Behavior Analyst Licensure in Missouri: BCBA and State License Requirements
Missouri licenses behavior analysts under RSMo §§ 337.300–337.347, with the state committee of psychologists deciding on its Behavior Analyst Advisory Board's recommendation.
BACB certification is the route: the licensed behavior analyst credential goes to a current BCBA, the licensed assistant behavior analyst credential to a supervised BCaBA, and provisional and temporary licences bridge the gaps.
Both practice and the licensed titles are restricted.
The statute creates no technician registration, and its practice list does not name RBTs.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Two standing licences — licensed behavior analyst and licensed assistant behavior analyst — plus provisional (PLBA/PLABA) and temporary (TLBA/TLaBA) licences, created by L.
2010 H.B.
1311 & 1341, with amendments effective through August 28, 2020.
The state committee of psychologists within the Missouri Division of Professional Registration, acting on the recommendation of its seven-member Behavior Analyst Advisory Board; final decisions need the board's recommendation plus committee majority vote (§ 337.310.3).
Yes.
Each LBA applicant must have passed an examination and been certified as a board-certified behavior analyst by a certifying entity — the BACB or an equivalent approved body — and show active status (§§ 337.300(3); 337.315.2(5)–(6)).
Licensed assistant behavior analyst: the parallel BCaBA examination, certification, and active status, plus documentation of direct supervision by a licensed behavior analyst, which continues after licensure (§§ 337.315.3(5)–(8); 337.315.10).
No state registration.
RSMo §§ 337.300–337.347 contain no technician registration or licence, and the § 337.315.7 practice list does not name technicians or RBTs; the sources read do not establish their legal status.
Both. § 337.315.7 bars practising applied behavior analysis outside its listed groups, and § 337.315.6 bars holding oneself out under any of the six licensed titles without meeting the requirements.
RSMo §§ 337.300–337.347 (L.
2010 H.B.
1311 & 1341; A.L.
2012 H.B.
1563; A.L.
2018 H.B.
1719; A.L.
2020 H.B.
2046), Missouri Revisor of Statutes.
The Missouri credential ladder
- Supervised field experience (no licence)Other
Not a credential: RSMo § 337.315.7(3) lets an individual with a bachelor's or graduate degree who has completed the course work for licensure as a behavior analyst practise applied behavior analysis while obtaining supervised field experience under a licensed behavior analyst, as the on-ramp toward a licence.
- Provisionally licensed behavior analyst / provisionally licensed assistant behavior analyst (PLBA / PLABA)Pre-licensure
A pre-certification licence under § 337.315.5: the applicant must satisfy the § 337.315.2 or § 337.315.3 application package with only the examination and certification waived, and may render behavior analysis only under the supervision and the full professional responsibility and control of their licensed supervisor.
It ends at the permanent licence, a discipline finding, loss of supervision, or one year; renewal carries a maximum issuance of two years, with committee-rule exception and variance procedures available on a showing of good cause.
- Temporary licensed behavior analyst / temporary licensed assistant behavior analyst (TLBA / TLaBA)Other
A 90-day bridge for licensees of another state under § 337.315.4: complete application, fee, and a showing of valid licensure as a behavior analyst or assistant behavior analyst elsewhere, conditional on submitted fingerprints and no disqualifying criminal history on the family care safety registry.
It expires no later than ninety days from issuance, with one ninety-day extension on written request.
- Licensed assistant behavior analyst (LaBA)Other
The assistant licence under § 337.315.3: certification as a board-certified assistant behavior analyst by the certifying entity with active status, plus documentation that the applicant will be directly supervised by a licensed behavior analyst — a supervision duty that continues after licensure (§ 337.315.10).
- Licensed behavior analyst (LBA)Independent
The full licence under § 337.315.2: an examination passed and certification as a board-certified behavior analyst by the certifying entity with active status, plus the application package — suicide-training statement, fees, photograph, fingerprints, and out-of-state licensure statements.
