New Hampshire LADC License: Requirements, Exam, and Renewal

To earn a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor credential in New Hampshire, you need a qualifying degree, supervised work experience and practical training, 300 hours of alcohol and drug use education, a passing score on the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor exam, and an approved application to the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). The New Hampshire LADC license requirements sit in RSA 330-C and the rules the Board of Licensing for Alcohol and Other Drug Use Professionals adopts under it, and the specifics change depending on which degree you hold.

Education and Supervised Hours

RSA 330-C:17 sets two pathways to an initial LADC license. The one you qualify for depends on your degree level.

Associate’s degree in substance use counseling, addiction studies, or an equivalent program: 6,000 hours of supervised work experience and 300 hours of supervised practical training.¹
Bachelor’s degree in clinical mental health, social work, psychology, substance use counseling, addiction studies, human services, or an equivalent field from an accredited college or university: 4,000 hours of supervised work experience and 300 hours of supervised practical training.¹

Both pathways also require 300 hours of alcohol and drug use education. You can complete those hours within your degree program or separately through a board-approved provider.¹ The 300 practical training hours can be completed within the degree program, as part of the supervised work experience, or on their own. Don’t confuse them with the supervised work experience hours. They are separate requirements, even though they can overlap in how they are completed.

Passing the IC&RC Exam

Every LADC applicant has to pass a nationally recognized examination the Board specifies. New Hampshire uses the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) exam, which covers four content domains:²

Scientific principles of substance use and co-occurring disorders (25%): brain science, pharmacology, risk factors, and the progressive stages of addiction.
Evidence-based screening and assessment (20%): interviewing techniques, diagnostic criteria, biopsychosocial history, and placement decisions.
Evidence-based treatment, counseling, and referral (30%): communication skills, crisis intervention, trauma-informed care, and case management.
Professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities (25%): confidentiality rules, ethical standards, and legal obligations.

If you don’t pass, you have to wait at least 90 days before retaking it. Retakes are scheduled through the New Hampshire Board as the local IC&RC member board.³

Submitting Your Application

Once the education, supervised experience, practical training, and exam are done, you submit a formal application to the OPLC. The package includes proof of your degree, documentation of your supervised work experience and practical training hours, and verification that you passed the IC&RC ADC exam. The Board also requires an FBI criminal history records check.⁴

A criminal record is not an automatic disqualifier. The Board evaluates each case based on the nature of the offense and whether you’ve made sufficient restitution or been rehabilitated, following criteria it adopts under RSA 330-C:9.⁵ Current application and processing fees are posted on the OPLC’s fee schedule for the Board of Licensing for Alcohol and Other Drug Use Professionals.⁶

What an LADC Can and Cannot Do

RSA 330-C:11 sets the LADC scope of practice, and the limits are tighter than many people expect. An LADC may screen, assess, diagnose, plan treatment for, and treat substance use disorders. An LADC may also screen for mental health disorders and refer clients for further evaluation, including developing preliminary mental health diagnoses that another professional has to confirm.⁷

The main limitation: an LADC cannot treat co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders together, unless the LADC is in an academic internship as part of a master’s program in a mental health field, or is employed as an LADC working toward mental health licensure under RSA 330-A, RSA 329, or RSA 326-B.⁷ If treating co-occurring disorders is central to the work you want to do, you’re looking at the MLADC credential, not the LADC.

One more thing that catches some new licensees off guard: all LADC practice must occur under clinical supervision by an MLADC, a Licensed Clinical Supervisor, another LADC, a psychiatric APRN, or a board-approved licensed mental health provider.⁷ This isn’t the same as the supervised work experience you completed before licensure. Even after you hold your LADC, you practice under clinical supervision.

