Behavior Analyst Licensure in Louisiana: BCBA and State License Requirements
Louisiana regulates behavior analysts under the Behavior Analyst Practice Act, La.
R.S.
37:3701–3718 (Act 351 of 2013): a licensed behavior analyst who holds a master's degree, a state certified assistant behavior analyst who holds a bachelor's, and a state registration for line technicians working under an LBA's supervision.
The route is a board-approved nationally recognized examination plus a Louisiana jurisprudence exam; the Act names BACB conduct standards, not BCBA certification.
Both practice and the credential titles are restricted, with title enforcement beginning December 31, 2013.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Three credentials: the licensed behavior analyst, the state certified assistant behavior analyst and the registered line technician, all created by the Behavior Analyst Practice Act (Act 351 of 2013).
As created by Act 351 of 2013 (R.S.
37:3703): the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board, five behavior analysts appointed by the governor from Louisiana Behavior Analysis Association nominees and confirmed by the Senate, plus a nonvoting ex officio member appointed by the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.
Later changes to the composition are not stated in the sources read.
Not by name.
The Act text read requires a master's degree, a board-approved nationally recognized examination and a Louisiana jurisprudence examination; it names BACB conduct standards but never names BCBA certification as the route.
State certified assistant behavior analyst (SCABA): a bachelor's degree, a board-approved nationally recognized examination, the Louisiana jurisprudence examination, and practice under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst.
State registration.
A line technician is registered with the board by the supervising licensed behavior analyst; registrants must be at least eighteen with a high school diploma or its equivalent.
The enrolled acts read do not mention RBT certification.
Both.
Holding yourself out under a credential title without holding it is barred, with section 3705 enforced beginning December 31, 2013; practising behavior analysis without a credential is a misdemeanor under section 3716, subject to the section 3715 exemptions, and employing an unregistered line technician is a separate misdemeanor.
The Behavior Analyst Practice Act, La.
R.S.
37:3701–3718: Act 351 of 2013, with R.S.
37:3708 and 3715(6) amended by Act 481 of 2014.
The sources read are the enrolled acts; the current consolidated text was not read.
The Louisiana credential ladder
- Registered line technicianOther
A state registration, not a certification: an individual at least eighteen years old with a high school diploma or its equivalent who works directly with clients to implement applied behavior analysis services under the direction and supervision of a licensed behavior analyst, registered with the board by that supervising LBA and renewed annually (La.
R.S. §§ 3702(5), 3708).
- State certified assistant behavior analyst(SCABA)Other
A state certificate for a bachelor's-level practitioner who meets the Act's examination, jurisprudence, degree and background criteria and engages in the practice of behavior analysis under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst (La.
R.S. §§ 3702(2), 3707).
- Licensed behavior analyst(LBA)Independent
The licence to independently practice behavior analysis in Louisiana, issued to an applicant with a master's degree, a board-approved nationally recognized examination and the Louisiana jurisprudence examination; the Act imposes no requirement to be supervised by members of other professions (La.
R.S. §§ 3702(3), 3706).
Three credentials, and both title and practice are restricted
Louisiana issues three credentials, and section 3705 bars any person from holding himself out as a licensed behavior analyst, a state certified assistant behavior analyst, or a registered line technician without holding the matching one — a restriction the Act states is enforced beginning December 31, 2013.
Practice is restricted too: section 3716 makes it a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months' imprisonment or a $100 to $500 fine, for someone not licensed, state certified, or registered to engage in the practice of behavior analysis, and a separate misdemeanor to employ an unregistered line technician.
The section 3715 exemptions qualify the practice prohibition; they do not lift the title bar — exemptions (2), (3), (6), (7) and (9) each expressly limit how their holders may represent themselves.
The licence definition also sets status: an LBA's credential is separate and apart from any other licensed individuals, including but not limited to psychologists.
For how BACB certification and a state licence fit together, see BACB certification vs. state behavior analyst licensure.
“No person shall hold himself out as a licensed behavior analyst, a state certified assistant behavior analyst, or a registered line technician unless licensed, state certified, or registered in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter.”
