Transfer Your Physical Therapy License to Colorado: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) ↗
Colorado issues and accepts compact privileges as an active PT Compact member. If your home state is a member, you can practice in Colorado on a purchased privilege without a Colorado license; otherwise, or if you are moving to Colorado, the route is licensure by endorsement with the Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) — The fee is set administratively by the DORA Director (C.R.S. 12-285-110 provides for 'a fee in an amount determined by the director') and is not stated in the rule; the DORA/DPO fee schedule could not be verified on an accessible official page because dpo.colorado.gov blocks automated access. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee., no NPTE retake, the score transferred through the FSBPT.
Moving to Colorado from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
PT Compact member — multistate license honored
Whether Colorado costs you a full license or just a privilege depends on what you are actually doing. Working in Colorado while your license and residence stay in another member state — a travel assignment, a satellite clinic, telehealth across the line — means buying a Colorado compact privilege and keeping your home license; Colorado charges no full-license fee for that path, though it may require its jurisprudence exam first. Relocating to Colorado is the other case: your residence changes, Colorado becomes your home state, and that is licensure by endorsement with the Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA), after which Colorado can anchor privileges of its own.
Colorado is an ACTIVE PT Compact member, so a PT whose home state is also a member can work in Colorado on a compact privilege instead of endorsing. Endorsement runs through the state occupational credential portability program (C.R.S. 12-285-112) and requires the NPTE plus FBI/CBI fingerprints; there is no Colorado state jurisprudence exam. The application fee is fixed administratively by the DORA Director and could not be verified on an accessible official page, so it is left null per protocol.
Colorado requirements at a glance
| Exam | NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is transferred to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Colorado does not require a separate state jurisprudence or law exam for physical therapists. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | The fee is set administratively by the DORA Director (C.R.S. 12-285-110 provides for 'a fee in an amount determined by the director') and is not stated in the rule; the DORA/DPO fee schedule could not be verified on an accessible official page because dpo.colorado.gov blocks automated access. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee. |
| Processing time | The Division of Professions and Occupations publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications on an accessible page. |
Step by step
- Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Graduate of an accredited (CAPTE) physical therapy program, or a program the Board determines to be substantially equivalent.
- Passed the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).
- Submit fingerprints for an FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal history record check.
- Provide license verification from every jurisdiction where you hold or have held a license, with no revoked, suspended, restricted, or conditional license and no pending discipline.
- Pay the fees (The fee is set administratively by the DORA Director (C.R.S. 12-285-110 provides for 'a fee in an amount determined by the director') and is not stated in the rule; the DORA/DPO fee schedule could not be verified on an accessible official page because dpo.colorado.gov blocks automated access. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) and allow The Division of Professions and Occupations publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications on an accessible page..
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Colorado:
All 42 origin states
Frequently asked questions
Does my physical therapy license transfer to Colorado?
Colorado issues and accepts compact privileges as an active PT Compact member. If your home state is a member, you can practice in Colorado on a purchased privilege without a Colorado license; otherwise, or if you are moving to Colorado, the route is licensure by endorsement with the Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) — The fee is set administratively by the DORA Director (C.R.S. 12-285-110 provides for 'a fee in an amount determined by the director') and is not stated in the rule; the DORA/DPO fee schedule could not be verified on an accessible official page because dpo.colorado.gov blocks automated access. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee., no NPTE retake, the score transferred through the FSBPT.
Do I have to retake the NPTE to get licensed in Colorado?
No. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is transferred to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Colorado does not require a separate state jurisprudence or law exam for physical therapists.. No state requires a second NPTE.
How much does it cost to transfer a PT license to Colorado by endorsement?
The fee is set administratively by the DORA Director (C.R.S. 12-285-110 provides for 'a fee in an amount determined by the director') and is not stated in the rule; the DORA/DPO fee schedule could not be verified on an accessible official page because dpo.colorado.gov blocks automated access. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee. (The fee is set administratively by the DORA Director (C.R.S. 12-285-110 provides for 'a fee in an amount determined by the director') and is not stated in the rule; the DORA/DPO fee schedule could not be verified on an accessible official page because dpo.colorado.gov blocks automated access. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long does Colorado take to process an endorsement application?
The Division of Professions and Occupations publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications on an accessible page. — The Division of Professions and Occupations publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications on an accessible page..
Is Colorado in the PT Compact?
Yes — Colorado is an active member as of 2026-07-21. A PT or PTA whose home state is also a member can buy a Colorado compact privilege instead of a full license; relocating to Colorado still requires licensure by endorsement.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Colorado State Physical Therapy Board — Licensure Rules 4 CCR 732-1.5 (Cornell LII reproduction of the official regulation) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- C.R.S. 12-285-112 — Licensure by endorsement (Colorado Revised Statutes) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- C.R.S. 12-285-110 — Licensure by examination; fee set by the director ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PT Compact — member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]