Physical Therapy License from California to Utah: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Utah Physical Therapy Licensing Board (Utah Division of Professional Licensing, DOPL) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from California to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Physical Therapy Licensing Board (Utah Division of Professional Licensing, DOPL), verify your California license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is moved to the destination board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service ($90 per report). Whether Utah also requires a state law/jurisprudence examination could not be verified from a Utah source on the access date - see notes..
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
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 Utah is an active member. Endorse into Utah with the Utah Physical Therapy Licensing Board (Utah Division of Professional Licensing, DOPL), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Utah 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 → Utah
| California (current) | Utah (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.) | not verified - dopl.utah.gov and le.utah.gov were both unreachable from the research network on 2026-08-07 (Cloudflare 403 and connection refused respectively), and the Utah Administrative Rules portal returned no R156-24b content, so no Utah endorsement fee is asserted |
| 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) | not verified - the Utah Division of Professional Licensing site could not be retrieved on the access date |
| Licensing authority | Physical Therapy Board of California (Department of Consumer Affairs) | Utah Physical Therapy Licensing Board (Utah Division of Professional Licensing, DOPL) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Utah sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Utah's current requirements on the Utah Physical Therapy Licensing Board (Utah Division of Professional Licensing, DOPL) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Utah Physical Therapy Licensing Board (Utah Division of Professional Licensing, DOPL).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active, unencumbered PT license in your home compact member state if you intend to work in Utah on a compact privilege rather than a Utah license.
- Obtain the Utah compact privilege through the Physical Therapy Compact Commission before practicing in Utah under the compact.
- Pay the fees (not verified - dopl.utah.gov and le.utah.gov were both unreachable from the research network on 2026-08-07 (Cloudflare 403 and connection refused respectively), and the Utah Administrative Rules portal returned no R156-24b content, so no Utah endorsement fee is asserted) and allow not verified - the Utah Division of Professional Licensing site could not be retrieved on the access date.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Utah accept a California physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from California to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Physical Therapy Licensing Board (Utah Division of Professional Licensing, DOPL), verify your California license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is moved to the destination board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service ($90 per report). Whether Utah also requires a state law/jurisprudence examination could not be verified from a Utah source on the access date - see notes..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from California to Utah?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is moved to the destination board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service ($90 per report). Whether Utah also requires a state law/jurisprudence examination could not be verified from a Utah source on the access date - see notes..
What does the move cost?
not verified - dopl.utah.gov and le.utah.gov were both unreachable from the research network on 2026-08-07 (Cloudflare 403 and connection refused respectively), and the Utah Administrative Rules portal returned no R156-24b content, so no Utah endorsement fee is asserted (not verified - dopl.utah.gov and le.utah.gov were both unreachable from the research network on 2026-08-07 (Cloudflare 403 and connection refused respectively), and the Utah Administrative Rules portal returned no R156-24b content, so no Utah endorsement fee is asserted).
How long will it take?
not verified - the Utah Division of Professional Licensing site could not be retrieved on the access date — not verified - the Utah Division of Professional Licensing site could not be retrieved on the access date.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- PT Compact - state status list (Physical Therapy Compact Commission); Utah listed under Member States, actively issuing and accepting privileges ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - Licensing Authorities Contact Information (Utah licensing authority and board URL) ↗ (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]