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How to Find a Licensed Social Worker
To check whether a social worker is licensed, use the online license lookup run by the licensing board in the state where they practice. This guide links to the official lookup for every state and the District of Columbia.
Resources for Social Work Students
Jun 3, 2021-4 MIN READ
To check whether a social worker is licensed, search the online license lookup run by the licensing board in the state where they practice. In the United States, social work license requirements are set by individual states, according to the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the association of these regulatory boards (ASWB). ASWB points the public to each board's own website to confirm licensure status and keeps a list of board lookup sites. The table below links to the lookup for every state and the District of Columbia, with the license titles or search category to use. Links were checked in October 2026.
If you are looking for a social worker to help you or someone in your family, see "Finding a social worker for help" below.
Social workers earn a social work degree, and most state and U.S. territory licensing requirements call for a degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Most states offer more than one category of license, recognizing different scopes of practice (ASWB). That is one reason license titles differ from state to state. Our guide to the difference between the LMSW and the LCSW explains two of these titles.
Social Worker License Lookup and Verification by State
State licensing boards license and regulate social workers, and the board in each state enforces the rules for social work, including on ethics and malpractice (ASWB). The table below links to each state's official lookup. Some boards regulate more than one profession (ASWB), so their search tools cover other professions too; the last column shows the license titles or the category to choose when you search. For more on each state's licensing board, see our list of social work licensing boards by state.
How to verify a social worker's license
- Find the state where the social worker practices in the table below and open its lookup.
- If the tool asks for a profession, board or license type, choose social work or the title listed in the last column.
- Search by license number, or by first and last name. Some tools need the complete first and last name.
- Check that the license type and status in the result match what the social worker has told you, and read any public disciplinary information the board shows.
| State | State Licensing Board | Website | Relevant Professions / Search Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners | LBSW, LMSW, LICSW | |
Alaska | Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) | Baccalaureate Social Worker, Master Social Worker, Clinical Social Worker | |
Arizona | Board of Behavioral Health Examiners | LBSW, LMSW, LCSW | |
Arkansas | Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board (Arkansas Department of Health) | LSW, LMSW, LCSW (Licensed Certified Social Worker) | |
California | Board of Behavioral Sciences | Board: Behavioral Sciences; Licensed Clinical Social Worker | |
Colorado | State Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professions and Occupations) | Licensed Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Clinical Social Worker Candidate (use the board page's Lookup a License link) | |
Connecticut | Department of Public Health | Licensed Clinical Social Worker; Master's Level Social Worker | |
Delaware | Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) | Profession: Social Work Examiners; LBSW, LMSW, LCSW | |
District of Columbia | Board of Social Work (DC Health) | LSWA, LGSW, LISW, LICSW | |
Florida | Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (Department of Health) | Licensed Clinical Social Worker; Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern; Certified Master Social Worker | |
Georgia | Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists | Master Social Worker; Clinical Social Worker | |
Hawaii | Social Worker Program, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs) | LBSW, LSW, LCSW | |
Idaho | Board of Social Work Examiners (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) | LSW, LMSW, LCSW | |
Illinois | Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board (Department of Financial and Professional Regulation) | Licensed Social Worker; Licensed Clinical Social Worker | |
Indiana | Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board | Profession: Behavioral Health Board; LBSW, LSW, LCSW | |
Iowa | Board of Behavioral Health Professionals (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) | LBSW, LMSW, LISW | |
Kansas | Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board | LBSW, LMSW, LSCSW | |
Kentucky | Kentucky Board of Social Work | LSW, CSW, LCSW | |
Louisiana | Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners | RSW, LMSW, LCSW | |
Maine | State Board of Social Worker Licensure | LSW, LMSW, LCSW, plus conditional licenses | |
Maryland | Board of Social Work Examiners (Maryland Department of Health) | Social worker search by last name or license number | |
Massachusetts | Board of Registration of Social Workers (Department of Public Health) | LICSW, LCSW, LSW, LSWA | |
Michigan | Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) | Bachelor's Social Worker, Master's Social Worker, Social Service Technician, plus limited licenses | |
Minnesota | Minnesota Board of Social Work | LSW, LGSW, LISW, LICSW | |
