Maryland licenses independent clinical counselors as the LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor), through the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists. Maryland has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what Maryland asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Maryland LCPC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Maryland is the LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor).
Exams named for licensure: NCE. The board lists the NCE for both the LGPC and the LCPC. Applicants also pass the Maryland Law Assessment, taken through CCE.
3,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Those hours are completed under the associate credential, the LGPC (Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor).
Maryland requires a state law or jurisprudence exam.
Licensed elsewhere: Out-of-state LCPCs in good standing with no discipline can be licensed after passing a board-approved national exam and the Maryland law exam. If your education or experience differs, the board can accept substitutes, such as three years and 3,000 hours of clinical experience with a 60-credit master's, or three years as a licensed LCPC with a shorter degree.
How Much Does a Maryland LCPC License Cost?
We have not published a Maryland figure yet
We have not verified Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists
We handle the Maryland 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 Maryland Applications Get Delayed
A master's-level LCPC needs three years and 3,000 hours, at least 1,500 direct and at least 2,000 earned as an LGPC under a board-approved supervisor, plus 100 hours of face-to-face supervision.
Since 2026-07-01 all applications go through the board's online system; the board quotes 30 to 45 business days for a complete application.
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 Maryland LCPC License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Maryland
Maryland has enacted the Counseling Compact (May 18, 2021), 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 Maryland takes a full Maryland license, and holding a Maryland license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in Maryland
Maryland credentials addiction counselors as Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Licensed Graduate Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Certified Supervised Counselor-Alcohol and Drug and Certified Associate Counselor-Alcohol and Drug, through the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists. That credential is separate from the LCPC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. The same board licenses and certifies alcohol and drug counselors (COMAR 10.58.07); the licensed level uses the MAC exam.
Keeping it current
Maryland renews the LCPC every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. At least 30 of the 40 hours must be Category A. 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.
Maryland LCPC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Maryland?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for Maryland?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Maryland?
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Which exam does Maryland 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.
- LCPC hours — checked 2026-10-08
- out-of-state applicants, law exam — checked 2026-10-08
- 40 CEUs per renewal period — checked 2026-10-08
- waiver for out-of-state LCPCs — checked 2026-10-08
- NCE; MAC for alcohol and drug counselors — checked 2026-10-08
- Maryland Law Assessment, online portal, processing time — checked 2026-10-08
- member, not live, jurisprudence required — checked 2026-10-08
- enacted (SB 571/HB 736, signed May 18, 2021) — 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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