Occupational Therapy License from South Dakota to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) ↗
A occupational therapy license transfers from South Dakota to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section), verify your South Dakota license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken; the applicant has NBCOT send a Score Transfer to the Ohio OTPTAT Board or uploads an official NBCOT Verification of Certification. Ohio also requires the Ohio OT Jurisprudence Exam (taken online via myicourse, 90% minimum passing score)..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This is an endorsement move with a benefit attached. South Dakota is outside the issuing group, so no privilege applies; you apply to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) for a Ohio license, with NBCOT passage verified rather than retaken. If you then live in Ohio, that license can anchor privileges in the other issuing states.
What changes, South Dakota → Ohio
| South Dakota (current) | Ohio (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| OT Compact status | OT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | OT Compact member — compact privilege to practice |
| Application fee | $50 (initial license fee set by ARSD 20:64:02:05 (statute caps OT fees at $50, SDCL 36-31-12); the rule also sets a $50 annual renewal and a $25 limited permit. The applicant also pays the fingerprinting/background-check fees (amount not published in the sources read). The Board's online portal may add payment charges not verified here. No OT Compact privilege fee exists yet (South Dakota is not issuing privileges).) | $100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee paid online through eLicense Ohio; + $22 BCI and $24 FBI background-check fees (plus any vendor fingerprinting fee); + $35 NBCOT Score Transfer if not already sent. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Ohio privilege: $25 state fee + $75 commission fee).) |
| Processing time | no processing time is published on the Board's OT page or in the rules; the license cannot issue until the state and FBI background check results are received | the Board states only that an application is reviewed within five business days of submission (approval or a request for more documents); no end-to-end licensing timeframe is published, and FBI checks from ink-rolled cards can take up to three months |
| Licensing authority | South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners (Occupational Therapy) | Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Ohio sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Graduate of an ACOTE-accredited entry-level OT program (Certification of Entry-Level Education form or official transcript).
- Pass the Ohio OT Jurisprudence Exam (90% minimum) and upload the transcript.
- Submit official license verification from every jurisdiction where you hold or ever held an OT or other health-care license.
- Complete an Ohio BCI and FBI fingerprint criminal records check sent directly to the Board (results must be under six months old at licensure).
- If out of practice five or more years (fewer than 250 practice hours in the prior five years), meet the Board's out-of-practice requirements.
- Pay the fees ($100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee paid online through eLicense Ohio; + $22 BCI and $24 FBI background-check fees (plus any vendor fingerprinting fee); + $35 NBCOT Score Transfer if not already sent. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Ohio privilege: $25 state fee + $75 commission fee).)) and allow the Board states only that an application is reviewed within five business days of submission (approval or a request for more documents); no end-to-end licensing timeframe is published, and FBI checks from ink-rolled cards can take up to three months.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my South Dakota occupational therapy license in Ohio?
A occupational therapy license transfers from South Dakota to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board (Occupational Therapy Section), verify your South Dakota license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken; the applicant has NBCOT send a Score Transfer to the Ohio OTPTAT Board or uploads an official NBCOT Verification of Certification. Ohio also requires the Ohio OT Jurisprudence Exam (taken online via myicourse, 90% minimum passing score)..
Do I retake the NBCOT exam moving from South Dakota to Ohio?
No. The NBCOT certification exam is not retaken; the applicant has NBCOT send a Score Transfer to the Ohio OTPTAT Board or uploads an official NBCOT Verification of Certification. Ohio also requires the Ohio OT Jurisprudence Exam (taken online via myicourse, 90% minimum passing score).
How much does a Ohio OT license cost for someone licensed in South Dakota?
$100 (non-refundable endorsement application fee paid online through eLicense Ohio; + $22 BCI and $24 FBI background-check fees (plus any vendor fingerprinting fee); + $35 NBCOT Score Transfer if not already sent. NOT the OT Compact privilege fee (Ohio privilege: $25 state fee + $75 commission fee).).
How long does Ohio take to process the application?
the Board states only that an application is reviewed within five business days of submission (approval or a request for more documents); no end-to-end licensing timeframe is published, and FBI checks from ink-rolled cards can take up to three months.
Can I use the OT Compact to work in Ohio?
Not for this move. Ohio issues privileges, but only to therapists whose home state is also issuing; South Dakota is not. A Ohio license by endorsement is required.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT and OTA Endorsement Applications ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT/OTA Endorsement Application Instructions packet (Dec 2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT-OTA Licensing (application pathways) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT Compact ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- OT Compact Commission — Before You Apply (Ohio accepting applications since January 12, 2026; $25 OT privilege fee; jurisprudence required) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board — OT-OTA Endorsement Application page (Internet Archive copy, captured 2025-06-12; eligibility and five-business-day review re-checked) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners — Occupational Therapist profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SD Administrative Rules ch. 20:64:02 — Licensure Requirements (exam, reciprocity application, limited permit, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-31-6 — Application for licensure requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-31-6.1 — Criminal background check requirement ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-31-8 — Waiver for applicants licensed in another state ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- SDCL 36-31-12 — Fees (cap of $50) ↗ (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]