To run a Texas PT license lookup, go to the free verification portal the Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners (ECPTOTE) maintains at vo.licensing.hpc.texas.gov, or reach it through ptot.texas.gov by clicking “Look Up a License.”1Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners. Verification The database refreshes every business day, so the record you pull reflects the most recent licensing actions on file. Anyone can search it, and the whole check takes about two minutes.
How To Search the Portal
Open the portal and choose “Physical Therapy” from the profession dropdown. That filters out occupational therapists and other professions that share the same system. You can then search by name or by license number.
A license number returns one exact match. A name search may return several people if the name is common, and spelling has to be exact. A single typo returns zero results, so double-check before you conclude the person is unlicensed.
Click a name in the results to open the full profile. It shows license type (physical therapist or physical therapist assistant), license number, issue date, expiration date, current status, and any board orders on file. That page is your confirmation of whether someone is authorized to treat patients in Texas right now.
What the License Status Means
The status field is the part that tells you whether the therapist can legally practice. The common designations:
- Active. Current license, continuing education complete, renewal fees paid. This is the only status that authorizes someone to provide physical therapy in Texas.
- Expired. The renewal deadline passed without renewal. The holder cannot legally practice.
- Delinquent. Unrenewed long enough that late fees now apply on top of the standard renewal cost. Also does not authorize practice.
- Inactive. The therapist voluntarily placed the license in inactive status. They still hold credentials but cannot treat patients until they reactivate.
- Suspended. The board has barred the person from practicing, typically after a disciplinary finding. No services allowed until the suspension is lifted.
For a patient, the rule is simple. If the status reads anything other than Active, that person should not be treating you. Employers and out-of-state boards may care about the difference between expired, inactive, and suspended for credentialing history; for your care, the practical answer is the same in each case.
An upcoming expiration date is not itself a warning sign. Texas PT licenses run on a two-year cycle, and every therapist has a renewal date somewhere on the calendar.2State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code Section 453-251 – License Expiration What matters is whether that date has already passed while the status shows anything other than Active.
Board Orders on the Record
The profile also lists any formal disciplinary actions, shown as Board Orders. These are public records that describe what rule or law the therapist violated and what penalty the board imposed under the Physical Therapy Practice Act (Texas Occupations Code Chapter 453) and the board’s administrative rules.3State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 453 – Physical Therapy4Legal Information Institute. 22 Texas Admin Code 344-1 – Administrative Fines and Penalties
A board order on the record does not automatically mean the therapist is barred from practicing. Many orders involve fines or probation and allow continued practice under conditions. If you see a board order paired with an Active status, the therapist has either completed the corrective action or is practicing under the board’s conditions. Open the order itself to see what happened and what terms apply.
When the Therapist Isn’t in the Texas Database
If your search returns nothing but you have reason to believe the therapist is practicing legally, they may hold a compact privilege rather than a Texas-issued license. Texas participates in the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact, which lets qualified therapists practice across member states without holding a separate license in each one.5Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners. Compact As of 2025, 37 states and the District of Columbia are active compact members.6PT Compact. PT Compact Map
Compact privilege holders do not appear in the ECPTOTE portal. Verify them through the compact’s separate portal at purchase.ptcompact.org/Verify. To hold a compact privilege, a therapist must have an active, unencumbered license in their home state and no disciplinary actions in the past two years.7PT Compact. Process and Requirements
If the Lookup Raises Concerns
You can file a complaint with ECPTOTE directly. The agency accepts complaints three ways:8Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners. File a Complaint
- Online, using the Investigation Referral Form at ptot.texas.gov.
- By mail, sending the paper Investigation Referral Form to ECPTOTE at 1801 Congress Ave, Ste 10.900, Austin, TX 78701.
- By phone, through the Health Professions Council complaint hotline at 1-800-821-3205, or ECPTOTE directly at (512) 305-6900.
Attach any documentation you have: treatment records, bills, correspondence. The board investigates potential violations of the Physical Therapy Practice Act. Fee disputes and general dissatisfaction with treatment outcomes fall outside what the board reviews.
Getting Official Written Verification
The free online lookup is enough for patients and for most informal credential checks. If you need official written verification, typically for a licensing application in another state or for a credentialing file, ECPTOTE provides that as a separate service for a $50 fee.9Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners. Send a Verification For ambiguous results, or when a search turns up nothing and you believe the therapist is licensed, call ECPTOTE at (512) 305-6900. Staff can tell you whether a record has been updated, whether the person practices under a different name, or whether they hold a compact privilege instead of a Texas license.10Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners. Contact Us