Welcome to the State of California Acupuncture Board

Frequently Asked Questions for Licensees

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Q. CAN I PRACTICE PRIOR TO RECEIVING MY INITIAL LICENSE?
A. No! Refer to Business and Professions Code, Sections 4935(a) and 4961.

Q. CAN YOU RETURN MY ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS?
A. Yes. Upon receipt of a written request along with a $12.00 fee for certified mail or a $5.00 fee for regular mail processing. A Request for Return of Original Documents is available from the Board.

Q. WHAT IF I OVERPAY FOR MY INITIAL LICENSE FEE?
A. Upon receipt of a written request and explanation of the overpayment, a refund will be processed for the amount overpaid; please be aware that refund processing may take up to 120 days.

Q. HOW MUCH IS THE BIENNIAL RENEWAL FEE?
A. $325.00. A $25.00 delinquent fee will be assessed if payment is not received by your expiration date. A license which has expired may be renewed at any time within three (3) years after expiration... upon payment of all accrued and unpaid renewal fees, and required continuing education. (Except as provided in Business & Professions Code Section 4969.)

Q. WHAT IF I CANNOT PAY MY RENEWAL FEE ON TIME?
A. An acupuncturist's license expires biennially on the last day of their birth month. A LICENSEE MAY NOT PRACTICE LEGALLY WITH AN EXPIRED LICENSE. The Board has the authority to collect accrued fees, so licensees will be required to pay for each renewal period they are delinquent. If a license is delinquent for more than three years, it becomes lapsed and is automatically canceled. The licensee will be required to take and pass the examinations before a new license can be issued.

Q. IF I DO NOT RECEIVE A RENEWAL FORM, DOES THAT MEAN I AM NOT REQUIRED TO PAY THE RENEWAL FEE?
A. No. It is the responsibility of the licensee to renew on time. A renewal form is not required for processing your fee. Please refer to your pocket receipt for the expiration date. (Your license expires on the last day of your birth month every two years.)

Q. WHEN SHOULD I SUBMIT CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT?
A. Fifty hours of continuing education is due biennially upon renewal. Licensees are required to retain records of all continuing education courses attended for a minimum of four (4) years.

Q. WHAT IF I HAVE NOT COMPLETED THE REQUIRED CE BY THE TIME MY RENEWAL FEE IS DUE?
A. Business & Professions Code Sections 4945(e) and (f) read as follows: If the Board determines that any acupuncturist has not obtained the required number of hours of continuing education, it may renew the acupuncturist's license and require that the deficient hours of continuing education be made up during the following renewal period in addition to the current continuing education required for that period. If any acupuncturist fails to make up the deficient hours and complete the current requirement of hours of continuing education during the subsequent renewal period, then their license to practice acupuncture shall not renewed until all the required hours are completed and documented to the committee. All requests for a waiver or an extension must be submitted in writing to the Board's Executive Officer.

Q. HOW DO I FIND APPROVED CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES/PROVIDERS?
A. Approved courses are posted on the Acupuncture Board website and our updated monthly or you can contact the Board office to request an approved continuing education provider and/or course list.

Q. WHAT IF I HAVE AN ADDRESS CHANGE?
A. Business & Professions Code Section 4961(c) and Section 1399.406 of the California Code of Regulations, require the following: Any licensee that changes the location of his or her place of practice shall register each change within 30 days of making that change. In the event a licensee fails to notify the board of any change in the address of a place of practice within the time prescribed by this section, the board may deny renewal of licensure. An applicant for renewal of licensure shall specify in his or her application whether or not there has been a change in location.

And… Each person holding a license, registration, approval or any other authority issued under this chapter shall file his or her proper and current mailing address with the Board, and shall notify the Board, in writing, within thirty (30) days of any and all changes of mailing address, giving both the old and new address.

You may contact the Board for a Notification of Address Change or use a U.S. Postal Address Change form.

Q. WHAT IF I HAVE A NAME CHANGE?
A. If you have a name change, contact our office for a Notification of Name Change. Any changes affecting your license must be submitted in writing within thirty (30) days. All original and duplicate wall licenses must be returned in order to receive replacements. Please be aware that an assumed, false, or fictitious name does not constitute a legal name change. It is to your advantage to use the name under which your license was issued on all business advertising. If you use a name other than the one on your license, when the Board receives a status request, a search will be made under the name in which your license was issued. You will not be listed under an assumed name unless we have received legal name change documentation, i.e., copies of a marriage certificate, divorce decree, legal name change, passport, or naturalization papers. A driver's license is not acceptable. If your license status cannot be verified you may experience difficulty with insurance payments and/or lose prospective patients.

Q. I HAVE ADDITIONAL OFFICE LOCATIONS. CAN I HAVE AN ADDITIONAL WALL LICENSE FOR MY OTHER OFFICES?
A. Business & Professions Code, Section 4961(a) requires that: Every person who is now or hereafter licensed to practice acupuncture in this state shall register, on forms prescribed by the Acupuncture Board, his or her place of practice, or, if he or she has more than one place of practice, all of the places of practice. If the licensee has no place of practice, he or she shall notify the board of that fact. A person licensed by the board shall register within 30 days after the date of his or her licensure.

4961(b)… An acupuncturist shall post his or her license in a conspicuous location in his or her place of practice at all times. If an acupuncturist has more than one place of practice, he or she shall obtain from the board a duplicate license for each additional location and post such duplicate license at each location.

Requests for duplicates must be submitted in writing and include a copy of the business permit for any additional location. Contact our office for an Application for Duplicate/Replacement License. The fee for a duplicate wall license is $15.00.

Q. WHAT IF MY LICENSE IS LOST, STOLEN OR DESTROYED?
A. Contact our office for an Application for Duplicate/Replacement License, which contains an affidavit for a lost, stolen or destroyed license. A duplicate wall license is $15.00 and a duplicate pocket receipt is $10.00.

Q. I AM GOING TO MOVE OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA FOR AN INDEFINITE LENGTH OF TIME; HOW DO I MAINTAIN MY LICENSE?
A. If a licensee is not going to be practicing, they may place their license on "inactive" status. This must be done with an Active/Inactive License Application. The biennial fee is the same as that of an active license.

Q. IF I AM ON INACTIVE STATUS, AM I REQUIRED TO COMPLETE CONTINUING EDUCATION?
A. No. As long as a licensee has filed an Active/Inactive License Application they are exempt from completing continuing education. However, once they choose to re-activate their license (see pink Active/Inactive License Application, they must document completion of at least 50 hours of Board approved continuing education within the last two years of being inactive and pay all necessary renewal fees.