applications and states that any jurisdiction not listed is not a member — the District is not listed. ASHA records that the District of Columbia is not a member of the ASLP-IC. OTs, COTAs and SLPs therefore need a District license by endorsement. [src]
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of the documents below — the District's own boards, the DC Municipal Regulations, or the compact commission that issues the privilege. Nothing here is estimated.
- DC Health — Physical Therapy Licensing
- DC Board of Physical Therapy — Endorsement and Examination Checklist (PDF)
- DC Board of Physical Therapy — 2025 Renewal Notification (PDF)
- DCMR Title 17, Chapter 67 — Physical Therapy (§ 6704, 6706, 6709, 6711)
- DC Health — Occupational Therapy Licensing
- DC Board of Occupational Therapy — New License Application Checklist (PDF)
- DCMR Title 17, Chapter 63 — Occupational Therapy (§ 6306, 6311)
- DC Health — Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Licensing
- DC Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology — SLP Application Instructions, rev. 10-6-2020 (PDF)
- DC Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology — Renewal Notice 2024 (PDF)
- DCMR Title 17, Chapter 79 — Speech-Language Pathology (§ 7906, 7910)
- DC Health — Licensing Boards (birth-month renewal transition)
- PT Compact Commission — Compact States
- PT Compact Commission — Process & Requirements (fees and jurisprudence table)
- OT Compact — Before You Apply
- ASLP-IC — Compact Map
- ASHA — District of Columbia Information
The PT Compact lists 38 member states issuing privileges, 3 with enacted legislation not yet issuing, 2 with introduced legislation and 10 non-members (PT figures re-read November 2, 2026).