Occupational Therapy License from Michigan to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Colorado Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA), verify your Michigan license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. On the endorsement path the online application (per the DPO's application preview) asks for an active license, an attestation of an approved OT program, and proof of competency; it does not request an NBCOT score transfer or certification upload. The 'by Original' path for unlicensed applicants requires CURRENT NBCOT certification. No Colorado jurisprudence exam appears in the application..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Michigan and Colorado have both enacted the OT Compact, and neither was issuing privileges as of the verification date, so this is an ordinary endorsement move. Apply to the Colorado Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA); your NBCOT result is verified by Score Transfer or Verification of Certification. If both states go live, working in Colorado while living in Michigan could later be done on a privilege.
What changes, Michigan → Colorado
| Michigan (current) | Colorado (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $187.40 (combined application fee + 2-year license fee for 'OT by Examination or Endorsement', paid by card through MiPLUS, per LARA's Occupational Therapist Licensing Guide (revision date 10/01/23, read from an Internet Archive copy of 2025-03-03). The April 2026 LARA OT page links a newer file revision of the same guide that could not be retrieved, so confirm the amount in MiPLUS. Fingerprint vendor fee and PSI jurisprudence-exam fee not stated in the guide. NOT an OT Compact privilege fee (Michigan is not issuing privileges).) | The DPO's OT Licensing Services and fee pages returned 'Access denied' to automated fetches on 2026-09-27, and the application preview does not state the fee, so the endorsement fee could not be verified. The Commission lists Colorado's compact privilege fee as TBD. |
| Processing time | LARA's OT licensing guide and OT page publish no processing time | no processing timeframe found on the DPO OT pages that could be read |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists (LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing) | Colorado Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Colorado sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Colorado Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active, unrestricted OT license in another state or jurisdiction.
- Attest to completing an approved (ACOTE- or WFOT-accredited) OT program.
- Prove competency within the last two years: 400 hours of OT practice in a 12-month period (Verification of Practice form), 24 hours of OT continuing education, or completion of an OT education program.
- Hold professional liability insurance or qualify for an exemption.
- Upload verification of every OT license you hold or have held, showing original issue date and any discipline.
- Pay the fees (The DPO's OT Licensing Services and fee pages returned 'Access denied' to automated fetches on 2026-09-27, and the application preview does not state the fee, so the endorsement fee could not be verified. The Commission lists Colorado's compact privilege fee as TBD.) and allow no processing timeframe found on the DPO OT pages that could be read.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Michigan occupational therapy license in Colorado?
A occupational therapy license transfers from Michigan to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA), verify your Michigan license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. On the endorsement path the online application (per the DPO's application preview) asks for an active license, an attestation of an approved OT program, and proof of competency; it does not request an NBCOT score transfer or certification upload. The 'by Original' path for unlicensed applicants requires CURRENT NBCOT certification. No Colorado jurisprudence exam appears in the application..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from Michigan to Colorado?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken. On the endorsement path the online application (per the DPO's application preview) asks for an active license, an attestation of an approved OT program, and proof of competency; it does not request an NBCOT score transfer or certification upload. The 'by Original' path for unlicensed applicants requires CURRENT NBCOT certification. No Colorado jurisprudence exam appears in the application.
How much does a Colorado OT license cost for someone licensed in Michigan?
The DPO's OT Licensing Services and fee pages returned 'Access denied' to automated fetches on 2026-09-27, and the application preview does not state the fee, so the endorsement fee could not be verified. The Commission lists Colorado's compact privilege fee as TBD..
How long does Colorado take to process the application?
no processing timeframe found on the DPO OT pages that could be read.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Colorado?
Not for this move. Colorado has enacted the OT Compact but was not issuing privileges as of 2026-09-27. A Colorado license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Colorado DPO, Occupational Therapy homepage ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Colorado DPO, Occupational Therapy Applications and Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Colorado DPO, OT Initial Application Preview (linked from the DPO Applications page) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission, Before You Apply (Colorado: Not Yet accepting applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Michigan LARA — Occupational Therapy board page (licensing guides, MiPLUS, State License Search links) (Internet Archive copy of 2026-04-14; michigan.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated requests on 2026-09-27) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Michigan LARA — Occupational Therapist Licensing Guide, revision date 10/01/23 (endorsement requirements, $187.40 fee) (Internet Archive copy of 2025-03-03) ↗ (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]