NP Scope of Practice by State
Every state's practice-authority classification in one sortable, filterable view — with each state's board of nursing, licensure guide, live salary data, and open jobs one click away.
Last reviewed: August 6, 2026
Source: AANP State Practice Environment (as of 2025)
The three practice environments
The AANP classifies each state's regulatory environment for nurse practitioners into one of three tiers. The tier tells you the legal structure around practice — it is not a pay scale, and it is not the fine print: prescribing schedules, agreement contents, fees, and renewal rules are set by each state board of nursing, which is why every state below links its board directly.
Full Practice Authority
Evaluate, diagnose, order and interpret tests, and prescribe under the licensure authority of the state board of nursing — no mandated physician relationship. Some full-practice states phase this in through a transition-to-practice period.
Reduced Practice
A documented collaborative agreement with a physician is required for at least one element of practice — most commonly prescribing. The collaborating physician typically does not need to be on-site.
Restricted Practice
State law requires supervision, delegation, or team management by a physician. Postings in these states typically name a supervising physician and reference protocols or practice agreements.
Explore all 50 states + DC
Sort by state or by authority tier, filter, or search. State names jump to the detail section below; the links on each row go straight to that state's licensure guide, live salary page, and open jobs.
Showing 51 of 51 jurisdictions
Where the Nurse Licensure Compact fits
The compact covers the RN license that underpins your APRN credential — a multistate RN license is recognized across member states. It does not change your scope of practice: APRN licensure is issued state by state, and the practice environment above is what governs how you work there.
Membership shifts as legislatures act, and some jurisdictions sit between enactment and implementation, so this page deliberately does not publish a membership list. Check each state you plan to cover against the live NCSBN compact roster.
State-by-state details
What we track here: the AANP classification and what it means in that state. What we deliberately leave to the authorities: prescribing schedules, agreement contents, fees, and renewal rules — those change too often to restate, so each state links its board of nursing, and the AANP State Practice Environment page tracks classification changes as legislatures act.
Alabama (AL)
Reduced PracticeAlabama requires NPs to have a collaborative agreement with a physician. The collaborating physician does not need to be on-site.
Alaska (AK)
Full Practice AuthorityNPs in Alaska can practice independently, including prescribing controlled substances, without physician oversight.
Arizona (AZ)
Full Practice AuthorityArizona grants full practice authority to NPs after completing a transition-to-practice period.
Arizona State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Arkansas (AR)
Reduced PracticeArkansas NPs must have a collaborative practice agreement with a physician.
Arkansas State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
California (CA)
Restricted PracticeCalifornia requires physician supervision for NPs. Recent legislation (AB 890) is phasing in expanded practice authority through 2026.
California Board of Registered NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Colorado (CO)
Full Practice AuthorityColorado NPs can practice independently and prescribe all medications including controlled substances.
Colorado Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Connecticut (CT)
Full Practice AuthorityConnecticut allows independent NP practice with full prescriptive authority.
Connecticut Board of Nurse LicensureLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Delaware (DE)
Full Practice AuthorityDelaware NPs have independent practice authority after meeting experience requirements.
Delaware Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
District of Columbia (DC)
Full Practice AuthorityWashington D.C. grants full practice authority to NPs.
District of Columbia Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Florida (FL)
Restricted PracticeFlorida requires physician supervision for NP practice under a supervisory protocol; a 2020 law lets NPs with 3,000+ supervised hours in the past five years register for autonomous primary-care practice — family medicine, general pediatrics and general internal medicine only.
Georgia (GA)
Restricted PracticeGeorgia requires NPs to practice under physician supervision with a protocol agreement.
Hawaii (HI)
Full Practice AuthorityHawaii NPs can practice independently with full prescriptive authority.
Idaho (ID)
Full Practice AuthorityIdaho grants full practice authority to NPs.
Illinois (IL)
Reduced PracticeIllinois requires a written collaborative agreement for NPs.
Illinois Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Indiana (IN)
Reduced PracticeIndiana NPs must practice under a collaborative agreement with a physician.
Indiana State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Iowa (IA)
Full Practice AuthorityIowa NPs have independent practice and prescriptive authority.
Kansas (KS)
Full Practice AuthorityKansas NPs have full independent practice authority.
Kansas State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Kentucky (KY)
Reduced PracticeKentucky requires a collaborative agreement for NP practice.
Kentucky Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Louisiana (LA)
Reduced PracticeLouisiana NPs must have a collaborative practice agreement.
Louisiana State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Maine (ME)
Full Practice AuthorityMaine allows independent NP practice with full prescriptive authority.
Maine State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Maryland (MD)
Full Practice AuthorityMaryland grants full practice authority to NPs.
Maryland Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Massachusetts (MA)
Full Practice AuthorityMassachusetts grants full practice authority to NPs after at least two years of supervised practice; the supervision requirement applies only during that transition period.
Massachusetts Board of Registration in NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Michigan (MI)
Restricted PracticeMichigan requires a supervisory agreement between NPs and physicians.
Michigan Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Minnesota (MN)
Full Practice AuthorityMinnesota NPs can practice independently without physician oversight.
Minnesota Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Mississippi (MS)
Reduced PracticeMississippi requires NPs to have a collaborative practice agreement.
Mississippi Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Missouri (MO)
Restricted PracticeMissouri requires NPs to have a collaborative practice arrangement with physician supervision.
