About Us

What This Site Is For

Looking up a nursing license, checking CE compliance, or starting a renewal should be simple. The information is public — every state Board of Nursing publishes it — but the URLs are inconsistent, the search interfaces vary, terminology differs (LPN vs LVN), and finding the right board across 50 states plus DC and territories is its own minor research project. Add in the multi-jurisdictional Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) and APRN regulation that splits between Boards of Nursing and Boards of Medicine in some states, and the picture gets complicated quickly.

boardofnursings.org/ consolidates that into one consistent format. For every state we cover, the page answers the same set of questions in the same order: where is the official license verification portal, what license types are issued, what are the renewal deadlines, what are the CE requirements, is the state in the NLC, how do I file a complaint, and where can I find disciplinary records.

We are completely independent. We are not a state Board of Nursing, not the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), not the American Nurses Association (ANA), not a continuing education provider, and not a nurse-staffing or licensure-services firm. We are an editorial reference, full stop.

The U.S. Nursing Regulation System — Briefly

Nursing in the United States is regulated at the state level. Each state’s Nurse Practice Act sets out who can call themselves a nurse, what scope of practice each license covers, and how the state’s Board of Nursing administers licensure, discipline, and renewal:

What You’ll Find on Each State Page

For every U.S. state and territory we cover, the page answers the same set of questions in the same order:

• Official license verification portal — direct, verified URL to the state board’s license lookup tool
• License types issued — RN, LPN or LVN, APRN with the four APRN role designations (CRNA, CNM, CNS, NP) where applicable
• Search options — by name, license number, expiration date, or NCSBN’s national Nursys database where available
• Application process — for new licenses (by examination, by endorsement from another state, by reinstatement)
• Fingerprint and background-check requirements — federal and state fingerprinting, vendors, fee structure
• Renewal cycle — frequency (often biennial), expiration anchoring, late-renewal penalties
• Continuing education (CE) — contact hours required, mandatory topics (often: child abuse, suicide assessment, opioid prescribing for APRNs, end-of-life care, cultural competency), how to document
• Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) status — member state or non-member; multistate license eligibility rules
• APRN scope and authority — full practice / reduced practice / restricted practice designation per AANP framework, prescriptive authority, collaborative agreement requirements
• Disciplinary records — searchable board-action database, what’s published, how far back records go
• Complaint filing — how to file a complaint against a licensee, what the board investigates, what it doesn’t
• Office address & contact — physical and mailing address, phone, email, public-counter hours

The Distinction Between a State Board and the NCSBN

This catches readers out frequently:

• A state Board of Nursing is the government agency in each state that issues licenses, sets renewal rules, investigates complaints, and disciplines licensees. There are 50+ of them.
• The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is a non-profit membership organization for state boards. It administers the NCLEX exam through Pearson VUE, runs the Nursys national license database, and publishes model rules — but it does not issue licenses or discipline nurses.
• The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the professional association for nurses. It does not issue licenses, set scope of practice, or investigate complaints. ANA credentialing is handled by its subsidiary ANCC, which offers voluntary specialty certifications — separate from state RN/LPN/APRN licensure.

This site covers only the state regulatory side. We don’t represent NCSBN, ANA, ANCC, AANP, AANA, ACNM, or any other professional or specialty body. We cite their published material where relevant and link to it from each state page.

How We Verify the Information

Everything factual on a state page comes from one of three places, in this order of priority:

1. The state Board of Nursing’s official website (typically a .gov domain such as rn.ca.gov, floridasnursing.gov, bon.texas.gov) — for license types, fees, renewal procedures, CE rules, and discipline databases
2. The state’s Nurse Practice Act and administrative code — for the underlying legal framework
3. NCSBN published material (Nurse Licensure Compact membership status, Nursys database scope) — for cross-state confirmation

Every state page is reviewed at least quarterly. CE rules, renewal fees, and NLC status are time-sensitive content — we treat them with explicit “last reviewed” dates and verify URLs live before publication. The full source hierarchy and methodology is on the Sources & Methodology page.

Who This Site Is For

• Nurses verifying license status — your own, or in some cases a colleague’s (license verification is public record in nearly every state)
• Nurses preparing to renew — confirming the deadline, CE requirements, and any new mandatory topics
• Nurses moving between states — whether the destination state is in the NLC, what endorsement looks like if it isn’t
• New graduates figuring out the path from program completion to license — Authorization to Test (ATT), NCLEX, fingerprinting, license issuance
• Healthcare employers and credentialing offices verifying that an applicant’s license is current and unencumbered
• Patients and families looking up a nurse’s license status or board-action history before choosing a provider
• Journalists and researchers investigating discipline patterns, CE compliance, or NLC adoption

The site is not a substitute for legal advice. Discipline cases, scope-of-practice disputes, license-application denials, and reinstatement after surrender or revocation often need a licensed attorney experienced in professional licensing — not a directory.

What We Don’t Do

• We don’t issue or renew nursing licenses. The state Board of Nursing does that.
• We don’t verify licenses on your behalf. Verification has to come from the state board’s official portal or NCSBN’s Nursys system to be accepted by employers and credentialing offices.
• We don’t investigate complaints. State boards do that.
• We don’t represent any state Board of Nursing, NCSBN, or any nursing professional association.
• We are not a continuing education provider. CE that meets your state’s requirements has to come from a state-approved or recognized provider.
• We don’t sell your data — see our Privacy Policy for the position under CCPA/CPRA, the Texas TDPSA, and other state privacy laws.

How We Pay for the Site

boardofnursings.org/ runs on display advertising shown alongside content. We do not accept paid placements that pretend to be editorial content. State pages are never edited to favor or disfavor any commercial service — including CE providers, NCLEX prep services, license-services firms, or staffing agencies that may advertise on the site. Full position in our Editorial Policy.

Corrections and Feedback

State Board of Nursing websites change. CE requirements get amended every legislative session. The Nurse Licensure Compact adds new states periodically (most recently Pennsylvania in 2023). Renewal fees adjust on fiscal-year cycles. If you spot something on the site that doesn’t match the state’s current information, please email us. Reader-reported corrections are our priority queue and get a response within seven business days.