Who must be licensed to practice ABA in Louisiana, and how do you get credentialed?

Is ABA licensed in Louisiana, and the sunset clause to watch

Yes, since the mid-2010s. The Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board was created within the Louisiana Department of Health by 2013 legislation, with the Board's first implementing rules promulgated in October 2014 (R.S. 37:3703; LBAB Rules Ch. 3, Historical Note, LR 40:1930). The Board licenses Licensed Behavior Analysts, certifies State-Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts, and registers Line Technicians. The single most important fact to know about Louisiana, and one easy to miss reading only the definitions section, is that the entire chapter carries a statutory sunset: a note attached to the chapter flags its termination date of July 1, 2028 under R.S. 37:3718 (R.S. 37:3701 et seq., statutory note re: R.S. 37:3718). Unless the legislature reauthorizes the Board before that date, Louisiana's licensing framework for behavior analysts is scheduled to end.

The credential tiers: LBA, SCABA, and line technician

Louisiana runs three credential levels.

The statute is explicit that the LBA credential is separate and apart from any other licensed individual, including but not limited to psychologists, treating "licensed behavior analyst" as its own distinct professional category rather than a subset of another license (R.S. 37:3701(3)).

The certifying standard: a board-approved national exam

Rather than naming the BACB by name as the sole certifying entity, Louisiana's statute requires proof that the applicant passed a nationally recognized examination administered by a nonprofit organization accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, the American National Standards Institute, or a substantial equivalent, related to the principles and practice of behavior analysis and approved by the board (R.S. 37:3706(5)). In practice, the BACB's BCBA and BCaBA examinations satisfy this standard, but the statute's broader phrasing leaves room for other board-approved credentialing bodies without requiring a separate legislative amendment each time.

What it takes to get licensed: the jurisprudence exam

An LBA applicant must submit a notarized application with the required fee, provide official transcripts proving a master's degree from an accredited university, submit proof of passing the board-approved national exam, take and pass the Louisiana jurisprudence exam issued by the board, and complete a criminal background check (LBAB Rules Ch. 3, § 301; R.S. 37:3706). The jurisprudence exam tests the applicant's knowledge of Louisiana's specific laws and rules governing behavior-analysis practice, separate from the clinical competence already verified by the national exam, similar in function to jurisprudence requirements in a small number of other states in this guide. A SCABA applicant follows a parallel process at the bachelor's-degree level, adding proof of supervision by a Louisiana LBA on the board's required form (R.S. 37:3707). Louisiana offers no formal reciprocity for out-of-state licenses; an applicant licensed elsewhere must still meet Louisiana's full requirements, including the jurisprudence exam.

Title protection and scope

Practice of applied behavior analysis and use of the LBA, SCABA, and related titles are restricted to license or certificate holders under R.S. 37:3701 et seq. (R.S. 37:3701). As noted above, the statute expressly distinguishes the LBA credential from any other license, including psychology, meaning a Louisiana-licensed psychologist practicing behavior analysis does not automatically hold, or need to separately clarify their relationship to, the LBA title unless the board's rules provide a specific exemption.

Supervision rules

A SCABA practices under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst, and a registered line technician works directly with clients under the direction and supervision of an LBA (R.S. 37:3701(2), (5)). If a supervision relationship between an LBA and a line technician ends, both parties must notify the board in writing within ten calendar days of the termination (LBAB rules, Title 46, Professional and Occupational Standards), a specific administrative obligation that falls on both the supervisor and the technician, not just one party.

Renewal, fees, and continuing education

Under the Board's fee schedule, the LBA application fee is $400 with an annual renewal fee of $400, the SCABA application fee is $250 with an annual renewal of $250, line technician registration is $50 with a $50 annual renewal, and temporary licensure carries a $125 fee (LBAB Fee Schedule, § 305). Continuing education is tracked on a separate cycle from that annual renewal fee: licensed behavior analysts and state-certified assistant behavior analysts must complete continuing education hours within biennial reporting periods, and for the reporting period beginning July 2026 and thereafter, licensed behavior analysts are required to report 32 total continuing-education credits (LBAB Rules Ch. 8, § 37:3713). A license or certificate that lapses may be renewed within two years of the lapse upon proof of completed continuing-education requirements and payment of fees due; after two years, reinstatement requires a fee equivalent to the application fee plus the renewal fee.

Getting credentialed with payors

Licensure lets you practice; credentialing lets you bill, and Louisiana treats them separately like the other states in this guide. After licensure, a provider or practice enrolls with Louisiana Medicaid and credentials separately with commercial plans, typically via CAQH. As elsewhere, the billing entity and its ownership are disclosed during payor enrollment, connecting licensing to the entity and ownership pillars of this guide, where Louisiana's medicine-specific corporate-practice doctrine and the licensed-professional billing rule are the relevant reference points.

Louisiana-specific wrinkles

Three features stand out. First, the 2028 sunset clause is the single most consequential fact on this page: unlike a routine board sunset review that typically leads to reauthorization, a chapter that actually lapses would eliminate the state's licensing framework for behavior analysis entirely, and any practice building a multi-year Louisiana growth plan should treat the legislature's reauthorization decision as a real, trackable event, not a formality. Second, the jurisprudence exam is a genuine additional hurdle, not a formality, tested separately from the national clinical exam and required of every applicant regardless of experience elsewhere. Third, the absence of formal reciprocity means an experienced, licensed-elsewhere BCBA relocating to Louisiana faces the same jurisprudence-exam and application requirements as a first-time applicant.

How licensing connects to the rest of your compliance stack

The license is the credential the rest of the structure is built around:

• Entity and ownership. Louisiana's own board under R.S. 37:3701 governs the profession, while the state's corporate-practice doctrine is medicine-specific and its licensed-professional billing rule applies more narrowly, so ownership structuring turns on those separate questions rather than the licensing chapter itself. See the Louisiana entity page and the Louisiana ownership page.
• Medicaid and insurance. Licensure is a prerequisite to Louisiana Medicaid and commercial-plan billing; what is covered and paid is a separate question. See Medicaid and insurance mandates.
• Facility and records. Supervision-relationship documentation, including the ten-day notification rule for line technicians, carries directly into facility and HIPAA recordkeeping. See facility licensure and HIPAA.

Becoming licensed and credentialed in Louisiana: the sequence

1. Complete a master's degree and board-approved national exam. The BCBA exam is the practical route; the statute allows other board-approved equivalents.
2. Pass the Louisiana jurisprudence exam. Tests the state's own laws and rules; required of every applicant, with no reciprocity exception.
3. Complete the criminal background check. Required for LBA and SCABA applicants alike.
4. Submit the notarized application to the Board. Include official transcripts and the $400 (LBA) or $250 (SCABA) fee.
5. Credential with payors. Enroll with Louisiana Medicaid and credential with commercial plans, typically via CAQH.
6. Renew annually and track the biennial CE cycle. 32 CE credits required per reporting period beginning July 2026, tracked separately from the annual renewal fee.

Louisiana licensing variables at a glance

Frequently asked questions