Professional Licensure
For more than 30 years, the AARC and its state societies have worked to enact state licensure laws regulating the practice of respiratory therapy in order to protect the public. The AARC developed a Model Practice Act to help guide state societies in developing these laws.
AARC Model Practice Act 
AARC’s Model Practice Act outlines provisions common in licensure laws including scope of practice, establishment of a state regulatory board, requirements for licensure, reciprocity, exemptions from licensure, disciplinary criteria, and offenses, among others. The AARC’s model is non-exclusive in that it does not prohibit the practice of respiratory therapy by other individuals determined to be competent. The AARC advocates the use of its model to uniformly regulate the practice of respiratory therapy across the states.
A Chart of State Licensure Information
The information on this site provides both licensure board/committee contact information (Chart) as well as a Matrix which includes information on the number of licensees in each state, the license renewal period, required number of continuing education hours, and fees.
“We receive frequent inquiries on whether certain services or procedures provided by someone other than a licensed respiratory therapist is exempt from the state law governing respiratory therapy. Practice Acts or respiratory therapy licensure laws contain exemption or exception sections. And be aware that different state RT laws may exempt different individuals, entities or services- no two states are alike. Most respiratory therapy licensure board websites have both the statute and the regulations on its site. It is important to read exactly what the law or regulations permit in each state. Also be aware that most respiratory therapy licensure boards have the authority to make changes to the respiratory practice act through rules, regulations and advisory opinions. And they do so with great frequency. To assure you have the most accurate regulations, refer to the respiratory therapy licensure boards' webpages.
