How to get an OT or OTA license in Florida

Florida licenses occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants through the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice in the Department of Health. The board does not give an exam of its own: you pass NBCOT's exam and apply online. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.

Check with your board. OT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), AOTA, ACOTE, the OT Compact Commission or any state board; NBCOT, OTR and COTA are their marks, used here only to name the exam.

Florida at a glance

Occupational therapist (OT)OT assistant (OTA)
ExamNBCOT OTR exam (180 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOTNBCOT COTA exam (190 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
Board fees$180 total: $100 application + $75 initial license + $5 unlicensed activity feeSame, $180
Background checkElectronic (Livescan) fingerprints, required before approvalSame
First renewal2 hours of Florida laws and rules, 2 hours of medical errors, 1 hour HIV/AIDS, from approved coursesSame
OT CompactNot a member. You need a full Florida license. (OT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)

Florida, step by step

Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice (Department of Health, MQA)

  1. NBCOT first: apply to NBCOT to schedule the exam before you submit the Florida application. On the state form, list your NBCOT certification number (staff verify it with NBCOT), or your exam details and ask NBCOT to transfer your score to the board.
  2. Apply online and pay $180: a $100 non-refundable application fee, a $75 initial license fee and a $5 unlicensed activity fee, the same for OTs and OTAs.
  3. Livescan fingerprints: since HB 975 (2024), OTs and OTAs must complete electronic fingerprinting, and the application cannot be approved until it is done. FDLE keeps the prints; the retention fee ($43.25) is collected at renewal when it comes due.
  4. Licensed in another state? If you hold an active, unencumbered license elsewhere and have practiced 2 of the last 4 years, you may qualify for MOBILE endorsement, with the license issued within 7 days once requirements are met.
  5. Keep it: licenses renew every two years. For the first renewal you need 2 hours of Florida laws and rules and 2 hours of prevention of medical errors (board-approved courses) and 1 hour of HIV/AIDS.

Sources: Florida OT Board: occupational therapist, Florida OT Board: occupational therapy assistant. Checked October 18, 2026.

Practice for the NBCOT OTR exam freeOTR questions on the 2022 outline, scenario sets built like the real ones, a score report by task. Practice for the COTA exam freeFor OT assistants: six-option multi-select items like the real ones, every answer cited.

The national steps, briefly

Every state licenses occupational therapists and OT assistants on NBCOT certification: an ACOTE-accredited degree with its Level II fieldwork, then NBCOT's exam (the OTR exam for OTs, 180 questions in 4 hours; the COTA exam for OT assistants, 190 questions in 4 hours; 450 on a 300-600 scale passes; $540 to apply online). NBCOT certification is not a license: you apply to your state board separately, and NBCOT sends the board your score (the Score Transfer is free if you add it when you apply for the exam, $35 later). The full walk-through: How to get your OT license.

Official pages