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LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from California to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) ↗

A counseling license transfers from California to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC), verify your California license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. No exam is retaken. Endorsement applicants with 5+ years of licensed experience are exempt by statute from the examination requirement (KRS 335.527(2)(b)), and the Board FAQ confirms no NCE or NCMHCE scores are required. North Carolina reciprocity-agreement applicants must also complete a 3-hour Board-approved Kentucky Professional Counselor Law course. No separate jurisprudence exam on the endorsement path..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Neither state gives you a working compact route here: a state that has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not yet operational behaves like a non-member. The route is endorsement through the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC): your California license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Kentucky's own exam rule, and Kentucky applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Kentucky tier corresponds to your California license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.

What changes, California → Kentucky

Side-by-side: California vs Kentucky (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
California (current)Kentucky (destination)
Counseling Compact statusLicensure by endorsementCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Application fee$125 (LPCC License Application fee under the Board's temporary 50% fee reduction for payments made 2026-07-01 through 2030-06-30 (statutory base in BPC 4999.120 is $250; applications paid before 2026-07-01 paid $250). Separate: initial license issuance fee $100 (reduced from $200), California Law and Ethics Exam fee $75 (reduced from $150), fingerprint (Live Scan / DOJ-FBI) fees not reduced and paid separately. California has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege route exists.)$150 (application fee for licensure as a professional counselor per 201 KAR 36:020 Section 1(1), which 201 KAR 36:072 applies to reciprocity applicants; non-refundable; FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; annual renewal also $150. Kentucky is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)
Processing timethe Board's Path A guide gives no timeframe for the licensure application itself; it states only 'allow up to 30 days' for processing the Request for Initial License Issuance after the exam is passed. Board processing-time pages could not be read (bbs.ca.gov refused connections on 2026-09-27).no processing timeframe is published; the Board FAQ says complete applications go to the monthly Board meeting's Applications Committee
Licensing authorityCalifornia Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold an active, valid professional counselor license in good standing in another state, with at least 5 years' experience as a licensed or certified professional counselor.
  5. Hold a qualifying degree: 60 graduate hours in counseling or a related field covering the nine KRS 335.527 content areas (CACREP-accredited if the program began Summer 2015 or later).
  6. Submit a letter of good standing from every jurisdiction where a license or certificate is held.
  7. Submit an FBI criminal background check performed within 90 days of the application.
  8. Pay the fees ($150 (application fee for licensure as a professional counselor per 201 KAR 36:020 Section 1(1), which 201 KAR 36:072 applies to reciprocity applicants; non-refundable; FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; annual renewal also $150. Kentucky is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)) and allow no processing timeframe is published; the Board FAQ says complete applications go to the monthly Board meeting's Applications Committee.

Official links

Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC) ↗Kentucky application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Kentucky → CaliforniaCounseling in CaliforniaCounseling in KentuckyAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Kentucky accept a California counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from California to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC), verify your California license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. No exam is retaken. Endorsement applicants with 5+ years of licensed experience are exempt by statute from the examination requirement (KRS 335.527(2)(b)), and the Board FAQ confirms no NCE or NCMHCE scores are required. North Carolina reciprocity-agreement applicants must also complete a 3-hour Board-approved Kentucky Professional Counselor Law course. No separate jurisprudence exam on the endorsement path..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from California to Kentucky?

No exam is retaken. Endorsement applicants with 5+ years of licensed experience are exempt by statute from the examination requirement (KRS 335.527(2)(b)), and the Board FAQ confirms no NCE or NCMHCE scores are required. North Carolina reciprocity-agreement applicants must also complete a 3-hour Board-approved Kentucky Professional Counselor Law course. No separate jurisprudence exam on the endorsement path.

What does the move cost?

$150 (application fee for licensure as a professional counselor per 201 KAR 36:020 Section 1(1), which 201 KAR 36:072 applies to reciprocity applicants; non-refundable; FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; annual renewal also $150. Kentucky is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)

How long will it take?

no processing timeframe is published; the Board FAQ says complete applications go to the monthly Board meeting's Applications Committee.

Kentucky joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?

Not yet. Kentucky had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Kentucky takes Kentucky's own authorization, normally a Kentucky license.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]