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State controlled substance registration, by state
A DEA registration is federal. Twenty-two states and DC also issue their own controlled-substance registration to physicians, each on its own clock. This table covers all 51 jurisdictions: who issues one, how long it lasts, and the traps.
Checked against each agency’s own rules and the state’s official code on August 16, 2026. For physicians: nurse practitioner and PA eligibility differs by state and is not covered here.
The short answer
- 23 jurisdictions issue an individual registration to physicians (22 states and DC). 26 do not. Virginia requires one only to sell, and West Virginia only to dispense or administer in an office.
- Six states want it before the DEA registration: Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Wyoming.
- Texas abolished its registration on September 1, 2016. Oklahoma went from every 3 years to yearly on November 1, 2024.
- Two dates you cannot work out from the issue date: DC’s expires with the DC health license, and Hawaii’s is set by the first letter of your surname.
All 51 jurisdictions
| Jurisdiction | State registration | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Yes. Alabama Controlled Substances Certificate, Board of Medical Examiners. Yearly, expires December 31. | $150 a year. |
| Alaska | No | Repealed in 1986. |
| Arizona | No | A physician who dispenses needs a Medical Board dispensing registration. |
| Arkansas | No | – |
| California | No | CURES enrollment runs off the DEA registration. Security prescription forms are required. |
| Colorado | No | A licensed physician is registered by law; nothing to apply for. |
| Connecticut | Yes. Controlled Substance Registration for Practitioners, Department of Consumer Protection. Every 2 years, February 28 of odd years. | Get it before the DEA registration. Per site. |
| Delaware | Yes. Controlled Substance Registration, Division of Professional Regulation. Every 2 years, June 30 of odd years. | Renewal needs 2 hours of CE on controlled-substance prescribing or chronic pain. |
| District of Columbia | Yes. Controlled Substance Registration, DC Health. Expires with the DC health license. | File at least 60 days before. No grace period. |
| Florida | No | A physician who dispenses registers separately as a dispensing practitioner. |
| Georgia | No | DEA-registered Georgia licensees are registered automatically. |
| Hawaii | Yes. Controlled Substance Registration, Narcotics Enforcement Division. Yearly. | The expiration date is set by the first letter of your surname. $115. |
| Idaho | Yes. Practitioner Controlled Substance Registration, Board of Pharmacy. Yearly. | Get it before the DEA registration. Canceled if no DEA registration follows within 45 days. |
| Illinois | Yes. Controlled Substance License, IDFPR. Every 3 years, with the medical license. | – |
| Indiana | Yes. Controlled Substance Registration, Professional Licensing Agency. Every 2 years, October 31 of odd years. | Renews with the license. |
| Iowa | Yes. Controlled Substances Act Registration, Board of Pharmacy. Every 2 years. | – |
| Kansas | No | The medical license counts as the registration. |
| Kentucky | No | Repealed in 2018. |
| Louisiana | Yes. Controlled Dangerous Substance License, Board of Pharmacy. Yearly, on the anniversary of first licensure. | Get it before the DEA registration. More than 30 days late means reinstatement, not renewal. |
| Maine | No | – |
| Maryland | Yes. Controlled Dangerous Substances Registration, Office of Controlled Substances Administration. Every 3 years. | PDMP enrollment is required to get or renew it. |
| Massachusetts | Yes. Massachusetts Controlled Substances Registration, Department of Public Health. Every 2 years, expires with the license. | $300. |
| Michigan | Yes. Controlled Substance License, Board of Pharmacy. Every 3 years, with the license. | – |
| Minnesota | No | – |
| Mississippi | No | – |
| Missouri | Yes. BNDD Registration, Department of Health and Senior Services. Yearly. | Not issued to out-of-state practitioners. |
| Montana | No | Waived by law for DEA registrants. |
| Nebraska | No | – |
| Nevada | Yes. Controlled Substance Registration, Board of Pharmacy. Every 2 years, October 31 of even years. | Locum tenens physicians with a DEA registration outside Nevada are exempt. $200. |
| New Hampshire | No | – |
| New Jersey | Yes. Controlled Dangerous Substances Registration, Division of Consumer Affairs. Yearly. | Renewal opens 90 days before expiration. |
| New Mexico | Yes. Practitioner Controlled Substance Registration, Board of Pharmacy. Every 3 years. | – |
| New York | No | The state says a license and a DEA registration are what a prescriber needs. |
| North Carolina | No | A clinic that stocks or dispenses may need a clinic registration. |