The degree route: a master's from any accredited university
The full licence requires proof of a master's degree from any accredited university or other institution of higher learning — the Act text read writes no field of study, no coursework list and no accreditation narrower than 'accredited' into the degree rule.
The assistant certificate asks for the same showing at the bachelor's level.
Both applicants add proof of good moral character and a satisfactory criminal background check, which the board runs through the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information and the FBI.
What the Act does not do matters just as much: it never names BCBA certification as the qualification.
The BACB’s own degree, coursework, fieldwork and exam requirements are covered in how to become a BCBA.
“Proof that the applicant holds a master's degree from any accredited university or other institution of higher learning.”
Two exams: a national one the board approves, plus Louisiana jurisprudence
Both the licence and the assistant certificate require two examinations; the Act sets no examination for the line-technician registration.
The first is a nationally recognized examination administered by a nonprofit accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, the American National Standards Institute, or a substantial equivalent, in a version the board approves.
The second is Louisiana's own jurisprudence examination covering the laws and rules governing the practice of behavior analysis in the state.
Act 481 of 2014 requires of a line technician the age and diploma criteria, registration and annual renewal by the supervising licensed behavior analyst, and a criminal background report.
The Act names no examination by trademark; whether the board currently approves the BACB examination under that first description, and whether its rules under section 3704(A)(3) add line-technician standards, are rules questions the sources read do not answer, so confirm with the board before you apply.
The fee schedule caps the jurisprudence examination at $75.
“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”
Independence at the top; supervision built into the tiers below
Independence is the licence's defining feature: the definition licenses an LBA to independently practice behavior analysis in Louisiana, and section 3706(C) adds that no one practising under the chapter may be required to be supervised by members of other professions.
Below the licence, supervision is structural.
The assistant certificate exists to practise behavior analysis under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst, and a line technician works directly with clients under an LBA's direction and supervision, with the supervising LBA registering the technician with the board.
An unlicensed person pursuing experiential training in behavior analysis consistent with the licensure requirements and standards the board requires is exempt, provided that experience is supervised by a licensed behavior analyst.
“There shall be no requirement for individuals practicing under this Chapter to be supervised by members of other professions.”
What the practice covers — and the line it does not cross
The chapter's subject is applied behavior analysis: the design, implementation and evaluation of systematic instructional and environmental modifications to produce socially significant improvements in behavior.
The definition then draws a hard outer line, expressly excluding psychological testing, neuropsychology, cognitive therapy, diagnosis of psychiatric conditions, psychotherapy, sex therapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, and mental health counseling or academic teaching by college or university staff.
Other human service professionals licensed, certified or registered by Louisiana keep practising within the scope of their profession and training, and licensed psychologists — plus individuals acting under their extended authority and direction — are exempt when services fall within the psychologist's education, training and expertise.
The Act still declares its standards separate and unique from psychology's, and bars psychologists and those acting under their direction from representing themselves as behavior analysts without being duly licensed or state certified.
“An individual licensed to practice psychology within the state, so long as the applied behavior analysis services provided by the licensed psychologist are within the licensed psychologist's education, training and expertise.”
Moving to Louisiana: reciprocity is a rule the board was told to write
The Act sets no reciprocity route itself.
It directs the board to promulgate rules governing reciprocity of LBA licensure and SCABA certification, conditioned on the standards under which the applicant was licensed or certified elsewhere being at least as stringent as Louisiana's.
It also contemplates temporary licensure rules and an emergency temporary license in a declared public health emergency, with the fee schedule capping temporary licensure at $125.
The board's reciprocity rules were not among the sources read, so a behavior analyst licensed in another state should ask the board what it currently requires rather than assume any credential carries over.
Annual renewal, with continuing education the board defines
Licences and state certificates renew annually and lapse unless renewed; renewal requires documentation of completed continuing education.
The Act fixes no hour total — it requires each LBA and each SCABA to complete annually a minimum number of hours established by the board, which also develops and approves the coursework — so the current hour count lives in board rules that were not among the sources read.
Line technician registrations renew annually as well, filed by the supervising licensed behavior analyst.
The fee schedule caps renewal at $400 for the licence, $250 for the certificate and $50 for the registration.
