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Kentucky

Kentucky Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

What the board and the law publish

Each field carries its own source and the date it was checked. A field marked not published means the board's own pages were read and do not address it. Absence in what we checked is not absence at the board. A field marked unverified says what was attempted.

State
published Kentucky, a state. The board's homepage names its remit as the Commonwealth of Kentucky.Source: https://kbce.ky.gov/ · checked 2026-10-04
  • The Kentucky Board of Chiropractic Examiners regulates the practice and licensure of chiropractics in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. kbce.ky.gov/
Licensing body
published Kentucky Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The board's own pages use this name. KRS 312.015(1) names it the Kentucky State Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The board's homepage links to the Department of Professional Licensing.Source: https://kbce.ky.gov/ · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30759 · checked 2026-10-04
  • The Kentucky Board of Chiropractic Examiners regulates the practice and licensure of chiropractics in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. kbce.ky.gov/
Statutory authority
published The act is Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) Chapter 312. The rules are 201 KAR Chapter 21. The board's Legal page lists sections of both and links each listed section to the Legislative Research Commission's site. KRS 312.015 sets definitions; 312.017, scope and prohibited treatment; 312.085, application and education; 312.115, examination; 312.175, renewal and education. 201 KAR 21:041 covers licensing, renewal and continuing education; 21:042, continuing education standards; 21:070, the licensing examination; 21:090, pre-chiropractic education.Source: https://kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=688&menuid=226 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30759 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30760 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=46812 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30783 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=44617 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/041/ · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/070/ · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/090/ · https://kbce.ky.gov/ · checked 2026-10-04
  • Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 312 and Kentucky Administrative Regulations, Title 201, Chapter 21 kbce.ky.gov/
Degree requirement
published You need to be a graduate of a college or university accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education or its successors at the time of your graduation, and that maintains a standard and reputability approved by the board. Before chiropractic college, you need at least sixty semester credit hours from a college or university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or other regional accrediting agencies as recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation, including the pre-chiropractic course of instruction the Council on Chiropractic Education requires. The board, KRS 312.085 and 201 KAR 21:090 state these requirements.Source: https://kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=424 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=46812 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/090/ · checked 2026-10-04
  • Each applicant shall have satisfactorily completed not less than 60 semester credit hours of study from a college or university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or other regional accrediting agencies as recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=424
  • Each applicant shall also be a graduate of a college or university accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education or their successors (at the time of the applicant’s graduation), and which maintains a standard and reputability approved by the board. kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=424
  • be a graduate of a college or university accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education or their successors, and which maintains a standard and reputability approved by the board. apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=46812
  • An applicant for licensure shall have satisfactorily completed, prior to attending chiropractic college, and as a part of the applicant's required minimal sixty (60) semester credit hours of pre-chiropractic education, the course of instruction established and required by the Council on Chiropractic Education. apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/090/
Student practice before licensure
published KRS 312.018(3) states: Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent a student of chiropractic from engaging in clinical practice under the supervision of a licensed chiropractor as part of the student's educational program. KRS 312.085(2) states: The board may by administrative regulation establish a preceptorship program where students or graduates of accredited chiropractic colleges as stated in this section may work with and under the direction and supervision of a licensed doctor of chiropractic prior to the taking of the appropriate licensing examination. 201 KAR 21:085 establishes the board's preceptorship program and describes it as one through which students at accredited colleges and universities may work at the direction and under the supervision of a licensed doctor of chiropractic prior to graduation. 201 KAR 21:001 defines a preceptor and an undergraduate intern. 201 KAR 21:085 sets requirements of the preceptor (Section 1), of the preceptor's relationship with the college or university and the intern (Section 2), and of the intern (Section 3).Source: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=48725 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=46812 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/085/ · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/001/ · checked 2026-10-04
NBCE parts required
published You need NBCE Parts I, II, III and IV at the NBCE's recommended passing score, with official NBCE transcripts sent directly to the board. The board's Initial Licensure page and 201 KAR 21:041 and 21:070 name no physiotherapy examination. If you graduated more than four years before applying, you also submit proof of passing the NBCE Special Purposes Examination for Chiropractic (SPEC) within the past six months, unless the board accepts proof of active practice under a license in good standing in another state or jurisdiction (201 KAR 21:041 Section 1(2)).Source: https://kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=424 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/070/ · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/041/ · checked 2026-10-04
  • Each applicant is required to have successfully completed Parts I, II, III and IV of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners’ examination to obtain licensure in Kentucky. kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=424
