Georgia Chiropractic Licensing: Exam, Renewal, and Penalties

To get a chiropractic license in Georgia, you need at least two years of college followed by a four-year degree from a chiropractic program accredited (or seeking accreditation) by the Council on Chiropractic Education, a passing score on a Board-approved examination, and a $285 application fee paid to the Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners.¹² Once licensed, you renew every two years and complete 20 hours of Board-approved continuing education each year to stay in good standing.³ The full rules sit in Title 43, Chapter 9 of the Georgia Code.⁴

Education You Need Before You Apply

The education requirement has two parts, and both are mandatory. Before enrolling in chiropractic school, you must complete at least two years of general college coursework at an approved institution. The chiropractic program itself has to run a four-year course of study and either hold accreditation from the Council on Chiropractic Education or be actively pursuing it.¹

There is one narrow carve-out for students: enrollees at an approved chiropractic college may perform chiropractic tasks as part of their training without a license, provided the work is tied to the program. A licensed Georgia chiropractor must supervise any fee-for-service patient care, so instructors and professors cannot run paid clinical work without their own Georgia license.¹

Passing the Exam

Every applicant must pass an examination approved by the Board.⁵ In practice, the Board accepts the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) exams, which cover basic sciences, clinical sciences, and diagnostic imaging. Students in their final academic year of an approved program may sit for the exam at the Board’s discretion, but they cannot receive a license until every other requirement is met.¹

Application Fee and Character

The application fee is $285 under the Board’s current fee schedule.² Applicants must also demonstrate good moral character. The statute does not require malpractice insurance as a condition of initial licensure, though carrying professional liability coverage is standard in the field.

What a Georgia Chiropractic License Allows

Georgia defines chiropractic as the adjustment of the body’s joints, with special emphasis on the spine, to restore health through the body’s own recuperative abilities. Drugs and surgery are explicitly outside the scope.⁴ Under Section 43-9-16, a licensed chiropractor can evaluate, diagnose, and adjust patients to correct spinal subluxations and other joint problems. The law also authorizes:

Electrical and mechanical devices producing traction or vibration
Hot and cold packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, microwave, and diathermy, provided the chiropractor has completed at least 120 hours of instruction in those techniques through a program aligned with Council on Chiropractic Education guidelines
X-rays for diagnostic purposes (not as treatment)
Nutritional and dietary supplement recommendations
Therapeutic exercise, massage, and manual therapy as they relate to the joints⁶

Prescribing or administering medication, performing surgery, practicing obstetrics or osteopathy, and any invasive procedure that penetrates the skin or enters a body opening are prohibited. That includes venipuncture, acupuncture (unless the chiropractor is separately licensed under Georgia’s acupuncture statute), and colonics.⁶

One detail trips people up. When a chiropractor performs a procedure that also falls within conventional medical practice, such as taking an X-ray or applying certain physical therapy modalities, the standard of care is a physician’s standard, not another chiropractor’s.⁶

Renewal and Continuing Education

Georgia chiropractic licenses run on a two-year cycle. You must complete 20 hours of Board-approved continuing education each year to qualify for renewal.³ The Board’s administrative rules divide those 20 hours into three categories:

Clinical science: 15 hours, within the current scope of chiropractic practice
Ethics or risk management: 4 hours on professional conduct and liability
Georgia laws and rules: 1 hour on state regulatory changes; non-resident chiropractors licensed in Georgia but practicing elsewhere may substitute this hour for additional clinical science or risk management⁷

Courses can be completed through seminars, workshops, or online formats, as long as the Board has approved them. Proof of completed hours gets submitted with your biennial renewal, and the renewal fee is $125 when paid by the December 31 deadline in even-numbered years.² Falling behind on continuing education can lead to fines or suspension.

What Can Cost You the License

The Board of Chiropractic Examiners can refuse to issue a license, suspend one, revoke it, or impose other discipline when a majority of the full Board finds a qualifying violation. The statute lists more than a dozen specific grounds. The most common include:

Fraud or deception, including misleading representations in practice or false statements made to obtain a license
Any felony conviction or crime involving moral turpitude, whether in Georgia or elsewhere, including matters resolved by nolo contendere plea or first-offender treatment
Having a chiropractic license revoked, suspended, or otherwise disciplined by any other licensing authority
Unprofessional conduct harmful to the public that affects fitness to practice
Aiding someone without a license, or whose license has been suspended, in the practice of chiropractic⁸

The Board can also act when a chiropractor violates any state or federal law, any Board rule, or any prior disciplinary order. Substance abuse that impairs professional judgment and mental incompetency determined by a court are additional grounds.

A chiropractor facing discipline has the right to a formal hearing to present evidence and arguments. Appeals follow the Georgia Administrative Procedure Act and ultimately reach the Superior Court for judicial review.⁹

Penalty for Practicing Without a Current License

Georgia treats unlicensed chiropractic practice as a felony, not a misdemeanor. Anyone who practices or attempts to practice chiropractic without a license, fraudulently obtains a license, or uses titles like “chiropractor” or “D.C.” without complying with Chapter 9 faces a fine between $500 and $5,000, imprisonment of two to five years, or both.¹⁰

The same penalty applies if you let your license lapse. Board rules specify that practicing with an inactive license counts as unlicensed practice, and continuing to see patients after a temporary license expires without obtaining a regular license carries the same felony consequences. The Board investigates allegations and can issue cease-and-desist orders, but the criminal penalties come through the court system.

Out-of-State and Temporary Practice

Section 43-9-7.1 gives the Board statutory authority to issue temporary licenses at its discretion, but the Board does not currently issue them. That means an out-of-state chiropractor cannot legally practice in Georgia on a temporary basis under this provision, even for short-term coverage.¹¹ Confirm directly with the Board before assuming any exception applies to your situation.

1
Justia Law. Georgia Code 43-9-7 – Qualifications of Applicants for License to Practice Chiropractic
2
Georgia Secretary of State. Fee Schedule
3
FindLaw. Georgia Code 43-9-11 – Renewal of License
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FindLaw. Georgia Code 43-9-1 – Definitions
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Justia Law. Georgia Code 43-9-8 – Examination
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Justia Law. Georgia Code 43-9-16 – Scope of Practice
7
Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Administrative Code 100-5 – Continuing Education
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Justia Law. Georgia Code 43-9-12 – Refusal, Suspension, or Revocation of License
9
Justia Law. Foster v. Georgia Board of Chiropractic Examiners
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Justia Law. Georgia Code 43-9-19 – Penalty
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Georgia Secretary of State. FAQ for the Board of Chiropractors