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Oregon

Oregon 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 Oregon, a state. Its licensing body is a board of the State of Oregon.Source: https://www.oregon.gov/obce/pages/index.aspx · checked 2026-10-04
Licensing body
published Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners (OBCE). The statute names the body State Board of Chiropractic Examiners in the heading of ORS 684.130. The board's own site uses Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners.Source: https://www.oregon.gov/obce/pages/index.aspx · https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · checked 2026-10-04
Statutory authority
published Act: Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) chapter 684, Chiropractors, 2025 edition. Rules: Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) chapter 811, published in the Oregon Secretary of State's Administrative Rules Database. The board's Statutes & Administrative Rules page names Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) Chapter 811 and points you to the Secretary of State's database. The board's Continuing Education page links OAR 811-015-0025, and its Doctor of Chiropractic page links Administrative Rule 811-010-0086. The board's page also says chiropractors are regulated by OAR chapter 436 (workers' compensation, divisions 9, 10 and 15) and chapter 333 (Public Health Division, Radiation Protective Services divisions 100–125).Source: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/Laws-Rules.aspx · https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/viewSingleRule.action?ruleVrsnRsn=332455 · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/Continuing-Ed.aspx · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/DC-Application.aspx · checked 2026-10-04
Degree requirement
published The statute requires a diploma and transcript certified by the registrar, or other documents satisfactory to the board, showing graduation from a chiropractic school or college approved by the board under the board's academic standards, or from a school accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) or its successor agency under standards the board accepts and adopts biennially, in the version the accrediting agency applied to that school. It also requires at least two years of liberal arts and sciences study at a college or university accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities or its successor or a like regional association, or at an Oregon college or university approved for granting degrees by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, and at least 4,200 academic hours in an approved chiropractic college or the equivalent in semester or quarter credits. Under ORS 684.040(3), documentation of military training or experience that the board determines is substantially equivalent meets the prior-study or the diploma requirement. Under ORS 684.040(4), the board may waive the prior-study requirement if you are licensed in another state and practiced chiropractic there, but you must still pass the examination. The board's Applicant's Guide (updated January 2025) adds that your transcripts must show 120 hours of physiotherapy and that you must submit 36 hours of education in minor surgery and proctology; the Guide cites OAR 811-020-0006 for the minor surgery and proctology hours. The Guide asks for a signed declaration of your two years of prior study.The Guide sits in an archive folder on the board's site. The board's Doctor of Chiropractic page links to it as the DC Applicant's Guide, and the Guide states Updated January 2025.Source: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Documents/Archive/ADA%20Archived%20Docs/DC%20Applicant%27s%20Guide.pdf · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/DC-Application.aspx · checked 2026-10-04
Student practice before licensure
published ORS 684.020(1) makes it unlawful to practice chiropractic in Oregon without an active license, except as provided in ORS 684.107. ORS 684.020(2) provides that this does not apply to a student of chiropractic engaging in clinical studies during the period of the student's enrollment in an institution authorized to confer a doctoral degree in chiropractic. Where those clinical studies may take place, and the supervision they require, are set out in the second sentence of ORS 684.020(2). ORS 684.155(5) provides that the board may approve residency, internship and other training programs carried on by chiropractic schools, colleges or institutions or chiropractic facilities.Source: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · checked 2026-10-04
  • Except as provided in ORS 684.107, it is unlawful for any person to practice chiropractic in this state unless the person first obtains and maintains an active license, as provided in this chapter. oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html
  • Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to a student of chiropractic engaging in clinical studies during the period of the student’s enrollment in an institution authorized to confer a doctoral degree in chiropractic. oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html