The 2014 amendment, the sunset clause, and the gap in the sources
The newest amendment in the sources read is Act 481 of 2014, which rewrote the line-technician section: it added the age-eighteen and high-school-diploma criteria, let the board deny or revoke a registration in the best interest of public safety and welfare, and reworded the student-intern exemption.
Nothing from 2023 to 2026 appears in the sources read.
The 2013 act as enrolled also contains a termination clause ending the chapter on July 1, 2018, while the board's own site, retrieved September 2026, shows the board in operation with its laws, rules and application pages posted; the current consolidated text after 2014 was not read, so the later amendments that extended or removed that sunset are not stated in the sources read.
Confirm current fees, forms and rules with the board.
“A line technician shall be registered by his supervising licensed behavior analyst with the board.”
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page summarizes the Louisiana statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above, as read for this state-by-state behavior analyst licensure series, current as of September 2026.
It does not list application forms, fees beyond those cited above, or processing times, and it is not a substitute for the instructions the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board publishes.
Hour totals, exams and supervision rules change by statute and by board rule; for how BACB certification and a state licence fit together, see BACB certification vs. state behavior analyst licensure.
Confirm every requirement with the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board before you count hours, register for an exam or apply — and before you take one of the board certified behavior analyst jobs in Louisiana that asks for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Louisiana credential to practise applied behavior analysis?
Generally yes, unless a section 3715 exemption applies.
Section 3705 has barred holding yourself out as a licensed behavior analyst, a state certified assistant behavior analyst, or a registered line technician without the credential since December 31, 2013, and section 3716(A)(2) makes practice by someone not licensed, state certified, or registered a misdemeanor carrying up to six months or a $100 to $500 fine.
BCBA certification is not named as a substitute in the Act text read.
Check your role against the exemptions — including other Louisiana-credentialed professionals, psychologists and those acting under their direction, family members, students and supervised trainees — or ask the board.
Does Louisiana require BCBA certification?
Not by name.
The Act text read requires a master's degree, a board-approved nationally recognized examination, the Louisiana jurisprudence examination, good moral character and a background check.
It does cite the BACB, but only for conduct: applicants must show they follow the BACB's Guidelines for Responsible Conduct and Professional Disciplinary and Ethical Standards or another approved body's standards.
Whether the board approves the BACB exam under section 3706(A)(5)'s description is a rules question the sources read do not answer, so confirm with the board.
Do line technicians have to be RBTs?
The enrolled acts read never mention RBT certification.
What section 3708 requires is state registration by the supervising licensed behavior analyst: an applicant at least eighteen years old with a high school diploma or its equivalent, a criminal background report initiated within fourteen days of the application, and annual renewal the supervising LBA files.
Employers and payers may set their own requirements, but the state layer is the registration itself, not any private certification.
I am a licensed psychologist. Do I need the LBA to provide ABA?
No, as long as you stay within section 3715(9): applied behavior analysis services within your education, training and expertise, and the same for individuals acting under your extended authority and direction.
The exemption carries a title condition — psychologists and those acting under their direction may not represent themselves as behavior analysts, licensed behavior analysts, assistant behavior analysts or state certified assistant behavior analysts without being duly licensed or state certified.
The chapter's standards are also declared separate and unique from psychology's.
How often does a Louisiana behavior analyst licence renew?
Annually.
A licence or state certificate is subject to annual renewal and expires if not renewed, and renewal requires documentation of continuing education.
The Act leaves the hour minimum to the board, and the board's rules were not among the sources read, so get the current number from the board before your renewal date.
The fee schedule caps renewal at $400 for the licence, $250 for the certificate and $50 for the registration; line technician registrations renew annually through the supervising LBA.
More Louisiana & Board Certified Behavior Analyst Resources
Sources
- Behavior Analyst Practice Act, La. R.S. 37:3701–3718 (Act 351 of 2013, SB 134), as posted by the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Act 481 of 2014 (SB 71), amending La. R.S. 37:3708 and 3715(6), as posted by the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board (retrieved 2026-09-24)
Sourced from the statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above.
Verified September 2026.
This is career information, not legal or clinical advice — confirm current rules with the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board.