Florida licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Florida Board of Physical Therapy in the Department of Health. You register with FSBPT for two exams, the NPTE and the Florida Laws and Rules exam, and apply to the board 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. 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.
Florida 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
$180 application and license fee
$180 application and license fee
Law exam
Florida Laws and Rules exam through FSBPT, $65 (no fee to the board to retake)
Same
Background check
Livescan fingerprints to FDLE (Florida and national), with the board's ORI
Same
PT Compact
Not a member. You need a full Florida license; compact privileges from other states do not cover Florida. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Florida passed a PT Compact law, but the compact's executive board found it conflicted with the model statute, so Florida is not a member: Florida licensees cannot get compact privileges elsewhere, and privileges from other states do not cover Florida until the legislature fixes it (board licensing page).
Florida, step by step
Florida Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health, MQA)
School paperwork first: have your school send the board an official transcript or a letter of completion on letterhead confirming all clinical and didactic work is done. The letter lets you test; the transcript is needed before the license is issued. The degree must be from a CAPTE-approved program.
Register with FSBPT for both exams: the NPTE ($485) and the Florida Laws and Rules exam ($65), plus Prometric's fees. The board must have your completed application and documents by FSBPT's registration deadline for the date you want. FSBPT emails your Authorization to Test once you are approved.
Apply online and pay $180: the application and licensing fee to the board is $180 for a PT or a PTA (rule 64B17-3.001 and s. 486.031, F.S. set the requirements).
Livescan fingerprints: since HB 975 (2024), electronic fingerprints are required; your application cannot be approved without them. Use any FDLE-approved Livescan provider with the board's ORI number (a wrong ORI means the board never gets your results). You pay the screening costs.
Scores and retakes: NPTE scores reach the board about 7 days after the exam. A retake needs a re-examination application ($100 for the NPTE; no fee for the Laws and Rules retake). After three NPTE failures you must complete remediation, which allows two more attempts.
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.