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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Clinical Mental Health Counseling ↗

A counseling license transfers from California to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Clinical Mental Health Counseling, verify your California license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. No exam retake for a counselor with at least one year of active licensure from a jurisdiction DOPL designates as equivalent (Option 1), although DOPL may require transcripts and/or exam scores to show equivalency, and applicants from some jurisdictions must document a passed NCMHCE. Option 2 (4,000 hours of active licensure as a CMHC in any U.S. jurisdiction) lists no exam documentation. Utah-trained CMHC applicants must pass both the NCE and NCMHCE. No state law exam appears on the application..

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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 Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Clinical Mental Health Counseling: your California license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Utah's own exam rule, and Utah applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Utah tier corresponds to your California license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.

What changes, California → Utah

Side-by-side: California vs Utah (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
California (current)Utah (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.)$152 (non-refundable application processing fee per DOPL's Clinical Mental Health Counselor Initial/Endorsement Application (form v20251211); fingerprint processing paid separately. Read from an Internet Archive copy (2026-05-26) because DOPL's live site returned Cloudflare 403 on 2026-09-27. Utah is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)
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 found on the DOPL pages that could be read
Licensing authorityCalifornia Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Clinical Mental Health Counseling

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Utah's current requirements on the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Clinical Mental Health Counseling website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Clinical Mental Health Counseling (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Option 1: at least one year of active licensure in good standing from a jurisdiction DOPL designates as equivalent, with official verification (plus transcripts and/or exam scores if DOPL requires them to show equivalency).
  5. Option 2: 4,000 hours of active licensure as a clinical mental health counselor in any U.S. jurisdiction, documented on DOPL's Verification of Active Practice form (one per employer) with license verifications covering that period.
  6. Complete fingerprints at an approved vendor (or mail cards to DOPL).
  7. Answer the qualifying questionnaires and supply documentation for any 'yes' answer.
  8. Pay the fees ($152 (non-refundable application processing fee per DOPL's Clinical Mental Health Counselor Initial/Endorsement Application (form v20251211); fingerprint processing paid separately. Read from an Internet Archive copy (2026-05-26) because DOPL's live site returned Cloudflare 403 on 2026-09-27. Utah is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)) and allow no processing timeframe found on the DOPL pages that could be read.

Official links

Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Clinical Mental Health Counseling ↗Utah application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Utah → CaliforniaCounseling in CaliforniaCounseling in UtahAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Utah accept a California counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from California to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Clinical Mental Health Counseling, verify your California license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. No exam retake for a counselor with at least one year of active licensure from a jurisdiction DOPL designates as equivalent (Option 1), although DOPL may require transcripts and/or exam scores to show equivalency, and applicants from some jurisdictions must document a passed NCMHCE. Option 2 (4,000 hours of active licensure as a CMHC in any U.S. jurisdiction) lists no exam documentation. Utah-trained CMHC applicants must pass both the NCE and NCMHCE. No state law exam appears on the application..

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

No exam retake for a counselor with at least one year of active licensure from a jurisdiction DOPL designates as equivalent (Option 1), although DOPL may require transcripts and/or exam scores to show equivalency, and applicants from some jurisdictions must document a passed NCMHCE. Option 2 (4,000 hours of active licensure as a CMHC in any U.S. jurisdiction) lists no exam documentation. Utah-trained CMHC applicants must pass both the NCE and NCMHCE. No state law exam appears on the application.

What does the move cost?

$152 (non-refundable application processing fee per DOPL's Clinical Mental Health Counselor Initial/Endorsement Application (form v20251211); fingerprint processing paid separately. Read from an Internet Archive copy (2026-05-26) because DOPL's live site returned Cloudflare 403 on 2026-09-27. Utah is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)

How long will it take?

no processing timeframe found on the DOPL pages that could be read.

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

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