Indiana Occupational Codes: Licensing, Renewal, and Penalties

Indiana’s occupational codes are the licensing and conduct rules written into Title 25 of the Indiana Code, and they govern dozens of regulated professions from nursing and medicine to real estate, engineering, accounting, and law.¹ The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) administers most of them alongside profession-specific boards that set education, examination, and discipline standards within the statutory framework.² Violations can lead to fines, suspension, revocation, or criminal charges, so the rules matter whether you are applying for a first license or holding one you have had for years.

Who Enforces the Rules

The PLA handles the paperwork side: processing applications, maintaining license records, and supporting the individual boards that regulate specific fields. The Indiana State Board of Nursing covers nurses, the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana covers physicians, the Indiana Real Estate Commission covers brokers and salespersons, and so on down the list.² Each board sets its own rules, issues licenses, and runs disciplinary proceedings within the statute.

Enforcement runs through the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. Under IC 25-1-7, the Attorney General may investigate and prosecute complaints against licensed professionals on behalf of the state.³ The Consumer Protection Division’s Licensing Enforcement unit investigates complaints filed against PLA-licensed professionals.⁴ When a formal hearing becomes necessary, the Office of Administrative Law Proceedings (OALP) presides as an independent body.⁵

Getting Licensed

Every regulated profession has its own criteria, but the general shape is the same. Meet the education standards, pass the required examination, clear a background check, pay the fee, and submit the application through the PLA.

Education and testing are set profession by profession. Physicians must graduate from an approved medical school and pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination. Real estate brokers must complete a 90-hour pre-licensing course approved by the Indiana Real Estate Commission and pass the licensing examination through Pearson VUE.⁶

Most professions require a criminal background check with fingerprinting. Indiana law lets boards deny, suspend, or revoke a license based on certain convictions without first going through the Attorney General’s investigation process. The triggering offenses include drug possession and manufacturing offenses, sex crimes, and any felony that reflects adversely on your fitness to hold a professional license.⁷ Before acting, the board must give you the chance to appear in person and must determine that the offense affects your ability to perform the duties of the profession.

Fees vary. A registered nurse license application costs $50.⁸ For physicians, the PLA advises allowing four to six weeks for initial review after the application and fee are submitted, with the full timeline tied to how quickly you supply any missing documents.⁹ Applications go through the PLA’s online portal or by mail.

Keeping Your License Current

Each board sets its own renewal cycle, and renewal almost always means continuing education plus a fee. Indiana attorneys must complete at least 36 hours of approved CLE every three-year educational period, with a minimum of six hours per year and at least three hours in professional responsibility.¹⁰¹¹⁸⁶

Letting a license lapse creates real problems. Late fees apply, practicing on an expired license invites disciplinary action, and reinstating can be far harder than renewing on time. Real estate brokers whose licenses have been expired for three or more years must complete 36 hours of continuing education and retake the state portion of the exam. If the license has been expired for nine or more years, you start over with the full 90-hour pre-licensing course and both the national and state exams.⁶ The PLA sends renewal reminders, but the deadline is yours to meet.

Moving to Indiana With a License From Another State

If you already hold a license elsewhere, Indiana offers several ways to practice without starting from scratch.

Attorneys can apply for admission to the Indiana Bar without taking the bar exam if they have actively practiced law for at least three of the five years immediately before applying. “Actively practiced” means at least 1,000 hours per year of legal work, whether for the public, a government employer, or a law school. Applicants must also be in good standing in every state of admission and meet Indiana’s character and fitness requirements.¹² One disqualifier worth noting: if you have failed the Indiana bar exam or scored below 264 on the Uniform Bar Examination within the past five years, this route is closed.

Nurses benefit from the Nurse Licensure Compact, which Indiana joined effective July 1, 2020. Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses with a multistate license from any compact state may practice in Indiana without obtaining a separate Indiana license.¹³ As of early 2026, 43 states have enacted the NLC.¹⁴ Physicians have a parallel option through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, an expedited pathway across 43 member states and two U.S. territories.¹⁵

For professions outside a compact, reciprocity applicants generally submit verification of the out-of-state license, proof of good standing, and the applicable fees. Some boards require the Indiana-specific portion of the licensing exam. Real estate brokers applying by endorsement, for example, must pass the state portion.⁶

Military spouses get a faster track. If your spouse is a service member assigned to Indiana, you can obtain a provisional license without an examination, provided you hold a current license in good standing in at least one other state, have no pending investigations or disciplinary history, and pass any required background check. The PLA must issue the provisional license within 30 days of a complete application, and it stays valid for one year.¹⁶

Who Does Not Need a License

Not every person working in a regulated field needs a license. Title 25 carves out specific exemptions.