| North Dakota | No | The law contemplates one, but the Board of Pharmacy does not issue one to practitioners. |
| Ohio | No | A practice that stocks, administers or dispenses needs a Terminal Distributor license. |
| Oklahoma | Yes. Controlled Dangerous Substances Registration, OBNDD. Yearly since November 1, 2024. | Opens July 1, on time only if filed by September 1, expires October 31. |
| Oregon | No | A physician who dispenses registers with the Medical Board. |
| Pennsylvania | No | – |
| Rhode Island | Yes. Controlled Substances Registration, Department of Health. Every 2 years, with the license. | Get it before the DEA registration. Needs a Rhode Island address where patients are seen in person. |
| South Carolina | Yes. Controlled Substances Registration, Department of Public Health. Yearly, October 2 to October 1 for physicians. | No online renewal. A missed renewal cancels it. |
| South Dakota | Yes. Controlled Substance Registration, Department of Health. Expires with the DEA registration. | Get it before the DEA registration. |
| Tennessee | No | The law calls for one, but the Board of Medical Examiners never created it. |
| Texas | No | Abolished September 1, 2016. |
| Utah | Yes. Controlled Substance License, Division of Professional Licensing. Every 2 years, with the license. | Required for prescribers, not only dispensers. |
| Vermont | No | The medical license is the license. |
| Virginia | Only to sell. License to sell controlled substances, Board of Pharmacy. Yearly, December 31. | Prescribing alone needs only the DEA registration. |
| Washington | No | – |
| West Virginia | Only to dispense or administer. Dispensing Practitioner Registration, Board of Medicine. Every 2 years, June 30. | Office-based dispensing, including samples. Not for prescribe-only. |
| Wisconsin | No | – |
| Wyoming | Yes. Individual Controlled Substance Registration, Board of Pharmacy. Every 2 years, June 30. | Get it before the DEA registration. New applications by mail. |
No registration, but still a credential
“No individual registration” does not always mean nothing to hold. A practice that stocks, administers or dispenses can need a location or entity credential: Ohio (Terminal Distributor), North Carolina (clinic registration), New York (institutional dispenser), Pennsylvania (to manufacture or distribute) and Oregon (dispensing physician). Arizona and Florida register dispensing physicians separately.
Every program has exemptions, such as residents, federal employees, inpatient-only practice and locum tenens. This page shows that a registration exists, not whether it applies to you. Check with the agency.
Common questions
Do I need a state controlled substance license in addition to my DEA registration?
In 22 states and DC, yes, if you prescribe there: they issue their own registration to physicians. In 26 states there is no separate registration. Virginia requires one only to sell, and West Virginia only to dispense or administer in an office. Check the table for each state you practice in.
Which states require the state registration before DEA?
Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Wyoming. Idaho cancels the state registration if no DEA registration follows within 45 days.
Does Texas still require a controlled substance registration?
No. Texas abolished its state controlled substance registration effective September 1, 2016. A Texas license and a DEA registration are what a prescriber holds.
How often do state controlled substance registrations renew?
It depends on the state: yearly in Alabama, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma and South Carolina; every 2 or 3 years elsewhere, often together with the medical license. Each is its own clock, separate from the DEA registration’s 3 years.
Can I get a state registration for telehealth prescribing only?
Not everywhere. Rhode Island requires a Rhode Island address where patients are seen in person, and Missouri does not issue one to out-of-state practitioners. Check the agency before relying on one.
The Interstate Medicine Ledger holds each DEA registration and each state controlled-substance registration next to the license it belongs to, with alerts before each one lapses. For a group, the Roster puts every clinician’s on one Due list.
Related: DEA registration renewal · Opioid and controlled-substance CME by state · Telepsychiatry licenses and DEA · Credential renewal cycles
Sources
- 21 CFR 1301.12, separate registrations for separate locations (eCFR)
- 21 CFR 1301.13, DEA registration periods (eCFR)
- Each row: the issuing agency’s own rules and pages, and the state’s official code (for example Texas SB 195 of 2015; Oklahoma SB 1943 of 2024 and OAC 475:10-1-9; 22-B DCMR 1003; M.G.L. c. 94C s. 7)
An existence directory for physicians, checked on August 16, 2026. Not legal advice: exemptions and applicability vary. Confirm with the issuing agency before you prescribe in a state.