Transfer Your Social Work License to Utah: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board ↗
A clinical social work license moves to Utah through licensure by endorsement with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board: license verification, your ASWB score sent by score transfer, and Utah's own checks. Expect $120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.); processing DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time.. Utah has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the compact does not change this application.
Moving to Utah from a specific state?
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Verdict
SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Utah's legislature has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and you may see Utah described as a compact state. In practice that means nothing yet. No multistate license has been issued anywhere, there is no application to file, and a license from another compact state gives you no right to practice in Utah. Plan on the endorsement file below; the compact becomes relevant only once the commission launches, and its stated target for the data system that launch depends on is Spring 2027.
Utah's clinical license is the LCSW. The tiers below it are the SSW (Social Service Worker) and CSW (Certified Social Worker). Endorsement Option 1, under Utah Code 58-1-302, needs one year of licensure in a jurisdiction on DOPL's equivalency map. DOPL flags West Virginia specifically: applicants must also document 4,000 hours of post-graduate clinical training with 1,000 in mental health therapy. Option 2, under Utah Code 58-60-115, needs 4,000 hours of lawful practice with 1,000 in mental health therapy. The v2023 application form also asks Option 1 applicants for a 'Verification of Active Practice' form totaling 3,000 hours, which the 2025 web page does not mention; confirm with DOPL. Every DOPL page and PDF was read from Internet Archive copies (2025-07 to 2026-01) because the live host blocks automated requests, so re-check the live site. Utah has ENACTED the Social Work Licensure Compact, but the compact is not issuing multistate licenses yet.
Utah requirements at a glance
| Exam | The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.) |
| Processing time | DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time. |
Step by step
- Confirm Utah's current requirements on the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an LCSW (or DOPL-designated equivalent) in good standing for at least one year in a jurisdiction DOPL deems equivalent, or document 4,000 hours of lawful practice with at least 1,000 in mental health therapy.
- Submit official primary-source verification of each license used to qualify.
- Submit official verification of a passing ASWB exam (Clinical for dual-scope jurisdictions).
- Document 3 hours of professional ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide prevention CE completed within the last three years.
- Complete the FBI and BCI fingerprint file searches billed on the fee schedule.
- Pay the fees ($120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.)) and allow DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time..
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Utah:
All 39 origin states
Nearby states
Social Work license transfer into the states bordering Utah:
Utah for other professions
Frequently asked questions
Does my social work license transfer to Utah?
A clinical social work license moves to Utah through licensure by endorsement with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board: license verification, your ASWB score sent by score transfer, and Utah's own checks. Expect $120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.); processing DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time.. Utah has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, but it was not issuing multistate licenses as of 2026-09-27, so the compact does not change this application.
Do I have to retake the ASWB exam to get licensed in Utah?
The ASWB exam is not retaken. Utah requires the ASWB Clinical exam (or the California Clinical Social Workers Exam). Applicants from 'dual scope' jurisdictions whose single license covers generalist and clinical practice must document a pass on the ASWB Clinical exam to be deemed equivalent; Advanced Generalist holders are pointed to the Utah CSW instead. Scores may be on the license verification or sent by ASWB. No Utah law exam is listed, but endorsement applicants must document 3 hours of ethics CE and 2 hours of suicide-prevention CE from the last three years. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.
How much does an Utah clinical social work license cost for an out-of-state applicant?
$120 (Clinical Social Worker application fee on DOPL's FY July 2025-June 2026 fee schedule (Internet Archive copy), also stated on the LCSW application as a $120 non-refundable application-processing fee. The schedule adds $12 for the FBI and $20 for the BCI fingerprint file search. Renewal is $103. The FY2026-27 schedule could not be retrieved.)
How long does the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board take?
DOPL's archived LCSW endorsement pages state no processing time.
Is Utah in the Social Work Licensure Compact?
Utah has enacted it, but the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. No one can practice in Utah on a compact license yet; endorsement through the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Social Work Licensing Board is the route.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Utah DOPL — LCSW Out-of-State Applicants Applying by Endorsement (Internet Archive copy of 2025-07-10; dopl.utah.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Endorsement to Utah: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (equivalency map; Internet Archive copy of 2025-08-12) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Licensed Clinical Social Worker Application (v20230629; Internet Archive copy) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Utah DOPL — Fee Schedule FY July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026 (Internet Archive copy of 2026-01-07) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]