  • An applicant for licensure shall hold a National Board of Chiropractic Examiners Certificate of Attainment, which demonstrates that the applicant has passed the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) examination, parts I, II, III, and IV, by the NBCE's recommended passing score. apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/070/
  • If the initial applicant graduated from chiropractic school more than four (4) years ago, proof of successfully passing the Special Purposes Examination for Chiropractic given by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners within the past six (6) months shall be submitted to the board unless the initial applicant submits proof acceptable to the board of active practice under a license in good standing in another state or jurisdiction. apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/041/
State-specific exam
published None. The board states it no longer offers a state practical examination for licensure and requires NBCE Part IV in its place, and 201 KAR 21:070 requires NBCE Parts I through IV. KRS 312.115 describes a board examination with a practical component, and allows NBCE tests to be accepted as part or all of the written examination.Source: https://kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=424 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/070/ · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30783 · checked 2026-10-04
Jurisprudence requirement
published As a new licensee, you complete a two-hour Kentucky State Chiropractic Jurisprudence course, provided by the board, by your first renewal. The board applies this to any license issued after January 1, 2008. It is a course taken after licensure; the board's Initial Licensure page and 201 KAR 21:041 name no jurisprudence exam.Source: https://kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=424 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/041/ · checked 2026-10-04
Scope: what is included
published KRS 312.015(2), subject to the limitations of subsection (4) of that section, defines chiropractic as the science of diagnosing and adjusting or manipulating the subluxations of the articulations of the human spine and its adjacent tissues, and, subject to the limitations in the chapter, KRS 312.017(2) directs a chiropractor to examine, diagnose and treat within that scope and by methods taught in accredited chiropractic colleges. A chiropractor may refer a patient to a physician, licensed medical laboratory or licensed health facility for testing or examination to aid in differential diagnosis or treatment (KRS 312.017(2)).Source: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30760 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30759 · checked 2026-10-04
Scope: what is excluded
published KRS 312.017(1), KRS 312.017(3) and KRS 312.015(5).Source: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30760 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30759 · https://kbce.ky.gov/Documents/KBCE%20Law%20and%20Regulations%20Oct.%202023.pdf · checked 2026-10-04
Continuing education
published If you practice actively, you complete at least twelve hours of board-approved continuing education each year, no more than eight in one day. Proof is due to the board by March 1 to avoid the $300 late fee. Live, online or mixed hours are accepted. As a new licensee, you complete the two-hour jurisprudence course by your first renewal; the twelve-hour requirement starts after your first renewal and is due before your second. The board's continuing education page and 201 KAR 21:041 and 21:042 state no other required subjects. The board's page writes can completed; a word appears to be missing.Source: https://kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=427&menuid=122 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/041/ · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/042/ · https://kbce.ky.gov/Documents/KBCE%20Law%20and%20Regulations%20Oct.%202023.pdf · checked 2026-10-04
Endorsement or reciprocity
published The board states that Kentucky law does not provide for reciprocity from other states. Every applicant needs NBCE Parts I through IV. If you hold or have held a license in another state, you submit an official license verification for each such state.Source: https://kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=424 · checked 2026-10-04
Summary
published The Kentucky Board of Chiropractic Examiners licenses chiropractors under KRS Chapter 312 and 201 KAR Chapter 21. You need to be a graduate of a college or university accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education or its successors at the time of your graduation, and that maintains a standard and reputability approved by the board, and at least sixty semester credit hours of prior study from a college or university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or other regional accrediting agencies as recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation, including the Council on Chiropractic Education's pre-chiropractic course of instruction. You need NBCE Parts I, II, III and IV at the NBCE's recommended passing score; the board no longer offers a state practical exam and requires Part IV in its place, and if you graduated more than four years before applying you also need a SPEC pass from the past six months unless the board accepts proof of active practice under a license in good standing in another state or jurisdiction. The board names no jurisprudence exam: as a new licensee you take the board's two-hour jurisprudence course by your first renewal, and then, if you practice actively, at least twelve board-approved hours of continuing education a year, no more than eight in one day. The board states Kentucky law does not provide for reciprocity. KRS 312.015 and 312.017 define the scope of practice and what falls outside it.Source: https://kbce.ky.gov/ · https://kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=424 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=46812 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/090/ · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/070/ · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/021/041/ · https://kbce.ky.gov/newstatic_Info.aspx?static_ID=427&menuid=122 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30759 · https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=30760 · checked 2026-10-04

Recorded limit. The Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards publishes a record for each board at https://www.fclb.org/. That site returned HTTP 403 to us when checked on 2026-10-04, so its record could not be read.

The board is the authority on everything here. Requirements change. Confirm anything you intend to act on with the board directly.

Cite this entry. Kentucky licensure. In The Kaleidoscope. ChiroTrack. Last verified 4 October 2026. https://kaleidoscope.thechirotrack.com/licensure-kentucky.html. Accessed ________.

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