Counseling License from North Carolina to Maryland: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from North Carolina to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: submit NCE or NCMHCE scores. A state law exam is ALSO required: the Maryland Law Assessment (MLA), taken online through CCE, with the certificate submitted with the application. The Board may waive the examination requirement for applicants from jurisdictions granting similar endorsement to Maryland licensees who passed a Board-approved exam (COMAR 10.58.12.06)..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from North Carolina to Maryland by endorsement. Both states have enacted the Counseling Compact, but neither was issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. When both go operational, cross-border work between them could run on a privilege; a relocation would still need a Maryland license. You apply to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC), which verifies your North Carolina license and standing, matches it to Maryland's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Maryland jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, North Carolina → Maryland
| North Carolina (current) | Maryland (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $238 (Board-stated endorsement/reciprocity application fee of $238, which includes the $38 criminal background check fee; nonrefundable; jurisprudence exam provider fee not verified) | $250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.) |
| Processing time | 4–6 weeks (Board-stated 'Application Processing Timeframe (provided there are no legal/special considerations) 4-6 weeks from completed application submission') | no approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors (NCBLCMHC) (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LCMHC) | Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maryland sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current clinical professional counselor license in good standing with no past or pending discipline, verified by the other board on Maryland's out-of-state verification form.
- Show the other jurisdiction's clinical licensure requirements are equivalent to or exceed Md. Health Occ. §17-304, or qualify under the COMAR equivalency provisions.
- Submit official transcripts for a master's or doctoral counseling degree.
- Pass the Maryland Law Assessment and submit NCE or NCMHCE scores.
- Complete a criminal history records check (CHRC).
- Pay the fees ($250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)) and allow no approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maryland accept a North Carolina counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from North Carolina to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: submit NCE or NCMHCE scores. A state law exam is ALSO required: the Maryland Law Assessment (MLA), taken online through CCE, with the certificate submitted with the application. The Board may waive the examination requirement for applicants from jurisdictions granting similar endorsement to Maryland licensees who passed a Board-approved exam (COMAR 10.58.12.06)..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from North Carolina to Maryland?
National exam is not retaken: submit NCE or NCMHCE scores. A state law exam is ALSO required: the Maryland Law Assessment (MLA), taken online through CCE, with the certificate submitted with the application. The Board may waive the examination requirement for applicants from jurisdictions granting similar endorsement to Maryland licensees who passed a Board-approved exam (COMAR 10.58.12.06).
What does the move cost?
$250 (LCPC out-of-state application fee (check or money order); + separate $150 license fee due on notification of eligibility; non-refundable; Maryland Law Assessment fee paid to CCE and CHRC fingerprint fee paid separately. Maryland is not yet issuing Counseling Compact privileges.)
How long will it take?
no approval timeframe is published; the Board determines within 30 days of receipt whether the application is complete, and applicants get 90 days to cure deficiencies before the file is closed.
Maryland joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Maryland had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Maryland takes Maryland's own authorization, normally a Maryland license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Maryland BOPCT: LCPC Out of State Applicants application and instructions ($250 + $150, MLA, CHRC) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- COMAR 10.58.12.06 Licensure Eligibility: Out-of-State Applicants ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Maryland BOPCT: LCPC out-of-state instructions (legacy form; experience tiers) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCBLCMHC: Licensure by Endorsement (requirements, $238 fee, 4-6 week processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCBLCMHC: LCMHC License by Reciprocity (South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NC OAH: 21 NCAC 53 .0304 Applicants Licensed in Other States ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NC OAH: 21 NCAC 53 .0305 Examination (NCE/NCMHCE/CRC; jurisprudence exam) ↗ (accessed 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]