Louisiana has issued ASLP Compact privileges since October 28, 2025, for $50 plus the $50 Commission fee, with no jurisprudence exam. A Louisiana license is available by reciprocity if your state's requirements were substantially equal and it reciprocates, and the board may waive the exam for CCC holders. Licenses renew yearly with 10 CE hours.
Louisiana licenses speech-language pathologists, audiologists and speech-language pathology assistants through the Louisiana Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, LBESPA. The law is the Louisiana Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act, Title 37, Chapter 34 of the Revised Statutes, last revised July 1, 2025. Louisiana adopted the ASLP Compact at R.S. 37:2678.1.
Louisiana and West Virginia were the first two states to issue compact privileges, on October 28, 2025. Ohio followed in February 2026 and Tennessee in May 2026. Those four are the only issuing states as of October 2026.
How does a Louisiana compact privilege work?
A clinician whose home state is West Virginia, Ohio or Tennessee, and who meets the compact's eligibility rules, can buy a privilege to practice in Louisiana. The cost is Louisiana's $50 state fee plus the Commission's $50 fee, $100 in total. Louisiana does not require a jurisprudence exam for a privilege, which makes it one of the simpler states to add.
LBESPA's compact notice spells out who is not eligible: anyone who has not completed a criminal background check, and anyone whose license is encumbered, which it defines as requiring supervision or having had discipline within the last two years. That second line is why clinical fellows and provisional licensees cannot use the compact; their licenses require supervision. SLPAs are not eligible either.
The Commission's FY26 annual report counts 8 privileges purchased for Louisiana in the year ending June 2026, 5 for SLPs and 3 for audiologists.
Can a Louisiana SLP use the compact elsewhere?
Yes. A clinician who lives in Louisiana and holds a full, valid, unencumbered Louisiana license can buy privileges in West Virginia, Ohio and Tennessee. West Virginia and Tennessee each require a jurisprudence exam before you apply. The privilege lasts only as long as your Louisiana license and goes "Inactive" at its printed expiration date, even if Louisiana gives you a grace period. You apply, attest and pay in CompactConnect yourself. See what an ASLP Compact privilege costs.
What does a Louisiana SLP license require?
Under R.S. 37:2659(B), an SLP applicant must:
- be of good moral character;
- hold a master's degree or equivalent in speech-language pathology from an accredited program, with board-approved coursework shown on an official transcript;
- complete supervised clinical practicum through an accredited program;
- pass a board-approved exam; and
- show at least 36 weeks of full-time supervised postgraduate professional employment, or the part-time equivalent, after the degree and practicum.
Audiologists need a doctoral degree or equivalent in audiology, a supervised practicum and a passed exam under 2659(A). A state and federal criminal background check through the Louisiana State Police is required. LBESPA has said a report generated for another agency cannot be used, and that a background check is good for 90 days from the date the board receives it.
LBESPA's application page has listed its ETS recipient code as R7331. See sending your Praxis score to a new board.
How does reciprocity work in Louisiana?
R.S. 37:2660 gives the board discretion to license an SLP, audiologist or SLPA from another state without examination, but only if all three conditions hold:
- the other state's requirements were substantially equal to Louisiana's at the date you were licensed;
- the other state grants a similar privilege of licensure without examination to Louisiana licensees; and
- for SLPs and audiologists, the other state required an exam for licensure.
The same section lets the board allow a reciprocity applicant to practice until a license is issued or the application is denied, once you have documented a current, unsuspended, unrevoked license. It also lets the board waive the exam and clinical practicum documentation for holders of ASHA's CCC, and waive practicum requirements for American Board of Audiology certificants who passed the national exam.
LBESPA's application information page has described a 60-day grace period to work once the board acknowledges receipt of every application document, with applications processed within three to four weeks after everything is received. The grace period does not start until the background check is in. Our post on SLP license by endorsement compares Louisiana's reciprocity rules with other states.
Which verifications does LBESPA accept?