Six titles, and both practice and title are restricted
Missouri's chapter creates six protected titles: licensed behavior analyst (LBA), licensed assistant behavior analyst (LaBA), provisionally licensed behavior analyst (PLBA), provisionally licensed assistant behavior analyst (PLABA), temporary licensed behavior analyst (TLBA), and temporary licensed assistant behavior analyst (TLaBA).
The protection cuts two ways.
Section 337.315.7 bars anyone outside its list from practising applied behavior analysis, and section 337.315.6 bars holding yourself out under any of the six titles without meeting the requirements — so an unlicensed BCBA should not be advertised under an LBA title.
A violation is punishable by probation, suspension, or loss of any licence held (§ 337.315.12), and unlicensed practice is a class A misdemeanor with fees refundable (§ 337.335).
For how BACB certification and a state licence fit together, see BACB certification vs. state behavior analyst licensure.
“No person shall hold himself or herself out to be licensed behavior analysts or LBA, provisionally licensed behavior analyst or PLBA, provisionally licensed assistant behavior analyst or PLABA, temporary licensed behavior analyst or TLBA, or temporary licensed assistant behavior analyst or TLaBA, licensed assistant behavior analysts or LaBA in the state of Missouri unless they meet the applicable requirements.”
The route is BACB certification, not a Missouri degree rule
Missouri writes no degree or coursework rule of its own in the statute.
The gate is certification: an LBA applicant must have passed an examination and been certified as a board-certified behavior analyst and show active status (§ 337.315.2(5)–(6)), and the certifying entity is the BACB or an equivalent nationally accredited body the committee approves.
The committee may set educational and training requirements by rule (§ 337.310.2(3)); the rules were not read, so any Missouri-specific education rule is not stated in the sources read.
What the LBA application (§ 337.315.2) adds is mechanics: the two-hour suicide-training statement, fees, a photograph taken no more than six months before applying, two sets of fingerprints — one for the Missouri state highway patrol, one forwarded to the FBI — and, for an applicant licensed in another state, statements from every issuing state verifying licensure and any discipline.
The BACB’s own degree, coursework, fieldwork and exam requirements are covered in how to become a BCBA.
“the nationally accredited Behavior Analyst Certification Board, or other equivalent nationally accredited nongovernmental agency approved by the committee which certifies individuals who have completed academic, examination, training, and supervision requirements in applied behavior analysis”
The certifying entity's exam is the licensing exam
The statute never names its own exam.
For the full licence the requirement is to have passed an examination and been certified by the certifying entity — in practice the BCBA exam (§ 337.315.2(5)); the assistant licence takes the parallel BCaBA route (§ 337.315.3(5)).
Provisional applicants are the exception: § 337.315.5(1) says they need not have passed an examination and been certified as a board-certified behavior analyst or board-certified assistant behavior analyst.
Whether the committee's rules add a Missouri-specific jurisprudence or other exam is not stated in the sources read, because the rules were not read — check the application instructions before you file.
Supervision is the spine: assistants, provisional licensees, fieldwork
Supervision is the spine of the Missouri chapter.
A licensed assistant behavior analyst must be directly supervised by a licensed behavior analyst, both as an application condition (§ 337.315.3(8)) and as an ongoing rule — so if you are weighing LaBA job offers, the supervisor relationship is a legal requirement, not an employment preference.
Provisional licensees may render behavior analysis only under the supervision and the full professional responsibility and control of their licensed supervisor (§ 337.315.5(2)), and the fieldwork path in § 337.315.7(3) likewise runs through supervised field experience under a licensed behavior analyst.
For billing under § 376.1224, § 337.347 requires services provided by a provisionally licensed assistant behavior analyst, a provisionally licensed behavior analyst, or a temporary licensed behavior analyst — the temporary licensed assistant is not named — to be billed by the supervising licensed behavior analyst.
