Physical Therapy License from Ohio to Kansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Kansas State Board of Healing Arts ↗
Yes — both Ohio and Kansas are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Ohio is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Kansas now; if you are moving your residence to Kansas, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Kansas your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact multistate — already covered
Both Ohio and Kansas are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If Ohio is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts — you buy a Kansas compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your Ohio license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: Kansas may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your Ohio license does. If you are genuinely relocating to Kansas rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into Kansas.
What changes, Ohio → Kansas
| Ohio (current) | Kansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $100 (OAC 4755-4-01(B)(1) (effective August 21, 2025) caps the initial licensing fee - the fee an endorsement applicant pays - at one hundred dollars, and states that the current amount is published on the Board's website. otptat.ohio.gov and codes.ohio.gov were unreachable from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so only the rule maximum is given rather than an unverified exact figure. Biennial renewal is likewise capped at $100. The BCI/FBI criminal records check is billed separately by the record providers. This is not the PT Compact privilege fee.) | $80 ('application based on certificate of prior examination' (endorsement) fee per K.A.R. 100-29-7; + ~$57 KBI fingerprint-based background-check fee (in notes, not the range). The $65 'compact privilege' fee in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the endorsement fee.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Ohio Revised Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe; OAC 4755:2-1-01(E) provides only that an application still incomplete one year after filing is abandoned. | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board (OTPTAT Board) - Physical Therapy Section | Kansas State Board of Healing Arts |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm your current license is an active multistate license in good standing (check it in the verification system).
- If you are moving your primary residence to Kansas: apply for licensure by endorsement with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts when you move.
- Declare Kansas as your new primary state of residence on that application.
- Complete Kansas's fingerprint/background check requirement if requested.
- Keep practicing — your multistate privilege remains valid during the transition (do not let the old license lapse before the new one issues).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kansas accept a Ohio physical therapy license?
Yes — both Ohio and Kansas are members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If Ohio is your primary state of residence and you hold a multistate license, you can practice in Kansas now; if you are moving your residence to Kansas, apply for licensure by endorsement there and declare Kansas your new primary state of residence — your multistate privilege continues.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Ohio to Kansas?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score transfers via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Kansas does NOT require a jurisprudence exam for initial licensure by endorsement — the Kansas Jurisprudence Assessment Module (JAM) applies only to biennial renewal in odd-numbered years and to PT Compact privileges (per FSBPT)..
What does the move cost?
If you are buying a Kansas compact privilege to work while living in Ohio: the commission's uniform fee plus Kansas's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Kansas license by endorsement: $80 ('application based on certificate of prior examination' (endorsement) fee per K.A.R. 100-29-7; + ~$57 KBI fingerprint-based background-check fee (in notes, not the range). The $65 'compact privilege' fee in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the endorsement fee.) ('application based on certificate of prior examination' (endorsement) fee per K.A.R. 100-29-7; + ~$57 KBI fingerprint-based background-check fee (in notes, not the range). The $65 'compact privilege' fee in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the endorsement fee.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Kansas jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications (the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- K.A.R. 100-29-7 — Kansas physical therapist fees (Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- FSBPT — Jurisprudence Assessment Module (JAM), Kansas ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board - Physical Therapy Laws and Rules, effective April 3, 2026 (LSC-authenticated ORC and OAC text: OAC 4755:2-1-01, 4755:2-1-03, 4755:2-1-04, 4755-3-05, 4755-4-01, 4755-4-02) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]