Physical Therapy License from South Dakota to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Yes, for working in Ohio — both South Dakota and Ohio are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If South Dakota is your primary state of residence and your South Dakota license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Ohio without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Ohio, you will need an Ohio license once Ohio becomes your home state.
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Verdict
Compact privilege — work there without a second license
Both South Dakota and Ohio are active PT Compact members, so this is a privilege move, not a license move. If South Dakota is your home state and primary residence and your license there is active, you do not apply to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board (OTPTAT Board) - Physical Therapy Section — you buy an Ohio compact privilege through the commission and practice on it, with your South Dakota license staying in place. Two caveats worth planning around: Ohio may require its jurisprudence exam before the privilege issues, and the privilege lapses the moment your South Dakota license does. If you are genuinely relocating to Ohio rather than working there temporarily, the privilege model doesn't fit — you would change your home state by endorsing into Ohio.
What changes, South Dakota → Ohio
| South Dakota (current) | Ohio (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) | Licensure by endorsement · PT Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application 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.) | $100 (The Board's current PT/PTA endorsement application instructions - the packet linked from its PT-PTA Endorsement Application page - state a non-refundable application fee of $100.00, paid by card with the online eLicense application. That equals the one-hundred-dollar ceiling OAC 4755-4-01(B)(1) (effective August 21, 2025) sets for the initial licensing fee. Billed separately: the criminal records check ($22 to BCI plus $25.25 to the FBI, and whatever the fingerprinting vendor charges), the FSBPT NPTE score transfer, and the Ohio Jurisprudence Assessment Module ($48, paid to FSBPT). The application fee is waived for an applicant who is a current member of the armed forces - that waiver is imposed by OAC 4755-3-04(G) in the Board's LSC-authenticated laws-and-rules compilation cited in this row, NOT by the endorsement packet, which does not mention it. Biennial renewal is a separate fee, likewise capped at $100 by rule. This is not the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | 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 | 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 |
| Licensing authority | South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy (South Dakota Department of Health) | Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board (OTPTAT Board) - Physical Therapy Section |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Ohio 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 Ohio: purchase a PT Compact privilege for Ohio through the compact commission and complete any Ohio jurisprudence requirement.
- Keep your home-state license active — every privilege lapses with it.
- If you are moving your primary residence to Ohio: apply for an Ohio license with the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board (OTPTAT Board) - Physical Therapy Section; a privilege does not follow you when your home state changes.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Ohio accept a South Dakota physical therapy license?
Yes, for working in Ohio — both South Dakota and Ohio are active members of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (PT Compact). If South Dakota is your primary state of residence and your South Dakota license is active and unencumbered, you can buy a compact privilege to practice in Ohio without a second license. A privilege is not a license transfer: if you are moving your residence to Ohio, you will need an Ohio license once Ohio becomes your home state.
Do I retake the NPTE moving from South Dakota to Ohio?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken for a routine transfer; FSBPT's Score Transfer Service sends the existing passing score to the physical therapy section. Ohio has one exception: under OAC 4755:2-1-04(C) an endorsement applicant who has been out of practice five or more years - defined as fewer than 500 practice hours in the prior five years - must either retake and pass the NPTE or complete an action plan approved by the physical therapy section. Note that the Ohio laws-and-rules examination is imposed by rule on licensure by EXAMINATION (OAC 4755:2-1-03(A)(2)); the endorsement rule does not itself impose it, so confirm with the Board whether the Ohio Jurisprudence Assessment Module is required on your endorsement application.
What does the move cost?
If you are buying an Ohio compact privilege to work while living in South Dakota: the commission's uniform fee plus Ohio's privilege fee. If you are relocating and taking a full Ohio license by endorsement: $100 (The Board's current PT/PTA endorsement application instructions - the packet linked from its PT-PTA Endorsement Application page - state a non-refundable application fee of $100.00, paid by card with the online eLicense application. That equals the one-hundred-dollar ceiling OAC 4755-4-01(B)(1) (effective August 21, 2025) sets for the initial licensing fee. Billed separately: the criminal records check ($22 to BCI plus $25.25 to the FBI, and whatever the fingerprinting vendor charges), the FSBPT NPTE score transfer, and the Ohio Jurisprudence Assessment Module ($48, paid to FSBPT). The application fee is waived for an applicant who is a current member of the armed forces - that waiver is imposed by OAC 4755-3-04(G) in the Board's LSC-authenticated laws-and-rules compilation cited in this row, NOT by the endorsement packet, which does not mention it. Biennial renewal is a separate fee, likewise capped at $100 by rule. This is not the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
A compact privilege issues quickly once your eligibility and any Ohio jurisprudence exam are cleared — usually faster than a full license. A relocation endorsement runs 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.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-01.
- 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, 4755-3-04, 4755-3-05, 4755-4-01, 4755-4-02; this is the source for the armed-forces application-fee waiver at 4755-3-04(G) and the prioritised military processing at 4755-3-04(H)(2)) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board - Physical Therapist/Physical Therapist Assistant Endorsement Application Instructions (the application packet linked from the Board's PT-PTA Endorsement Application page; source of the $100 application fee; otptat.ohio.gov blocks automated clients and returns HTTP 404 to every automated fetch - open in a browser) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-01)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board - PT-PTA Endorsement Application page (otptat.ohio.gov blocks automated clients and returns HTTP 404 to every automated fetch - open in a browser) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-01)
- 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)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-01
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