A verification of licensure for every state where you hold or have held an SLP or audiology license, sent by the other board. The board has said documentation from another board's website or a copy of your license card is not acceptable. Transcripts must be official, sent electronically or in a sealed envelope. If you hold the CCC, a copy of your ASHA card or a verification letter is part of the file.
Does Louisiana license clinical fellows?
R.S. 37:2659(D) creates a provisional SLP license for someone who meets every requirement except the supervised postgraduate experience; it can be held for no more than three years from original issuance. A graduate who has not yet passed the exam can also get a provisional license but must pass within one year, and then has two additional years for the experience. See moving from a CF license to a full license.
Does Louisiana license SLP assistants?
Yes, under R.S. 37:2659(F). An SLPA needs at least a bachelor's degree, board-specified coursework and supervised clinical practicum, or a mix of practicum and approved on-the-job training. A provisional SLPA license covers the on-the-job training period, for no more than three years. SLPAs work under supervision and are not eligible for compact privileges. See which states license or register SLPAs.
Can you provide teletherapy into Louisiana?
Only with a Louisiana license, a compact privilege, or a telehealth registration. R.S. 37:2660.1 says telehealth "constitutes the practice of speech-language pathology or audiology" and requires Louisiana licensure for in-state practitioners and telehealth registration for out-of-state practitioners. LBESPA's registration page lists a $50 application fee, a Louisiana State Police background check, license verifications, a National Practitioner Data Bank query, and annual renewal. Registration is limited to telepractice. See teletherapy for SLPs across state lines.
How does renewal work?
Louisiana renews licenses annually; the practice act caps the annual renewal fee at $100 and the initial licensing fee at $150. LBESPA's continuing education page has set the requirement at 10 clock hours each license year, July 1 through June 30. At least five must relate directly to your area of practice. Audiologists who dispense need at least three hours related to hearing aid dispensing, and dual licensees need 15 hours. Records are kept for three years. If a license lapses, the act caps the lapsed renewal fee at $200 and requires continuing education.
A yearly cycle means a privilege holder with a Louisiana home license re-buys every privilege every year. Plan for that cost. See renewing ASLP privileges with your home license.
What happens to your privileges if you leave Louisiana?
It depends on where you go. The Commission's FAQ and the model law say you can hold only one home-state license at a time. If you move to a state that is not a compact member, such as Texas or California, your Louisiana license becomes a single-state license and your privileges are deactivated. If you move to another member state, that state becomes your new home state, and you need its license before you can buy privileges from it, which only works once it is issuing. A move from Louisiana to Mississippi or Arkansas, both enacted but not issuing as of October 2026, leaves you without a working home state for the compact. Plan the license in the new state before the move. See your home state and the ASLP Compact.
Where can we help in Louisiana?
For a Louisiana license, our License by Endorsement service is $599 and a full application is $749; a provisional license for a clinical fellow is $349 and an SLPA license is $399. For a Louisiana privilege, our ASLP Compact Readiness Review is $149 and our Compact Privilege Concierge is $299 for the first state and $149 for each additional state: a guided session in which you complete CompactConnect and pay the fees yourself. Board, Commission, background check and ETS fees are separate. See Louisiana details on the Louisiana state page and the issuing map on our ASLP Compact hub.
Common questions
- Is Louisiana issuing ASLP Compact privileges?
- Yes, since October 28, 2025. The other issuing states as of October 2026 are West Virginia, Ohio and Tennessee.
- Does a Louisiana privilege need a jurisprudence exam?
- No. Louisiana does not require one for a compact privilege. The cost is $50 for Louisiana plus the $50 Commission fee.
- Can I practice in Louisiana while my reciprocity application is pending?
- The practice act lets the board allow it at its discretion once you document a current, unsuspended, unrevoked license. The board's application page has described a 60-day grace period starting once every document, including the background check, is received.
- Can a Louisiana clinical fellow use the compact?
- No. LBESPA says a license that requires supervision is encumbered for compact purposes, and the compact requires a license to practice independently.
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