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STATE LICENSURE

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  • STATE LICENSURE
  • Requests that exam results be sent to a state board must be in writing and emailed to cdrexams@eatright.org.  
  • Please note - The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) and state licensure boards are separate entities. Questions related to licensure must be directed to the practitioners' specific state licensure board or state agency.
  • For information related to Telehealth, please review the information found at www.cdrnet.org/telehealth. 
  • Explore the nuances between the CDR certification and state licensure with the Practice Tips: CDR Certification vs State Licensure: What is the Difference?

Terminology

  • Medical nutrition therapy (MNT): is a medical treatment. Like other medical treatments provided by non-physician practitioners, RDs or RDNs generally can practice MNT because of licensure and certification laws which provide authority for RDs or RDNs to provide this medical service. It is with this understanding CDR strongly recommends, unless there is an applicable exception or exemption or a state does not provide for licensure or certification requirements, practitioners hold licensure or certification in all states where the practitioner’s clients or patients are located when services are provided.
  • Practice Exclusivity: state statutes/regulations specify that only licensed practitioners may provide medical nutrition therapy (MNT) and/or other nutrition services and use specific titles (titles vary by state).
  • Licensure/Certification of Titles: state statutes/regulations specify that only licensed practitioners may use specific titles (titles vary by state), but do not specify in the practice act who can provide MNT and/or other nutrition services. Some states that regulate the use of titles only may provide a state certification that individuals can use in place of a license for situations when a state license is required for employment and/or for insurance reimbursement.
  • Title Protection: the state restricts the use of specific titles to certain credentialed professionals, but no licensing board/agency exists, and the state has no practice act regulating the practice of dietetics.

 

Licensure Statutes And Board Info by State

 

Alabama

  • Practice Exclusivity: Yes
  • Titles Protected: dietitian/nutritionist, dietitian, dietician, registered dietitian, registered dietician, nutritionist, D, RD, LD, LN
  • Board/Agency Website
  • Statute
  • Regulation

 

Alaska

  • Practice Exclusivity: No
  • Titles Protected: dietitian, licensed dietitian, nutritionist, licensed nutritionist, or an occupational title using the word dietitian or nutritionist
  • Board/Agency Website
  • Statute
  • Regulation

 

Arizona

  • Practice Exclusivity: No
  • Titles Protected: N/A
  • Board/Agency Website: N/A
  • Statute: N/A
  • Regulation: N/A

 

Arkansas

 

California

  • Practice Exclusivity: No
  • Titles Protected: dietitian, dietician, registered dietitian, registered dietician, registered dietitian nutritionist, RD, RDN
  • Board/Agency Website: N/A
  • Statute
  • Regulation: N/A

 

Colorado

  • Practice Exclusivity: No
  • Titles Protected: dietitian, dietician, certified dietitian, certified dietician, CD, D
  • Board/Agency Website - N/A
  • Statute
  • Regulation: N/A

 

Connecticut

  • Practice Exclusivity: No
  • Titles Protected: Connecticut certified dietitian-nutritionist, Connecticut certified dietitian, Connecticut certified nutritionist, CD-N, CD, CN
  • Board/Agency Website
  • Statute
  • Regulation: N/A

 

Delaware

 

District of Columbia

 

Florida

  • Practice Exclusivity: Yes
  • Titles Protected: dietitian, licensed dietitian, nutritionist, licensed nutritionist, nutrition counselor, licensed nutrition counselor
  • Board/Agency Website
  • Statute
  • Regulation

 

Georgia

 

Hawaii

 

Idaho

  • Practice Exclusivity: No
  • Titles Protected: dietitian, licensed dietitian (LD), registered dietitian (RD), registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), or any other combination of terms that include the title dietitian
  • Board/Agency Website
  • Statute
  • Regulation

 

Illinois

 

Indiana

 

Iowa

 

Kansas

 

Kentucky

 

Louisiana

 

Maine

 

Maryland

  • Practice Exclusivity: Yes
  • Titles Protected: licensed dietitian-nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, LDN, dietitian, licensed dietitian, D, LD, nutritionist, licensed nutritionist, LN
  • Board/Agency Website
  • Statute
  • Regulation
    Enter 10.56.01.01 in the search box. For subsequent entries, change the last two digits to ".02," ".03," etc.

 

Massachusetts

 

Michigan

  • Practice Exclusivity: No
  • Titles Protected: N/A
  • Board/Agency Website: N/A
  • Statute: N/A
  • Regulation: N/A

 

Minnesota

  • Practice Exclusivity: Yes
  • Titles Protected: dietitian, licensed dietitian, nutritionist, licensed nutritionist, or any occupational title using the word "dietitian" or "nutritionist;" except that any RDN can use the title and RD
  • Board/Agency Website
  • Statute
  • Regulation

 

Mississippi

 

Missouri

 

Montana

 

Nebraska

 

Nevada

 

New Hampshire

 

New Jersey

  • Practice Exclusivity: Yes (law passed January 13, 2020, but enforcement of requirement to have a license to practice (scheduled to start January 13, 2021) has been delayed until Board formally approved and regulations adopted; all other provisions are in effect).
  • Titles Protected: dietitian nutritionist, nutritionist, dietitian, dietician, nutrition counselor, nutrition specialist, LDN, LD, LN, nutritional therapy practitioner, nutritional therapy consultant, certified nutrition therapy practitioner, master nutrition therapist, licensed dietitian nutritionist, licensed nutritionist or any other designation or title indicating qualification to provide medical nutrition therapy
  • Board/Agency Website
  • Statute: Enter '45:16B-1' in the search box at the top left. The desired link should be in the first few search results. To see additional parts of the statute, click 'Next Doc' directly above the main display window.
  • Regulation: N/A

 

New Mexico

 

New York

 

North Carolina

 

North Dakota

  • Practice Exclusivity: Yes
  • Titles Protected: dietitian, registered dietitian, licensed dietitian, licensed registered dietitian, RD, LD, LRD, LN licensed nutritionist
  • Board/Agency Website
  • Statute
  • Regulation

 

Ohio

 

Oklahoma

 

Oregon

 

Pennsylvania

 

Rhode Island

 

South Carolina

 

South Dakota

 

Tennessee

 

Texas

 

Utah

 

Vermont

 

Virginia

  • Practice Exclusivity: No
  • Titles Protected: dietitian, nutritionist, alone or in any combination with licensed, certified, or registered
  • Board/Agency Website: N/A
  • Statute
  • Regulation: N/A

 

Washington

 

West Virginia

 

Wisconsin

  • Practice Exclusivity: No
  • Titles Protected: dietitian, certified dietitian, registered dietitian, any representation that person is certified or licensed as a dietitian
  • Board/Agency Website
  • Statute
  • Regulation

 

Wyoming

 

Disclaimer: This list is an interpretation of state statutes and regulations. It does not nor is it intended to constitute legal advice or career advice. All information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only and may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. The ultimate authority to interpret each state's requirements is the licensing board or agency of that state. This website contains links to third-party websites for the convenience of the reader, user or browser; the Commission on Dietetic Registration does not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites, nor does the information on third-party sites constitute a legally binding interpretation of state policy.

 

 

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