Arizona Desert
Behavior Analyst Applications

As of January 17, 2023, all applications for licensure for behavior analysts are online! If you have a PDF in process, please use it as reference for your online application. Set up your account via the Applicant Portal to get started. 

Facts About Practice & Licensure In Arizona

  • Under A.R.S. Section 32-2091.12, it is a class 2 misdemeanor to practice behavior analysis, including supervising, in Arizona without a license. 
  • Behavior Analysts are required to be licensed by the Board of Psychologist Examiners to practice independently in-person in Arizona.  If the client is in Arizona, the behavior analyst providing services to that client must hold a license issued by this Board, regardless of the behavior analyst's location, or must be supervised by an Arizona-licensed behavior analyst.  The one exception to this is if the behavior analyst has applied for and been approved for the Telehealth Registry. See more information about the Telehealth Registry, below. 
  • Providing supervision is an integral part of the practice of behavior analysis. All supervisors, remote or in-person, must be licensed in Arizona if providing supervision to an Arizona-located trainee or unlicensed individual.  A telehealth registrant cannot provide supervision to an Arizona-located trainee. 
  • Supervision takes place in the state where the trainee or unlicensed BCBA is delivering behavior analytic services, regardless of the state in which the supervisor is located.  
  • How do I evaluate whether I qualify for licensure?

Forms & Online Applications

 

1.  Behavior Analyst Application for Licensure ($350) 

You do not need to live in Arizona to apply for a BA license with this online application.  Please see Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) § 32-2091.02, A.R.S. § 32-2091.03 and Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R4-26-203 through R4-26-406 for requirements. (Statutes and Rules can be found on the Statutes and Rules page of the website.)

RECIPROCITY:  Note, Rules for licensure by reciprocity, authorized under A.R.S. § 32-2091.04, went into effect on February 21, 2023.  Please see the requirements for reciprocity on the Board's Application Basics page. Both the general application for licensure as a behavior analyst (authorized under A.R.S. § 32-2091.02 & A.R.S. § 32-2091.03) and the reciprocity application (authorized under A.R.S. § 32-2091.04)  are submitted using the same online application, Behavior Analyst Application for Licensure. 

GO TO the Applicant Portal to get started with your behavior analyst application for licensure. Please use Chrome on a desktop or laptop computer.  Other browsers and mobile devices are not compatible and may result in errors. 

  • Supervisors may submit verifications to [email protected]. 
  • You do not need to live in Arizona to apply for a license using this application. 
  • You do not need to be licensed in another state to apply for a license using this application. However, if you hold or have ever held a license, regardless of status (e.g., active, inactive, expired, revoked, etc.) it must be primary source verified. 

 

Supporting Documents & Verification Forms 

The below supporting documents and forms may be downloaded for both the general and reciprocity pathways using the Behavior Analyst Application for Licensure. 

PLEASE NOTE, as of August 1, 2019, verification that an applicant passed the BACB's BCBA certification exam will be independently obtained by Board staff. 

  • Appropriate Documentation for "Yes" Answers
    • For professional conduct questions in this application, if the answer is "yes", appropriate documentation is required. Please review this PDF for a list of the associated documentation or evidence that must be submitted to the Board if your answer to the question is “yes”.
  • Supervised Work Experience or Independent Fieldwork Verification
    • (Make as many copies as needed)  If you are applying the same hours towards licensure that you used for BCBA certification, your supervisor may submit your BACB Final Experience Verification forms your supervisor signed and that you submitted to the BACB for your BCBA certification instead of this verification form. If you are applying different supervised hours, use this verification form. 
    • R4-26-403(C)(2) requires that verifications be sent directly from your supervisor to the Board's office. Verifications included with your application will not be accepted.
  • Multiple Supervisors at One Organization
    • The BACB Final Experience Verification form for Multiple Supervisors at One Organization lacks information the Committee on Behavior Analysts and the Board need to determine if the experience meets Arizona's requirements. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide the additional materials. To that end, for any organization at which you were supervised by more than one individual through the duration of the entire experience, please complete Arizona's Multiple Supervisors at One Organization form and provide the additional materials listed in the instructions.  This form is not needed if you had only one supervisor for the duration of a supervised experience.
  • Citizenship Status Form 
    • All applicants are required to provide proof of lawful presence in the United States.
  • Checklist - Am I Ready to Submit My Application for Licensure? 
    • Please use this checklist to determine if you have completed all requirements for your license application as a Behavior Analyst. 
  • Are You Eligible for an Application Fee Waiver?
     