Renewing Your License

LADC and MLADC licenses expire two years from the date of issuance.⁸ To renew, you submit the renewal application, pay the renewal fee, and document that you’ve completed the required continuing education.⁹ Current renewal fees are on the OPLC’s fee schedule.⁶

The continuing education requirements for each two-year cycle are specific:

48 total hours of continuing education in substance use disorder training.
At least 6 hours in ethics.
At least 6 hours in suicide prevention.
At least 12 hours in clinical competency topics such as substance use disorder diagnosis, pharmacology, and treatment issues.
At least 24 of the 48 hours from courses pre-approved by the Board.
No more than 12 hours from online courses, though courses taken as part of an online degree program and live, simultaneously interactive online training don’t count against that cap.¹⁰

You can also substitute up to 10 hours of continuing education for an equivalent amount of time spent as a presenter of continuing education courses.¹⁰ The Board audits, and if you’re selected you have to provide certificates of completion. Let your license lapse and you can’t legally practice until you complete reinstatement, which carries a separate fee.

If You’re Licensed in Another State

If you already hold an active substance use counseling license somewhere else, New Hampshire may offer a faster path. Under HB 594, effective August 2023, the OPLC recognizes licenses from jurisdictions whose requirements it considers “substantially similar” to New Hampshire’s as satisfying the minimum qualifications for a New Hampshire license.¹¹ The LADC was among the license types the OPLC prioritized when evaluating which jurisdictions qualify.

Reciprocity doesn’t let you start practicing the moment you arrive. You still need a New Hampshire license before you begin work. What’s streamlined is that you generally don’t have to resubmit transcripts to prove your education. To apply, you submit the Universal Application for Initial License, the application processing fee, a copy of your active out-of-state license in good standing, and an FBI criminal history records check.⁴ Once licensed by reciprocity, you have to meet all of New Hampshire’s ongoing requirements, including continuing education.

Moving Up to the MLADC

The Master Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor is the higher-tier credential, and it carries a broader scope that includes treating co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.¹² The requirements are considerably more demanding:

A minimum 60-credit-hour master’s degree (or advanced standing master’s) in clinical mental health, clinical psychology, substance use treatment, social work, or an equivalent field, with coursework covering assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use and mental health disorders.¹³
300 hours of alcohol and drug use education, which can be part of the master’s coursework.
300 hours of supervised practical training.
3,000 hours of clinically supervised post-master’s work experience in the treatment of substance use, mental health, and co-occurring disorders. Up to 1,500 hours can come from supervised experience accumulated while practicing as an LADC, and a current license under RSA 330-A can substitute for up to 1,500 hours as well.¹³

If your master’s is fewer than 60 credit hours, the Board decides what additional master’s-level coursework you need to make up the difference. For LADCs already in practice, the ability to count 1,500 hours of LADC supervised experience toward the MLADC is a meaningful head start.

Title Protection

RSA 330-C:31 makes it unlawful for anyone not licensed under Chapter 330-C to use the title “Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor” or any abbreviation or designation suggesting they hold such a license. The prohibition also covers practicing as an LADC without the credential. Under RSA 330-C:32, violating any provision of the chapter is a misdemeanor for individuals.¹² If you’re still working through the education, hours, or exam, you can describe your work accurately, but you can’t use the LADC title until the OPLC issues the license.

1
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 330-C:17 – Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor; Initial License
2
International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium. Candidate Guide for the IC&RC Alcohol and Drug Counselor Examination
3
International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium. Retakes, Disclosure, Grievance, and Appeals
4
NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. New Changes for Reciprocity in New Hampshire
5
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 330-C:9 – Rulemaking Authority
6
NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. Board of Licensing for Alcohol and Other Drug Use Professionals License Fees
7
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 330-C:11 – Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor; Scope of Practice
8
Legal Information Institute. NH Admin Code Plc 308.01 – Applicability; License Expiration
9
Legal Information Institute. NH Admin Code Alc 403.02 – Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC)
10
Legal Information Institute. NH Admin Code Alc 409.02 – Requirements for LADC and MLADCs
11
NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. FAQs About New Reciprocity Rules in New Hampshire
12
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 330-C:2 – Definitions
13
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 330-C:16 – Master Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor; Initial License