Alabama licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Since 2024, every new applicant needs a fingerprint background check and the Alabama jurisprudence module. 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. PT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), CAPTE, the PT Compact Commission or any state board; NPTE and FSBPT are their marks, used here only to name the exam.
Alabama at a glance
Physical therapist (PT)
PT assistant (PTA)
Exam
NPTE-PT (225 questions, 5 hours), $485 to FSBPT
NPTE-PTA (180 questions, 4 hours), $485 to FSBPT
Board fees
$100 online application (a temporary license fee is included)
$100
Law exam
AL JAM through FSBPT: 80% to pass, $48 (required since Oct 7, 2024)
Same
Background check
Fingerprint-based state and federal check through Fieldprint (since June 14, 2024)
Same
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a Alabama compact privilege instead of a full license, and a Alabama license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Alabama, step by step
Alabama Board of Physical Therapy
Apply online first and pay the $100 application fee (fees are non-refundable). You need a CAPTE-approved PT or PTA program and a passing NPTE score.
Fingerprints after you apply: Ala. Code 34-24-211 requires a fingerprint-based federal and state criminal background check through the board's vendor, Fieldprint. The results are available to the board for only 30 days, so apply before you get scanned. No license is issued until the board has reviewed them.
Alabama JAM: since October 7, 2024, every applicant (new graduates and endorsement) must pass the Alabama Physical Therapy jurisprudence exam (Ala. Code 34-24-212), FSBPT's AL JAM: 80% to pass, $48 plus a small card fee, unlimited attempts.
Temporary license: the fee schedule says the temporary license fee is included in the application fee; ask the board whether you qualify.
Keep it: renewal is yearly ($130 PT, $93 PTA online) and late after October 1. Alabama is in the PT Compact, and privilege holders take the AL JAM too.
Every state licenses physical therapists and PT assistants on the NPTE, with the same passing score everywhere (600 on a 200-800 scale): a CAPTE-accredited degree, your state board's application, then NPTE registration with FSBPT ($485 plus Prometric's sitting fee), which your board approves before FSBPT sends your Authorization to Test. The PT exam is 225 questions in 5 hours and the PTA exam 180 questions in 4 hours, both on fixed dates four times a year; you may test 3 times in 12 months and 6 times in a lifetime (FSBPT NPTE Candidate Handbook). The full walk-through: How to get your PT license.