2. Behavior Analyst Application for Licensure by Universal Recognition ($350)

 PLEASE READ "WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY BY UNIVERSAL RECOGNITION?" below before submitting this application. Application fees are non-refundable. On August 27, 2019, the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners began accepting applications for licensure by universal recognition. Read the authorizing statute on the Arizona State Legislature's website: A.R.S. § 32-4302. 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY BY UNIVERAL RECOGNITION? 

The universal recognition statute (A.R.S. § 32-4302) allows Arizona residents to use an out-of-state professional or occupational license to qualify for an Arizona license to work. To qualify, an applicant must:

  • Prove that you have established residence in Arizona (See the Board's Substantive Policy Statement on page 2 for a list of acceptable evidence). You must have established residence in Arizona to qualify for licensure by Universal Recognition. 
  • Be currently licensed or certified for at least one year in another U.S. state or territory in the discipline applied for and at the same level of practice as recognized in Arizona.  BCBA certification is NOT a license; it is a national specialty certification that demonstrates you meet the minimum national standards of the profession.  A state license authorizes the holder to practice their profession within the issuing state's borders.  Visit the BACB's website for a current list of states that require licensure for behavior analysts. 
  • Be in good standing in all states where currently or previously licensed or certified. Verification is required directly from the licensing board to the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners for all licenses and certifications ever held regardless of the status of the license or certification. If the state board's online license lookup states that it is a primary source verification, please upload a copy of the online verification when requested in the online application. Otherwise, please contact your licensing board(s) for their instructions to request to have verification sent to the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners. Email is preferred to [email protected]. 
  • Have met all applicable education, work, exam, and/or clinical supervision requirements in the other state where originally licensed or certified. 

GO TO the Applicant Portal to get started with your behavior analyst application for licensure by universal recognition.  Please use Chrome on a desktop or laptop computer.  Other browsers and mobile devices are not compatible and may result in errors. 

Appropriate Documentation for "Yes" Answers:  For questions 6-11 in this application, if the answer is "yes", appropriate documentation is required. Please see the PDF "Appropriate Documentation for "Yes" Answers" for a list of the associated documentation or evidence that the applicant must submit to the Board if the applicant’s answer to the question is “yes”.  Please note, your application will not be administratively complete until all associated documentation and a written detailed explanation are received in the Board's office. 
 

3. Telehealth Registry ($600)

A.R.S. § 36-3606 authorizes the Board to accept and process Telehealth Registry applications for out-of-state licensed behavior analysts who are not licensed in Arizona. Qualifying Board-approved applicants are authorized only to provide direct healthcare services via telehealth to a client located in Arizona. This authorization is not a license. This authorization does not allow for the provision of any supervision to any person -- trainees, behavior technicians, or other behavior analysts.   

If you hold an Arizona license, you do not need to be registered in the Telehealth Registry to practice via telehealth into Arizona. An Arizona license authorizes the licensee to practice their profession in Arizona in person or via telehealth. 

 

    How to Pay Application Fees

    Staff cannot process credit/debit cards. Payment of the application fee (credit and debit cards are accepted) is the required final step in the application submission process. Go to the Applicant Portal to get started. 

     
    Application for Fee Waiver

    Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-1080.01 provides for a waiver of application fees in certain specific circumstances: 

    A. … An agency shall waive any fee charged for an initial license for any of the following individuals if the individual is applying for that specific license in this state for the first time:

    1.  Any individual applicant whose family income does not exceed two hundred percent of the federal poverty guidelines [refer to the annual update of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines for 2021 and 2022].
    2. Any active duty military service member's spouse.
    3. Any honorably discharged veteran who has been discharged not more than two years before application.

    If you believe that you qualify for any of the above listed waivers, complete this online application and submit the appropriate documentation:

    • For A.R.S. §41-1080.01(A)(1), a copy of your most recent federal tax return.
    • For A.R.S. §41-1080.01(A)(2) or (3), documentation that establishes your eligibility.

    DO NOT submit an online application for licensure until receiving notification that this fee waiver application has been approved or denied. You will be notified by email, which will include instructions for how to proceed. 

    Fee waiver applications are generally processed within 7 business days. You will receive an email notification from the Board office that indicates whether the fee waiver is approved; do not submit your licensure application until you receive the fee waiver authorization email.