Pennsylvania SLP Licensing

Pennsylvania licenses speech-language pathologists and audiologists through the State Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, part of the Department of State's Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. The board's regulations are in Chapter 45 of Title 49 of the Pennsylvania Code. Applications go through PALS, the Pennsylvania Licensing System.

Is Pennsylvania in the ASLP Compact?

No. Pennsylvania has bills pending, HB 80 and HB 2774 according to the Commission's map data, but it has not enacted the compact. Even after enactment, a state cannot issue privileges until it finishes implementation, including FBI background checks, and that has taken other states years. As of October 2026, only Louisiana, West Virginia, Ohio and Tennessee issue privileges. Plan on a Pennsylvania license. See enacted is not issuing.

Which route fits a clinician licensed elsewhere?

Pennsylvania offers two, and you should know both before you choose.

The waiver route, § 45.21

The board will waive the education, experience and examination requirements for an applicant who:

• holds a currently valid license in a state whose standards the board finds at least equal to Pennsylvania's, with a letter of good standing sent by that state's licensing agency; or
• holds a current Certificate of Clinical Competence, with ASHA sending the board certification of your status.

For most CCC holders, this is the most direct route.

Licensure by endorsement, § 45.25

Adopted under 63 Pa.C.S. § 3111, Pennsylvania's general endorsement law, this route requires:

• a license, certificate, registration or permit in good standing from a jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania's;
• a copy of that jurisdiction's current licensing law, regulation or rule, including its enactment date, translated at your expense if not in English;
• competency shown either by at least 2 of the 5 years before applying in active practice, or by 20 hours of continuing education in the 24 months before applying;
• no discipline by the issuing jurisdiction and no conduct that would be grounds for refusal under the act;
• the initial licensure fee; and
• 3 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting training from a provider approved by the Department of Human Services.

The board may require a personal interview, by video for good cause, and may decide that past discipline is not an impediment. Supplying the other state's law with its enactment date is the step most applicants have never been asked to do anywhere else. Our post on SLP license by endorsement compares Pennsylvania with other states.

What does the standard application require?

Under § 45.12, an SLP applicant shows the education in § 45.17(a), 9 months of supervised professional experience under § 45.20, a passed board-approved exam, good moral character, and at least 3 hours of approved child abuse recognition and reporting training. Audiologists show the education in § 45.17(b), a passed exam, good moral character and the same training. If you want both licenses, or a license and a provisional license, you file a separate application for each.

Can you work while the application is pending?

Yes. Pennsylvania is one of the few states with a short-term option for licensed clinicians. Under § 45.23(a)(3), someone who holds a valid license in another state and applies for a Pennsylvania license may also apply for a provisional license valid for 90 days. Under § 45.23(a)(1)(i) and (2)(i), an applicant who has already completed every licensure requirement can get a provisional license valid for six months from the date the application is submitted.

Both require the full license application and fee along with the provisional application. See temporary SLP and audiology licenses.

What about clinical fellows?

An SLP completing the supervised professional experience for the ASHA CCC can get a provisional license valid for 18 months, renewable once, under § 45.23(a)(1)(ii). Audiology graduates completing post-graduate experience have a parallel 18-month provisional license. You submit a letter describing your plans for completing the experience and a transcript showing your didactic education. A fellow practices only under a supervisor with the same type of license; a provisional licensee without a graduate degree needs a supervisor physically present in the area or unit. See licensing during your clinical fellowship.

What is the child abuse training requirement?

This is the Pennsylvania-specific requirement that catches out-of-state applicants. Under § 45.408:

• applicants for an initial license complete at least 3 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting training approved by the Department of Human Services and the Bureau; and
• at every biennial renewal, licensees complete at least 2 hours of approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting, counted within the total CE requirement.

The course must be one Pennsylvania approved. A general ethics or mandated reporter course from another state does not substitute. An applicant can request an exemption in writing only under narrow conditions in § 45.408(c).

How does renewal work?

Pennsylvania licenses expire at the end of each biennium unless renewed. Under § 45.501, each SLP or audiologist completes 20 clock hours of continuing education per license per biennium, including the 2 hours of child abuse training. Excess hours do not carry over. Up to 10 hours per renewal period may be granted on request for lecturing or publishing. The board will not renew a license until the CE requirement is met unless it grants a waiver.

If you practice after the expiration date, § 45.13 adds a late fee for each month or part of a month you practiced, and the regulation notes a licensee who practices under an expired license may be subject to criminal prosecution. A licensee who does not plan to practice in Pennsylvania can ask for inactive status instead of letting the license expire.

Do audiologists need anything extra?

Two things to check. Under § 45.24, an audiologist needs a separate board certification to use neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring. And if you dispense hearing aids, confirm what Pennsylvania requires beyond the audiology license before you start; our post on hearing aid dispensing licenses for audiologists covers how states differ.

Where do Pennsylvania files stall?

1. The other state's law. Endorsement applicants forget to include the other jurisdiction's licensing law with its enactment date.
2. Child abuse training from the wrong provider. Only Pennsylvania-approved courses count.
3. Choosing endorsement when the waiver fits. A current CCC holder may have an easier path under § 45.21.
4. Separate applications. Dual licensure, or a license plus a provisional license, means separate applications.

How can we help in Pennsylvania?

We pick the route, assemble the endorsement packet including the other state's law, confirm your child abuse training provider is approved, and file the provisional license alongside the full application where it fits. That is our License by Endorsement service at $599 per state, or $749 for a full application. A provisional license for a clinical fellow is $349, and annual renewal and CE tracking is $299 per license, per year. Board and training fees are separate, and you review and sign everything in PALS. See Pennsylvania details on the Pennsylvania state page.