Physical Therapy License from California to South Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from California to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health), verify your California license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the applicant requests the score through FSBPT and it is sent to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report). The Board's licensing checklist lists no South Dakota jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a payoff. California is outside the active compact, so you have had no privileges to work with — but South Dakota is an active member. Endorse into South Dakota with the South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and South Dakota becomes your springboard: from there you can buy compact privileges into every other active member state without another full license. Your NPTE score transfers through the FSBPT; you do not re-sit the exam.
What changes, California → South Dakota
| California (current) | South Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $450 (nonrefundable $300 application processing fee + $150 initial license fee (both required to obtain the license) = $450. A $49 fingerprint hard-card fee and the $50 CAL-JAM exam fee (paid to FSBPT) are separate. California is not a PT Compact state, so there is no compact-privilege fee.) | $120 (application fee payable to the SD Board of Physical Therapy per the Board's published licensing-requirements checklist; fingerprint/DCI background-check costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | 6–7 weeks (the Board acknowledges receipt within 30 days and states a license is generally issued within 45 days (about 6-7 weeks) after all deficiencies are satisfied and scores are received) | the Board publishes no overall processing timeframe; it states only that DCI background-check processing averages 3-4 weeks and is outside the Board's control, and that late fingerprint submission delays application review |
| Licensing authority | Physical Therapy Board of California (Department of Consumer Affairs) | South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Dakota's current requirements on the South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Submit the Board's notarized application form.
- Have an official transcript sent showing degree completion from a CAPTE-accredited program.
- Obtain license verification from every state where you hold or have held a license, showing licensure dates and disciplinary status.
- Complete a fingerprint-card criminal background check processed through the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.
- Pay the fees ($120 (application fee payable to the SD Board of Physical Therapy per the Board's published licensing-requirements checklist; fingerprint/DCI background-check costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow the Board publishes no overall processing timeframe; it states only that DCI background-check processing averages 3-4 weeks and is outside the Board's control, and that late fingerprint submission delays application review.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Dakota accept a California physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from California to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health), verify your California license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the applicant requests the score through FSBPT and it is sent to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report). The Board's licensing checklist lists no South Dakota jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from California to South Dakota?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the applicant requests the score through FSBPT and it is sent to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report). The Board's licensing checklist lists no South Dakota jurisprudence exam..
What does the move cost?
$120 (application fee payable to the SD Board of Physical Therapy per the Board's published licensing-requirements checklist; fingerprint/DCI background-check costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) (application fee payable to the SD Board of Physical Therapy per the Board's published licensing-requirements checklist; fingerprint/DCI background-check costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no overall processing timeframe; it states only that DCI background-check processing averages 3-4 weeks and is outside the Board's control, and that late fingerprint submission delays application review — the Board publishes no overall processing timeframe; it states only that DCI background-check processing averages 3-4 weeks and is outside the Board's control, and that late fingerprint submission delays application review.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- SD Board of Physical Therapy - Licensing Requirements (application checklist and fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- SD Board of Physical Therapy - board home page ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - state status list (Physical Therapy Compact Commission) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Physical Therapy Board of California — US-Educated PT/PTA Applicant (Endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PTBC — Endorsement Application Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PTBC — Endorsement Examination Information (CAL-JAM) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]