Missouri State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Montana (MT)
Full Practice AuthorityMontana grants full practice authority to NPs.
Nebraska (NE)
Full Practice AuthorityNebraska NPs have full practice authority after a transition period.
Nebraska Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Nevada (NV)
Full Practice AuthorityNevada grants full practice authority to NPs after 2 years of supervised practice.
Nevada State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
New Hampshire (NH)
Full Practice AuthorityNew Hampshire NPs can practice independently.
New Hampshire Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
New Jersey (NJ)
Reduced PracticeNew Jersey NPs need a collaborative agreement with a physician.
New Jersey Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
New Mexico (NM)
Full Practice AuthorityNew Mexico grants full practice authority to NPs.
New Mexico Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
New York (NY)
Full Practice AuthorityNew York grants full practice authority to NPs who have completed 3,600 hours of qualifying practice; below that threshold a written collaborative relationship with a physician still applies.
New York State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
North Carolina (NC)
Restricted PracticeNorth Carolina requires NPs to practice under physician supervision.
North Carolina Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
North Dakota (ND)
Full Practice AuthorityNorth Dakota NPs have independent practice authority.
North Dakota Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Ohio (OH)
Reduced PracticeOhio NPs must have a standard care arrangement with a collaborating physician.
Oklahoma (OK)
Restricted PracticeOklahoma requires physician supervision for NPs.
Oklahoma Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Oregon (OR)
Full Practice AuthorityOregon grants full practice authority to NPs.
Oregon State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Pennsylvania (PA)
Reduced PracticePennsylvania requires a collaborative agreement for NP practice.
Pennsylvania State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Rhode Island (RI)
Full Practice AuthorityRhode Island NPs can practice independently.
Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing EducationLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
South Carolina (SC)
Restricted PracticeSouth Carolina requires NPs to practice under physician supervision with written protocols.
South Carolina Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
South Dakota (SD)
Full Practice AuthoritySouth Dakota grants full practice authority to NPs.
South Dakota Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Tennessee (TN)
Restricted PracticeTennessee requires physician supervision for NPs.
Tennessee Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Texas (TX)
Restricted PracticeTexas requires NPs to have a prescriptive authority agreement with a supervising physician.
Utah (UT)
Full Practice AuthorityUtah grants full practice authority to NPs after completing a mentorship period.
Utah Board of Nursing and Certified Nurse MidwivesLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Vermont (VT)
Full Practice AuthorityVermont NPs have independent practice authority.
Vermont State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Virginia (VA)
Restricted PracticeVirginia requires a practice agreement with a supervising physician for NPs.
Virginia Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Washington (WA)
Full Practice AuthorityWashington grants full practice authority to NPs.
Washington State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
West Virginia (WV)
Reduced PracticeWest Virginia NPs must have a collaborative agreement with a physician.
West Virginia Board of Registered NursesLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Wisconsin (WI)
Reduced PracticeWisconsin requires NPs to have a collaborative relationship with a physician.
Wisconsin Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Wyoming (WY)
Full Practice AuthorityWyoming NPs can practice independently.
Wyoming State Board of NursingLicensure guideSalary dataOpen jobs
Frequently asked questions
What does "scope of practice" mean for NPs?
Scope of practice is what a state's law and board rules let a nurse practitioner do — evaluate patients, diagnose, order and interpret tests, and initiate and manage treatment, including prescribing. The AANP classifies each state's regulatory environment into one of three tiers: Full Practice (independent practice under the board of nursing), Reduced Practice (a collaborative agreement with a physician is required for at least one element of practice), and Restricted Practice (supervision, delegation, or team management by a physician is required).
How many states grant NPs full practice authority?
27 states plus Washington D.C. are classified as Full Practice Authority (AANP State Practice Environment, 2025). 12 states are Reduced Practice and 11 are Restricted Practice. Classifications move whenever a state legislature acts, so confirm the current tier against the AANP State Practice Environment page before relying on one.
What is the difference between reduced and restricted practice?
In a Reduced Practice state, a nurse practitioner holds their own license but state law requires a documented collaborative agreement with a physician covering at least one element of practice — most commonly prescribing. In a Restricted Practice state, the law goes further: supervision, delegation, or team management by a physician is required for practice itself, and job postings typically name a supervising physician and reference protocols. Several states also apply transition-to-practice periods before full autonomy — the per-state details on this page note the ones in this dataset.
Where do I find my state's prescribing rules and agreement paperwork?
From your state board of nursing — that is deliberate, not an omission. Controlled-substance schedules, collaboration-agreement contents, filing steps, fees, and renewal rules are set by each board and change often enough that restating them here would go stale. Every state section on this page links the board's NCSBN member-board directory entry, and the AANP State Practice Environment page tracks classification changes as legislatures act.
Does the Nurse Licensure Compact change an NP's scope of practice?
No. The compact covers the RN license underpinning your APRN credential — a multistate RN license is recognized across member states — but APRN licensure, and with it your scope of practice, is issued state by state. Compact membership also shifts as legislatures act, and some jurisdictions sit between enactment and implementation, so this page does not publish a membership list: check the live NCSBN roster at https://www.nursecompact.com/ for each state you plan to cover.
Full Practice Authority guide
What practice authority changes about how you can work and earn.
Licensure checker & multi-state planner
Line up the states you're considering side by side.
NP salary guide
State-by-state pay computed from live postings.
Find NP jobs where you want to practice
Browse nurse practitioner positions updated daily, in every practice environment.