  • The clinical studies may take place on the premises of the educational institution or in a clinical setting located off the premises of the institution if the facility, the institution staff and the course of study to be pursued off the premises of the educational institution meet minimum requirements for supervision and patient care prescribed by the rules of the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners and the clinical study is performed under the direct supervision of a member of the faculty of the institution. oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html
  • Determine the chiropractic schools, colleges and institutions and the training acceptable in connection with licensing under this chapter and approve residency, internship and other training programs carried on by chiropractic schools, colleges or institutions or chiropractic facilities. oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html
  • In addition to any other powers granted by this chapter, the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners may: oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html
NBCE parts required
published The board's Applicant's Guide lists NBCE Part I, Part II, Part III (minimum score 375), Part IV (minimum score 375) and Physiotherapy. Parts III and IV each carry a reciprocity exemption. The statute names Part I, taken after January 1, 1971. The Guide requires the Part IV transcript before licensure but not before approval for the State Specific Exams.Source: https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Documents/Archive/ADA%20Archived%20Docs/DC%20Applicant%27s%20Guide.pdf · https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · checked 2026-10-04
State-specific exam
published The Oregon State Specific Exams: Minor Surgery/Proctology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and Ethics/Jurisprudence. The NBCE administers them once the board approves you. The board's own documents name the obstetrics exam three ways: Obstetrics/Gynecology in the Applicant's Guide, “Obstetrics” on the Doctor of Chiropractic page, and Oregon Obstetrics, Gynecology & Genitourinary Examination in the Exam Reference Guide (updated October 2020).Source: https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/DC-Application.aspx · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Documents/Archive/ADA%20Archived%20Docs/DC%20Applicant%27s%20Guide.pdf · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Documents/Archive/Archived%20Docs/Licensing/DC%20Exam%20Reference%20Guide.pdf · checked 2026-10-04
Jurisprudence requirement
published Required. The Ethics/Jurisprudence exam is one of the Oregon State Specific Exams, administered by the NBCE. The board's Exam Reference Guide (updated October 2020) lists study materials for it under the heading Ethic and Jurisprudence Exam; the singular “Ethic” is as published. The materials are the Oregon statutes and rules, the Oregon Chiropractic Practices and Utilization Guidelines, and the Oregon Guide to Policy and Practice Questions. The statute also lists jurisprudence among the clinical subjects in its minimum educational requirements (ORS 684.050(3)(b)).The Exam Reference Guide's letterhead gives a different board address and phone number from those on the board's Doctor of Chiropractic page.Source: https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/DC-Application.aspx · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Documents/Archive/Archived%20Docs/Licensing/DC%20Exam%20Reference%20Guide.pdf · https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · checked 2026-10-04
Scope: what is included
published ORS 684.010(2) defines chiropractic in two paragraphs, and the board's Scope of Practice page reproduces that definition. ORS 684.010(5) defines minor surgery. ORS 684.025 provides that the chapter does not prevent a licensee from administering the anesthetics or antiseptics authorized in ORS 684.010, using radiopaque substances administered by mouth or rectum necessary for Roentgen diagnostic purposes, or providing emergency first aid, including administering emergency oxygen. ORS 684.025(4)(b) states A person may not administer emergency oxygen unless the person has received training in the administration of oxygen.Source: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/Scope.aspx · checked 2026-10-04
  • That system of adjusting with the hands the articulations of the bony framework of the human body, and the employment and practice of physiotherapy, electrotherapy, hydrotherapy and minor surgery. oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html
  • The chiropractic diagnosis, treatment and prevention of body dysfunction; correction, maintenance of the structural and functional integrity of the neuro-musculoskeletal system and the effects thereof or interferences therewith by the utilization of all recognized and accepted chiropractic diagnostic procedures and the employment of all rational therapeutic measures as taught in approved chiropractic colleges. oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html
  • In Oregon, the practice of chiropractic (scope) is defined in the Oregon Revised Statute ORS 684.010(2) oregon.gov/obce/Pages/Scope.aspx
Scope: what is excluded
published ORS 684.015(3) and ORS 684.025(2).ORS 684.010(4) defines “drugs” for this chapter.Source: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · checked 2026-10-04
Continuing education
