Board of Behavioral Sciences - California

Applications received BEFORE or ON THE DATES listed below have been completed. If your app was rcvd PRIOR to these dates, please check your email/mail for communication from BBS or testing vendor.

If your app was rcvd AFTER the dates listed, it is pending and has not been evaluated yet. Staff is unable to provide status checks on apps still pending review.

IF YOUR RECEIVED DATE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROCESSED and you have not received an email, a mailed letter, or cannot look up your associate number on DCA License Search, https://search.dca.ca.gov/, Message the Board at https://www.bbs.ca.gov/about/contact_us.html.

Received date is the date the Board received your application. Apps are processed in date order RECEIVED. If you don't know your RECEIVED date, please consider it approx 1 wk after mailing. SUBMISSION date in Breeze is the date payment was cashiered. Payments can take up to 4 weeks to be processed from date the Board RECEIVED your application.

Pending Associate Apps – If your app status in Breeze was pending or open and now it is not in your Breeze account, your app has probably been approved. You can check your BreEZe account OR use the License Search feature to see if your associate number has been issued, https://search.dca.ca.gov/. You should receive your certificate in the mail approximately 1 week after it is issued.

You will be emailed if something is missing from your application. If your application was missing items, please provide the required documentation to the Board and if sent from a 3rd party, email the evaluator/unit who notified you of the deficiency. Please allow 2-4 weeks for processing and an update.

🚨💲BBS Reminder!

Starting on July 1, 2026, the following fee reductions will take place:

-Annual Renewal (AMFT, ASW, APCC): Reduced from $150 to $75

-Biennial Active Renewal (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, LEP): Reduced from $200 to $100

-Registration Application (AMFT, ASW, APCC): Reduced from $150 to $75

-Initial License Issuance (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, LEP): Reduced from $200 to $100

-California Law & Ethics Exam (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC): Reduced from $150 to $75

-LMFT Clinical Exam and LEP Written Exam: Reduced from $250 to $125*

-License Application (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, LEP): Reduced from $250 to $125

These temporary fee reductions are set for a four-year period and expire June 30, 2030.

*Reduced fees do not apply to exams which are not board-administered.

You can find all documents related to the fee reduction on the Board’s website under the “Regulations” drop-down menu in the “Approved Regulations” section.

Link to the Boards webpage: https://www.bbs.ca.gov/about/law_reg.html

🚨The Board has considered the following bills moving through the Legislature this year. For more information on each bill, click on the bill number in the chart.

The Governor has until September 30th to make decisions on bills that make it to his desk.

Link to the Board's considered bills:https://bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/bills_through_legislature_2026.pdf

Applications received BEFORE or ON THE DATES listed below have been completed. If your app was rcvd PRIOR to these dates, please check your email/mail for communication from BBS or testing vendor.

If your app was rcvd AFTER the dates listed, it is pending and has not been evaluated yet. Staff is unable to provide status checks on apps still pending review.

IF YOUR RECEIVED DATE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROCESSED and you have not received an email, a mailed letter, or cannot look up your associate number on DCA License Search, https://search.dca.ca.gov/, Message the Board at https://www.bbs.ca.gov/about/contact_us.html.

Received date is the date the Board received your application. Apps are processed in date order RECEIVED. If you don't know your RECEIVED date, please consider it approx 1 wk after mailing. SUBMISSION date in Breeze is the date payment was cashiered. Payments can take up to 4 weeks to be processed from date the Board RECEIVED your application.

Pending Associate Apps – If your app status in Breeze was pending or open and now it is not in your Breeze account, your app has probably been approved. You can check your BreEZe account OR use the License Search feature to see if your associate number has been issued, https://search.dca.ca.gov/. You should receive your certificate in the mail approximately 1 week after it is issued.

You will be emailed if something is missing from your application. If your application was missing items, please provide the required documentation to the Board and if sent from a 3rd party, email the evaluator/unit who notified you of the deficiency. Please allow 2-4 weeks for processing and an update.

🚨Setting Up a BREEZE Account:

Once students have submitted their registration application, we recommend they set up a BREEZE account. BREEZE is the Board’s online licensing system, and having an account allows users to track applications, renew their registrations, apply for exams, and perform other useful functions.

To set up an account, students should go to www.breeze.ca.gov. Upon visiting the Breeze homepage, the "Renewal Fee Postponement for Los Angeles Wildfire Survivors" notice will appear. At the bottom of the notice, click the "Continue to BreEZe" button. Once on the BREEZE homepage, new users can select the BREEZE registration link and follow the instructions to create an account.

On the Board’s website, a PDF with step-by-step instructions on how to set up an account is also available. The instructions can be found under the “Resources” link on the homepage. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/resources/breeze_tips.html

If a student encounters any issues during the setup process, the BREEZE Help Desk is available to assist. The Help Desk can be reached at (916) 557-1208, and they are available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 4:45 PM

📌𝟗𝟎 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄

IF YOU WILL BE SUBMITTING HOURS UNDER THE 90-DAY RULE PLEASE READ BELOW:

Applicants who graduate on or after January 1, 2020 may only count post-degree hours of supervised experience gained under the 90-day rule if the workplace required the applicant to complete Live Scan fingerprinting prior to gaining post-degree experience hours and the Board received your registration application within 90 days of the qualifying degree award date.

Applicants are required to submit the State of California “Request for Live Scan Service'” form along with their licensure application. No substitutions or alternative documents will be accepted, as state law mandates this specific form.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟗𝟎-𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞.

Please review the 90-Day FAQ carefully to ensure you fully understand all requirements, as this is the most common cause of deficiencies in licensing applications and may impact the approval of your application. If you have additional questions, please contact the appropriate licensing unit.

90 Day FAQ:https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/90day_rule.pdf

🚨Modified Text of Proposed Regulatory Change – Continuing Education, Exams and Renewals

The Board of Behavioral Sciences is proposing a second set of amendments to its regulation proposal pertaining to Continuing Education, Exams and Renewals. The public comment period for the second modified text ends on May 29, 2026. Comments should be restricted to the most recent, second modifications made to the proposed regulations. The Board is not required to respond to comments on other aspects of the proposed regulations received in response to this notice.

Information about the modified text, as well as information about how to submit a written comment, can be found at https://www.bbs.ca.gov/about/law_reg.html --select the “Regulations” drop down, then select “Pending Regulations”.