Physical Therapy License from North Dakota to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Yes, for working in South Carolina — both North Dakota and South Carolina are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If North Dakota is your primary state of residence and your North Dakota license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in South Carolina without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to South Carolina, you will need a South Carolina license once South Carolina becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Both North Dakota and South Carolina are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If North Dakota is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) — you buy a South Carolina compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your North Dakota license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: South Carolina may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your North Dakota license does. If you are genuinely relocating to South Carolina rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into South Carolina.
What changes, North Dakota → South Carolina
| North Dakota (current) | South Carolina (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application fee | $200 (Non-refundable application fee set by NDAC 61.5-02-03-01(1); the same application fee applies to licensure by endorsement. Annual renewal is $100 for physical therapists ($60 for PTAs) and the late renewal fee is $50. The criminal-history background check is billed separately at cost. The $40 'compact fee' in the same rule is North Dakota's PT Compact privilege fee, not the endorsement application fee.) | $110 (Board application fee set by S.C. Code of Regulations 10-30(1); the same application fee applies to endorsement applicants (40-45-240 licenses 'on the payment of the applicable fee'). SLED/FBI fingerprint costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | Neither the North Dakota Administrative Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe for endorsement applications | no processing timeframe appears in the Board's statute (S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 45) or regulations (Chapter 101); llr.sc.gov was unreachable from the research network on the access date, so the board site could not be checked |
| Licensing authority | North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy | South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your home-state license is active and unencumbered and that your home state is your primary state of residence.
- To work in South Carolina: purchase a PT Compact privilege for South Carolina through the compact commission and complete any South Carolina jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to South Carolina: apply for a South Carolina license with the South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation); a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Carolina accept a North Dakota physical therapy license?
Yes, for working in South Carolina — both North Dakota and South Carolina are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If North Dakota is your primary state of residence and your North Dakota license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in South Carolina without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to South Carolina, you will need a South Carolina license once South Carolina becomes your home state.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from North Dakota to South Carolina?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; official examination scores are transferred to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report) and the Board may license an out-of-state PT without examination on payment of the fee (S.C. Code 40-45-240). South Carolina requires no jurisprudence exam to obtain the license, but 3 contact hours of ethics, professionalism and/or South Carolina jurisprudence are required each biennium as continuing education.
What does the move cost?
If you are buying a South Carolina compact privilege to work while living in North Dakota: the commission's uniform fee plus South Carolina's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full South Carolina license by endorsement: $110 (Board application fee set by S.C. Code of Regulations 10-30(1); the same application fee applies to endorsement applicants (40-45-240 licenses 'on the payment of the applicable fee'). SLED/FBI fingerprint costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any South Carolina jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs no processing timeframe appears in the Board's statute (S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 45) or regulations (Chapter 101); llr.sc.gov was unreachable from the research network on the access date, so the board site could not be checked.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 101 - State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 10-30 - Board of Physical Therapy Examiners fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- S.C. Code of Laws Title 40 Chapter 45 - Physical Therapists (incl. 40-45-240 licensure without examination and the PT Compact, 40-45-510 et seq.) ↗ (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)
- North Dakota Administrative Code 61.5-02-03 - Fees (ND Legislative Branch) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- North Dakota Administrative Code 61.5-02-02 - Licensure (general requirements and types of licensure incl. endorsement) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- North Dakota Administrative Code Title 61.5 - ND Board of Physical Therapy (index) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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