Mississippi | Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists | Licensed Social Worker, Licensed Master Social Worker, Licensed Certified Social Worker | |
Missouri | State Committee for Social Workers (Division of Professional Registration) | LBSW, LMSW, LCSW | |
Montana | Board of Behavioral Health | LBSW, LMSW, LCSW | |
Nebraska | Department of Health and Human Services, Licensure Unit | Individual Search; CSW, CMSW, PCMSW (Nebraska certifies social workers) | |
Nevada | State of Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers | LSW, LMSW, LCSW, LISW | |
New Hampshire | Board of Mental Health Practice (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | Profession: Mental Health; Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Social Worker, Licensed Social Worker Associate | |
New Jersey | State Board of Social Work Examiners | Profession: Social Work Examiners; LSW, LCSW, CSW | |
New Mexico | Board of Social Work Examiners (Regulation and Licensing Department) | LMSW, LISW, LCSW | |
New York | New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions | LMSW, LCSW | |
North Carolina | North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board | LCSW, LCSWA, CSW, CMSW, CSWM | |
North Dakota | North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners | LBSW, LMSW, LCSW | |
Ohio | Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board | Board: Counselor, Social Worker, & Marriage & Family Therapist Board; LSW, LISW | |
Oklahoma | Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers | LSWA, LSW, LMSW, LCSW | |
Oregon | Board of Licensed Social Workers | RBSW, LMSW, CSWA, LCSW | |
Pennsylvania | State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker, Licensed Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Social Worker | |
Rhode Island | Rhode Island Department of Health | Profession: Social Work; Clinical Social Worker, Independent Clinical Social Worker | |
South Carolina | South Carolina Board of Social Work Examiners (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) | Licensed Baccalaureate, Master and Independent Social Workers | |
South Dakota | South Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners | Social Work Associate, Social Worker, Certified Social Worker, Certified Social Worker in Private Independent Practice | |
Tennessee | Board of Social Workers (Department of Health) | LBSW, LMSW, LAPSW, LCSW | |
Texas | Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (Behavioral Health Executive Council) | LBSW, LMSW, LCSW | |
Utah | Division of Professional Licensing | Profession: Social Work; Social Service Worker, Certified Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Social Worker | |
Vermont | Office of Professional Regulation | Master's Social Worker; Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker | |
Virginia | Virginia Board of Social Work | LBSW, LMSW, LCSW, plus Associate and Registered Social Worker | |
Washington | Department of Health | LASW, LICSW, plus associate credentials | |
West Virginia | West Virginia Board of Social Work | LSW, LGSW, LCSW, LICSW | |
Wisconsin | Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services) | SW, APSW, ISW, LCSW | |
Wyoming | Mental Health Professions Licensing Board | CSW, LCSW, PCSW (online roster rather than a search form) |
If you can't find a license or have a concern
A search can come up empty because of a spelling difference, a name change or a license held in another state, so try the license number if you have it, or contact the board directly. If you believe a licensed social worker has violated the code of conduct, you can file a complaint with the social work licensing board in your state, whether or not you paid for the services (ASWB).
Finding a social worker for help
- For local services, dial 211. Local 211 services connect people with help with bills, food, housing and utility costs, health care, mental health and substance use, and every call is confidential, according to 211.
- In a crisis, call or text 988, or chat online, to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Conversations are free and confidential, and the Lifeline is available 24/7 (988 Lifeline).
- For counseling or therapy, ask your doctor or your health insurance plan for referrals to licensed clinical social workers or other mental health providers in your area.
- If an agency, hospital or school has assigned you a social worker, contact that organization to find out who your social worker is.
Once you have a name, use the table above to confirm the license.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a national database of licensed social workers?
ASWB directs the public to each state board's own website to confirm a license (ASWB). ASWB's Public Protection Database shares disciplinary information with its member boards only (ASWB).
How do I look up my own social work license number?
Search your name in your state board's lookup from the table above. If the result does not show your license number, contact your board.
Do all social workers need a license?
It depends on the state and the level of practice. License requirements are set by each state (ASWB), and most states offer more than one category of license (ASWB). Check with the board in the state where the social worker practices.
What do LBSW, LMSW and LCSW mean?
These are license titles for bachelor's-level, master's-level and clinical social workers in many states. Virginia, for example, licenses baccalaureate, master's and clinical social workers (Virginia Board of Social Work), while other states use different titles, as the table above shows. For the clinical license path, see how to become a licensed clinical social worker.
Information last updated: October 2026