published Annual. You complete it within the 12 months before your renewal date, the last day of your birth month. Under OAR 811-015-0025, regular active status needs 20 hours, including cultural competency (2) and suicide intervention training (1), with up to 6 hours of BLS maintenance accepted toward general hours. First-year licensees need 8 hours in set topics: over-the-counter non-prescriptive substances (4), evidence-based medicine (2), cultural competency (1) and suicide intervention (1). Second-year licensees need 20 hours, including pain management education (7), cultural competency (2) and suicide intervention (1). Senior active status (at least 60 years of age and at least 25 years in active practice) needs 6 hours. The board may add mandated courses. Except as ORS 684.092(3) provides, the statute sets at least 20 hours for active practice and requires completion, or documentation of completion within the previous 36 months, of a one-hour board-approved pain management education program or an equivalent program as determined by the board (ORS 684.092). Under ORS 684.092(3), the board may exempt a chiropractic physician who applies showing, by evidence satisfactory to the board, that the chiropractic physician is unable to comply because of unusual or extenuating circumstances or because no program has been approved by the board. The board audits at random. The board's CE page describes general hours as hours which must include maintenance of BLS/CPR/AED certification; the rule says BLS hours are up to 6 hours accepted. The board's CE page states no additional mandated CE for 2025.OAR 811-015-0025 itself splits the 20 regular-active hours into 2, 1 and 17.Source: https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/viewSingleRule.action?ruleVrsnRsn=332455 · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/Continuing-Ed.aspx · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/DC-Application.aspx · https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · checked 2026-10-04
Endorsement or reciprocity
published ORS 684.060 provides that the board may license you without examination, on payment of a fee, if you are licensed in another state, demonstrate to the board's satisfaction qualifications at least equal to those required for licensing under the chapter, and meet ORS 684.040. The board may fix a minimum number of years of practice. ORS 684.040(4) lets the board waive the two-year prior-study requirement if you are licensed in another state and practiced chiropractic in that state; you must still pass the examination. The Applicant's Guide applies its document list to all applicants, including reciprocity and exempts NBCE Parts III and IV where the reciprocity conditions for each are met.The Guide's examination section states All applicants are required to schedule the State Specific Exams with the NBCE.Source: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Documents/Archive/ADA%20Archived%20Docs/DC%20Applicant%27s%20Guide.pdf · checked 2026-10-04
Summary
published Oregon licenses chiropractic physicians through the Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners, under ORS chapter 684 and OAR chapter 811. The statute asks for graduation from a chiropractic school or college approved by the board, or from a CCE-accredited school under standards the board accepts and adopts biennially, at least 4,200 academic hours in an approved chiropractic college or the equivalent in semester or quarter credits, and at least two years of prior liberal arts and sciences study at a college or university that meets the statute's accreditation or approval terms. The board may waive the prior-study requirement if you are licensed in another state and practiced there, and documentation of military training or experience the board determines is substantially equivalent can meet the education requirements. The board's Applicant's Guide adds 120 hours of physiotherapy on your transcripts and 36 hours of education in minor surgery and proctology. The board's Applicant's Guide names NBCE Parts I–IV (minimum score 375 on Parts III and IV) and Physiotherapy, and, once the board approves you, you take three Oregon State Specific Exams through the NBCE: Minor Surgery/Proctology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and Ethics/Jurisprudence. Scope is defined in ORS 684.010(2), and the statute sets out exclusions in ORS 684.015(3) and 684.025(2). Continuing education is annual: 20 hours for regular active status, with set topic hours for first- and second-year licensees. If you are licensed in another state, the statute provides that the board may license you without examination where you demonstrate to its satisfaction qualifications at least equal to Oregon's and meet ORS 684.040.Source: https://www.oregon.gov/obce/pages/index.aspx · https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors684.html · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/Laws-Rules.aspx · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Documents/Archive/ADA%20Archived%20Docs/DC%20Applicant%27s%20Guide.pdf · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/DC-Application.aspx · https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/viewSingleRule.action?ruleVrsnRsn=332455 · https://www.oregon.gov/obce/Pages/Continuing-Ed.aspx · 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. Oregon licensure. In The Kaleidoscope. ChiroTrack. Last verified 4 October 2026. https://kaleidoscope.thechirotrack.com/licensure-oregon.html. Accessed ________.

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