Pennsylvania licenses occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants through the State Board of Occupational Therapy Education and Licensure in the Department of State. You pass NBCOT's exam, complete child abuse recognition training and apply online in PALS. 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.
Pennsylvania at a glance
Occupational therapist (OT)
OT assistant (OTA)
Exam
NBCOT OTR exam (180 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
NBCOT COTA exam (190 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
Board fees
$30 application (49 Pa. Code 42.17)
$30 application
Required training
3 hours of board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting
Same
Temporary license
$20; work as an assistant under direct OT supervision until you test
$20
Background check
No fingerprinting step on the licensure snapshot; check with your board
Same
OT Compact
Member, not accepting applications yet. Pennsylvania has enacted the OT Compact but has not opened privilege applications, so for now you need a full Pennsylvania license. (OT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Pennsylvania, step by step
Pennsylvania State Board of Occupational Therapy Education and Licensure
NBCOT: OTs pass the OTR exam (or qualify for NBCOT's waiver), OTAs the COTA exam. Register with NBCOT for the exam windows and deadlines.
Apply in PALS and pay the $30 application fee (the same for OTs and OTAs).
Child abuse training: complete 3 hours of board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting education for initial licensure.
Temporary license (optional): if you meet the licensure requirements and are eligible for and have applied to take the exam, the board may issue a temporary license ($20). It lets you practice only as an assistant under the direct supervision of a licensed OT, and it ends automatically if you skip the exam or fail a re-examination (49 Pa. Code 42.15).
Keep it: licenses renew every two years ($55 OT, $45 OTA) with 24 hours of continued competency, 2 of them in child abuse recognition.
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.