District of Columbia licenses independent clinical counselors as the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), through the DC Board of Professional Counseling (DC Health). District of Columbia has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what District of Columbia asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
District of Columbia LPC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in District of Columbia is the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCE. Applicants who already passed another U.S. counselor board's exam, the CRC exam or the clinical mental health exam now run by NBCC do not have to take the NCE.
3,500 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the LGPC (Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor).
Licensed elsewhere: Endorsement changed under the Health Occupations Revision General Amendment Act of 2024. With five years of independent-level practice you can submit an attestation and resume instead of supervision forms; with three years of independent licensure you can submit your NCC credential; everyone else follows the full endorsement checklist.
How Much Does a District of Columbia LPC License Cost?
We have not published a District of Columbia figure yet
We have not verified DC Board of Professional Counseling (DC Health)'s current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the District of Columbia application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere District of Columbia Applications Get Delayed
At 3,500 hours, District of Columbia asks for more supervised experience than most states. Counselors licensed elsewhere on 3,000 hours should check whether endorsement waives the difference before assuming it does.
The 3,500 supervised hours must fall within two to five years and include 200 hours of immediate supervision, 100 of them under a licensed professional counselor.
The endorsement application and license fee is $230.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your District of Columbia LPC License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
The Counseling Compact and District of Columbia
District of Columbia has enacted the Counseling Compact (December 17, 2024), but it is not issuing or accepting privileges yet. Each member state has to finish its own setup, including FBI fingerprint authority, before it goes live. Until it does, practicing in District of Columbia takes a full District of Columbia license, and holding a District of Columbia license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in District of Columbia
District of Columbia credentials addiction counselors as Addiction Counselor I and Certified Addiction Counselor II, through the DC Board of Professional Counseling (DC Health). That credential is separate from the LPC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. The counseling board also credentials Addiction Counselor I and Certified Addiction Counselor II. The DC Addiction Professionals Consortium issues IC&RC credentials.
Keeping it current
District of Columbia renews the LPC every 2 years. Credentials issued on or after 2024-06-16 expire on the last day of the holder's birth month. Renewals include 2 hours of LGBTQ cultural competency and 10% of CE on public health priorities. If you hold licenses in several states, each runs its own calendar and its own CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
District of Columbia LPC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in District of Columbia?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for District of Columbia?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in District of Columbia?
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Which exam does District of Columbia accept?
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Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- board, titles, birth-month renewal, CE content — checked 2026-10-08
- endorsement routes, $230 fee — checked 2026-10-08
- 17 DCMR 6601 term, 6603 hours, 6605 exam — checked 2026-10-08
- member, not live, no jurisprudence exam — checked 2026-10-08
- B25-0287 became law — checked 2026-10-08
- D.C. Law 25-238 effective 2024-12-17 (via search result) — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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