The characteristics of supervision and the supervised clinical practicum are committee-rule matters (§ 337.310.2(5)–(6)); the rules were not read.
“Licensed assistant behavior analysts shall work under the direct supervision of a licensed behavior analyst as established by committee rule.”
What applied behavior analysis covers — and who may practise without a licence
Section 337.300(1) defines applied behavior analysis as the design, implementation, and evaluation of environmental modifications to produce socially significant improvement in human behavior, and draws the outer line: it does not include cognitive therapies, psychological testing, personality assessment, intellectual assessment, neuropsychological assessment, psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, sex therapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, family therapy, or long-term counseling as treatment modalities.
The definition of practice (§ 337.300(8)) reaches treatment programs and consultation.
The § 337.315.7 list admits licensed behavior analysts; supervised assistants; degree-holders with the coursework obtaining supervised field experience; licensed psychologists practising within Missouri's rules and standards for psychologists; and provisional and temporary licensees; it does not name technicians or RBTs. § 337.315.8 lets any licensed or certified professional practise ABA components within their scope and ethical guidelines; written as an exception to subsection 6 (title protection), it does not mention the subsection 7 practice list, so how the two interact is not stated in the statute.
IDEA/Section 504 providers and supervised students are exempt (§ 337.315.11), and all six licensees must stay within demonstrated areas of competence (§ 337.325).
“Notwithstanding the provisions in subsection 6 of this section, any licensed or certified professional may practice components of applied behavior analysis, as defined in section 337.300 if he or she is acting within his or her applicable scope of practice and ethical guidelines.”
Moving to Missouri: the 90-day temporary licence
Missouri has no standalone reciprocity section in the saved statute; what it offers out-of-state licensees is a bridge and a paper trail.
The bridge is the temporary licence (§ 337.315.4): a complete application, the fee, and a showing of valid licensure as a behavior analyst or assistant behavior analyst in another state, conditional on submitted fingerprints and no disqualifying criminal history on the family care safety registry.
It expires when the licence issues or the application is denied — no later than ninety days from issuance — with one ninety-day extension on written request.
The paper trail: a full applicant licensed in another state must include a statement from all issuing states verifying licensure and identifying any discipline (§§ 337.315.2(7); 337.315.3(7)).
“The temporary license shall expire upon issuance of a license or denial of the application but no later than ninety days from issuance of the temporary license.”
Renewal keeps the licence tied to active certification
Renewal keeps the licence tied to your certification.
Each renewal application needs the two-hour suicide-training statement again, the fees, and proof of active certification with fulfillment of all renewal and recertification requirements of the certifying entity (§ 337.320.2) — so a lapsed BACB certification is a licensing problem in Missouri, not just a professional one.
Failure to provide the required documentation revokes the licence sixty days after the renewal date (§ 337.320.3).
Within two years you may restore it with an application, the renewal fee plus a delinquency fee, and proof of current certification (§ 337.320.4).
Licensees leaving practice can switch to an inactive licence, which carries no continuing-education requirement (§ 337.320.7).
The renewal cycle and any state CE-hour rule are committee-rule matters and are not stated in the sources read.
“Submit proof of active certification and fulfillment of all requirements for renewal and recertification with the certifying entity.”
What changed through 2020
The chapter was enacted in 2010 (L.
2010 H.B.
1311 & 1341).
H.B.
1563 (2012) reworked it: the saved text shows the definitions and board sections effective August 28, 2012, section 337.345 repealed, and the billing provision at § 337.347 added.
H.B.
1719's amendments to the licensure and renewal sections took effect August 28, 2018 — the saved text places the two-hour suicide-training statement in both the initial LBA application (§ 337.315.2(1)) and every renewal, for both licence levels (§ 337.320.2(1)), and the research table dates that requirement to H.B.
1719.
Section 337.347 was also amended by A.L.
2018 S.B.
975 & 1024 Revision.
Finally, A.L.