Under IC 25-22.5-1-2, military medical officers and U.S. Public Health Service physicians acting in official duties do not need an Indiana medical license. Neither do out-of-state physicians called in for consultation by an Indiana-licensed doctor, students and residents training under supervision at approved programs, or anyone rendering emergency medical care without charging a fee. The statute also exempts chiropractors, dentists, and nurses practicing within the scope of their own separate licenses.¹⁷

In real estate, property owners selling or leasing their own property do not need a broker’s license, and neither do full-time salaried employees handling real estate transactions for their employer, as long as no one involved is otherwise licensed under the real estate article.¹⁸

Professional engineers have exemptions under IC 25-31-1-20. Employees or subordinates of a registered engineer are exempt if they are not in responsible charge of design or supervision. The statute also exempts engineering work on property you own or lease (unless it involves public or employee health and safety) and engineering related solely to the design or fabrication of manufactured products.¹⁹

Penalties for Violations

Enforcement can start from a consumer complaint, a law enforcement referral, or a routine compliance check. For unlicensed practice, the state can pursue civil remedies including fines and cease-and-desist orders. Criminal penalties depend on the profession and the circumstances. Healthcare providers who practice without a license and cause patient harm face the most serious exposure, potentially including felony charges.

Licensed professionals face discipline for conduct like fraudulent billing, failing to meet continuing education requirements, or professional misconduct. Sanctions run from fines and probation to suspension or permanent revocation. The Medical Licensing Board sets fines at 50 percent of the statutory maximum, which works out to $1,000 per violation. That amount can be adjusted up or down based on aggravating or mitigating factors, though no fine may be set below $100.²⁰

Certain criminal convictions can trigger board action on their own, without the normal complaint-and-investigation process, as long as the licensee gets the chance to appear before the board first.⁷

Challenging a License Denial or Discipline

If a board moves to deny, suspend, or revoke your license, you have the right to challenge the decision through an administrative hearing. These proceedings run under the Indiana Administrative Orders and Procedures Act, codified in IC 4-21.5.²¹

The process starts with written notice. The notice must explain the available procedures and the time limit for seeking administrative review.²² If no petition for review is filed, the order takes effect 15 days after it is served, or at the end of whatever longer period the statute allows. Missing that window means the decision stands. Read the notice carefully and act quickly.

An administrative law judge presides. Both sides present evidence and arguments. You can bring legal counsel, submit documents, and call witnesses. The rules of evidence are more relaxed than in a courtroom trial. After the hearing, the ALJ issues findings of fact, conclusions of law, and a recommended order, which the licensing board reviews before issuing a final decision.²³

If you disagree with the final decision, you can seek judicial review by filing a petition in the appropriate court under IC 4-21.5-5. That chapter provides the exclusive means for judicial review of agency action, and you must exhaust your administrative remedies first.²⁴

Recordkeeping Obligations

Boards impose recordkeeping rules that are easy to overlook and expensive to ignore. The specifics vary by field; the consequences for noncompliance (fines, discipline, potential loss of license) are consistent.

Healthcare providers must retain patient records for at least seven years under IC 16-39-7-1.²⁵ Federal HIPAA rules do not impose their own retention period, but they do require covered entities to apply appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect patient information for as long as it is maintained, including during disposal.²⁶ Indiana’s seven-year rule sets your floor; privacy safeguards must remain active until records are properly destroyed.

Real estate professionals face their own obligations. Brokers holding licenses issued after June 30, 2014, must complete 30 hours of post-licensing education during their first two years, and continuing education course sponsors must retain attendance and course records for five years.⁶ Brokers themselves should maintain transaction files, contracts, and financial records to be ready for any audit or complaint investigation.

Attorneys must maintain client records and trust account documentation under the oversight of the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. CPAs follow the Indiana Board of Accountancy’s retention rules. Across every regulated profession, standard business recordkeeping obligations apply on top of the license-specific ones: tax records, payroll documents, and employment agreements must be retained in accordance with state and federal tax law.

1
Justia. Indiana Code Title 25 – Professions and Occupations
2
Justia. Indiana Code Title 25, Article 1, Chapter 5 – Professional Licensing Agency
3
Justia. Indiana Code Title 25, Article 1, Chapter 7 – Investigation and Prosecution of Complaints Concerning Regulated Occupations
4
IN.gov. Consumer Protection Division – Licensing Complaint and Enforcement
5
IN.gov. OALP Jurisdiction
6
IN.gov. PLA – Real Estate Licensing Information
7
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 25-1-1.1-2 – Suspension, Denial, or Revocation of a License
8
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Nursing Licensing Information
9
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Physicians Licensing Information
10
Indiana Court Rules. Rule 29 – Mandatory Continuing Legal Education
11
Cornell Law Institute. Indiana Administrative Code 856 IAC 1-26-1 – Continuing Professional Education
12
Indiana Court Rules. Rule 6 – Admission Without Examination
13
IN.gov. Indiana Implements Nurse Licensure Compact
14
NCSBN. NLC States Map
15
Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Physician License – Interstate Medical Licensure Compact
16
IN.gov. Military Experience – PLA
17
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 25-22.5-1-2
18
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 25-34.1-3-2 – Transactions Without License, Prohibition, Exemption
19
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 25-31-1-20 – Exempt Persons
20
Cornell Law Institute. Indiana Administrative Code 844 IAC 21-2-7 – Fines and Civil Penalties
21
Justia. Indiana Code Title 4, Article 21.5 – Administrative Orders and Procedures
22
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 4-21.5-3-5 – Notice Required, Certain Licensing and Other Decisions
23
Indiana State Government. OALP – General Information about the Administrative Hearings Process
24
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 4-21.5-5-2 – Petition, Persons Entitled to Judicial Review
25
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 16-39-7-1
26
HHS.gov. Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule Require Covered Entities to Keep Medical Records for Any Period of Time