Can I use a state where I'm licensed but don't live as my OT Compact home state?

No. The home state is your primary state of residence, and you attest to it in the application. Licenses in other states still work in those states.

Do I lose my OT Compact privileges when I move?

Your privileges rest on a home license in the state where you live. Moving to another member state means getting a new home license there; moving to a non-member state means a regular license there.

Can a military spouse keep their old home state under the OT Compact?

Yes. Section 6 of the compact lets active duty members and spouses designate a home state where they hold a license in good standing and keep it while the member is on active duty.

Can I hold OT licenses in other states and still use the compact?

Yes. The compact does not stop you holding single-state licenses in several states. You simply have only one home state license for compact purposes.

Your Home State and the OT Compact: Residence, Moving and Military Rules

Your home state, for the OT Compact, is the member state where you have your primary residence and hold a license. It is not the state where you were first licensed, the state where you work the most, or the state your agency lists as your tax home. You can have only one, it has to be a member that is issuing privileges, and every privilege you hold depends on that one license.

How does the compact define a home state?

The Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact model law defines "Home State" as "the Member State that is the Licensee's Primary State of Residence" (Section 2J). "Primary State of Residence" is the state where an OT or OTA who is not active duty military "declares a primary residence for legal purposes as verified by: driver's license, federal income tax return, lease, deed, mortgage or voter registration or other verifying documentation as further defined by Commission Rules" (Section 2U).

The Commission adds a licensing condition. OTC Rule 2.1 defines a home state license as "an active license issued without any encumbrance by the primary state of residence." So three things have to line up in the same state:

You live there for legal purposes, and your documents say so.
You hold an active, unencumbered OT or OTA license there.
The state is a compact member that is accepting applications. As of October 5, 2026, that means Minnesota, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Arkansas or Mississippi. See which states are issuing.

Boards apply this in their own way. The Virginia Board of Medicine, which licenses OTs there, says a Virginia licensee seeking privileges must "be a resident of Virginia and have a Virginia address listed in your public address of record on file with the Board as your home address." If your board still has an old address on file, fix it before you apply.

Can I pick the state with the easiest board?

No. The home state follows your residence; it is not a choice among the licenses you hold. When you apply in CompactConnect, the Commission says you attest that you are designating "your home state license in the state where you live." Designating a state where you hold a license but do not live is a false attestation.

That matters most for OTs who hold several licenses. A therapist living in Kentucky with licenses in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana cannot use Ohio as a home state to get privileges elsewhere, because Kentucky is where they live, and Kentucky had enacted the compact but was not issuing as of October 2026. The Ohio and Indiana licenses still work in Ohio and Indiana. They just do not open any other doors.

Does the compact help if I live in a non-member state?

Then you have no home state for compact purposes, whatever licenses you hold. Section 3E of the model law says people not living in a member state can still get single-state licenses there, but "the Single-State License granted to these individuals shall not be recognized as granting the Compact Privilege in any other Member State." An OT living in New Jersey, Florida or Texas needs a license in every state where they treat patients. Our state license index covers the endorsement route for each.

Can I keep my other state licenses?

Yes. Section 5D says nothing in the compact "shall interfere with a Licensee's ability to hold a Single-State License in multiple States," but "a Licensee shall have only one Home State license." Keeping a license you already have in a state you work in often makes sense, especially if your home state could change or if an employer or school credential names a specific state license. See compact privilege or a state license?

What happens when I move to another compact state?

Section 5B of the model law sets out the move between two member states:

You apply for a new home state license in the new state "by virtue of a Compact Privilege," pay its fees and notify both states under Commission rules.
The new home state verifies your eligibility through the compact's data system, "without need for primary source verification," except for an FBI fingerprint check if one was not already done, any other background check it requires, and its own jurisprudence requirement.
Once the new home license is active, the former home state converts your old home license into a compact privilege.
If you cannot meet the compact's criteria, the new state applies its normal requirements for a single-state license.

That is the design. The Commission's rules and the boards decide how it works in practice, and the compact's day-to-day operation is still young. Ask the new state's board, before you move, how it is handling home license applications from compact privilege holders, and how long they are taking.

The model law does not give you a grace period to keep working on the old home license after you move. Your residence changes when you move, and your privileges rest on a home license in your state of residence. If you are relocating for a job, start the new state's license before the moving truck.

What happens when I move into or out of the compact?

Section 5C is short: if you move from a member state to a non-member state, or the other way, "the State criteria shall apply for issuance of a Single-State License in the new State." Moving from Ohio to Texas means a Texas license by endorsement, and your Ohio-based privileges no longer have a home license behind them once Ohio stops being your home state. Moving from Florida to Tennessee means a Tennessee license the regular way, after which Tennessee can be your home state for privileges.

How do the rules work for military families?

Section 6 lets active duty service members and their spouses "designate a Home State where the individual has a current license in good standing," and keep that designation while the service member is on active duty. A military spouse licensed in Maryland, for example, can keep Maryland as a home state through several duty stations in other states. Changing the designation later requires applying for licensure in the new state or using the Section 5 process.

The Commission checks. Its military identification policy, effective January 8, 2026, says applicants who claimed military or military spouse status and are selected for audit must upload valid military identification, such as a Uniformed Services ID card or current active duty orders, into CompactConnect.

Does an old or grandfathered license count?

Yes. The Commission's FAQ says you can participate if you were licensed under older requirements or grandfathered in. If you have never had a criminal background check, you complete one through your home state board first. See the FBI background check.

Which home state questions do we settle in a readiness review?

Most of the compact problems we see start here: a board address that does not match the driver's license, a home state that is enacted but not issuing, a move planned for next spring. Our OT Compact Readiness Review ($149) looks at where you live, what you hold and where you want to work, and tells you whether the compact works now, later or not at all for you. If it does, the Compact Privilege Concierge takes you through the home-board background check and a guided CompactConnect session while you complete and submit the application yourself. If you are moving, we can start the new state's license by endorsement ($599 for OTs, $499 for OTAs). More on the compact at our OT Compact hub.