2020 H.B.
2046 amended § 337.330, effective August 28, 2020; what that amendment changed beyond the history note is not stated in the sources read.
The advisory board, and who makes the final call
Day-to-day authority is split.
A seven-member Behavior Analyst Advisory Board — three licensed behavior analysts, one licensed behavior analyst holding a doctoral degree, one licensed assistant behavior analyst, one professional member of the committee, and one public member — reviews applications and complaints, recommends rules on fees, education and training, supervision, continuing education, and a code of conduct, and must meet at least quarterly (§§ 337.305; 337.310).
The committee of psychologists holds the decision: final decisions on licensing, rules, complaint resolution, and approval of certifying entities require the board's recommendation plus majority vote (§ 337.310.3).
The code of conduct the committee adopts binds both LBAs and LaBAs (§ 337.315.9).
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page summarizes the Missouri 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 State Committee of Psychologists with the Behavior Analyst Advisory Board (Missouri Division of Professional Registration) 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 State Committee of Psychologists with the Behavior Analyst Advisory Board (Missouri Division of Professional Registration) before you count hours, register for an exam or apply — and before you take one of the board certified behavior analyst jobs in Missouri that asks for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm a BCBA licensed in another state. Can I practise in Missouri while my application is pending?
Not automatically.
Section 337.315.7 bars practising applied behavior analysis unless you hold one of the listed credentials, and BCBA certification alone is not among them.
If you hold a behavior analyst or assistant behavior analyst licence in another state, you can request a temporary licence under § 337.315.4: it expires no later than ninety days after issuance, with one ninety-day extension on written request.
Your full application must include a statement from every state that has licensed you, identifying any discipline (§ 337.315.2(7)).
Do RBTs or behavior technicians need a Missouri registration?
No registration exists.
RSMo §§ 337.300 to 337.347 contain no technician registration or licence, and the practice list in § 337.315.7 — the statute's list of who may practise applied behavior analysis — does not name technicians or RBTs.
Because the practice list does not name them, the sources read do not establish what unlicensed RBTs may lawfully do; the committee's rules were not read.
Contact the Missouri Division of Professional Registration before relying on any technician role.
How do supervised fieldwork hours work under Missouri law?
Section 337.315.7(3) lets you practise ABA while accruing supervised field experience if you hold a bachelor's or graduate degree, completed the licensure coursework, and work under a licensed behavior analyst.
The statute states no hour count — fieldwork standards sit with the certifying entity, and the committee's supervision rules were not read.
A provisional licence (§ 337.315.5) is a separate route: it requires the ordinary application package with only the examination and certification waived, under the licensed supervisor's full professional responsibility and control — one year, renewable to a maximum of two, with committee-rule variance procedures on good cause.
What is Missouri's suicide-prevention training requirement?
Every initial licensed-behavior-analyst application must include a statement that the applicant has completed two hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training (§ 337.315.2(1)), and every renewal application — for both licence levels — must repeat that statement (§ 337.320.2(1)).
The research file dates the requirement to H.B.
1719, whose amendments to §§ 337.315 and 337.320 took effect August 28, 2018.
The statute requires the statement on the application form; it does not describe an approved-course list.
What happens if I miss my Missouri license renewal?
Failure to provide the renewal documentation — including proof of active certification — revokes the licence after sixty days from the renewal date (§ 337.320.3).
Within two years of the renewal date you can restore it by application, payment of the renewal fee and a delinquency fee, and proof of current certification (§ 337.320.4).
Licensees who stop practising can instead hold an inactive licence, which does not require continuing-education evidence (§ 337.320.7), and reactivate later with proof of current certification (§ 337.320.8).
More Missouri & Board Certified Behavior Analyst Resources
Sources
- Missouri Revised Statutes §§ 337.300–337.347, Missouri Revisor of Statutes (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Missouri Division of Professional Registration, Behavior Analysts (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 State Committee of Psychologists with the Behavior Analyst Advisory Board (Missouri Division of Professional Registration).