A travel therapist works in the District of Columbia on a license from its board or, where the state issues one, a compact privilege: the District of Columbia issues PT Compact privileges, is not in the OT Compact, and does not issue ASLP-IC privileges. Below you’ll find each board’s official site, the fees the boards publish, and the compact details, with the compact status checked October 22, 2026.
Last updated 2026-10-22. 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.
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.
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]
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]
dchealth.dc.gov/service/audiology-and-speech-language-pathology-licensing
Licenses speech-language pathologists, SLP assistants and SLP clinical fellows, alongside audiologists. [src]
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| PT Application Fee | $264 — endorsement or examination [src] |
| OT Application Fee | $264 — plus $50 for the criminal background check [src] |
| SLP Application Fee | $264 [src] |
| 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 | $309 total for PT and PTA alike — $264 District fee + $45 Commission fee, no fee waivers [src] |
| 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. Since 16 June 2024 every DC credential expires on the last day of the holder's birth month. Renewal is $179 for PT, PTA, SLP and audiologist, plus a $50 background-check fee, with an $85 late fee inside the 60-day grace period. [src] [src] |
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, 10 OT and 4 ASLP-IC jurisdictions are issuing, as each compact’s own list showed on October 6, 2026. [src] [src]
Yes — the District sits in the PT Compact's Member States (38) category, “actively issuing and accepting compact privileges”. Budget $309: the District charges the highest state privilege fee of the 38 issuing jurisdictions at $264 — the next highest is Alaska at $200 — on top of the $45 Commission fee. [src] [src] Learn more about the PT Compact →
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 →
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.
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 the 30-day clock starts when the privilege is issued, not when you arrive. The compact is not the cheap option here: at $309 a privilege costs more than the $264 District license itself, 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]
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:
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.
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.
Get help navigating this jurisdiction's licensing process from a travel therapy specialist.
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]
The total compact privilege fee for the District is $309 for both PTs and PTAs — a $264 District fee plus the $45 Commission fee. The PT Compact Commission records no state fee waivers for the District. [src]
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]
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]
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.
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 October 22, 2026).
More on the District of Columbia: District of Columbia contracts and District of Columbia stipends.