Kansas LaBA Requirements & Hours Tracker

Kansas licenses assistant behavior analysts (LaBAs) under the Applied Behavior Analysis Licensure Act, administered by the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB). The key point is that Kansas ties LaBA licensure directly to national certification; the state does not set its own pre‑licensure hour totals (e.g., “1,500 direct + 1,500 supervised” hours). Instead, it requires you to meet the supervision and fieldwork hours required for BCaBA certification from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) and then adds Kansas‑specific supervision and continuing‑education requirements once you are licensed.

Below is a step‑by‑step guide focused on the exact statutory and regulatory language and on how hours are treated at each stage.

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1. How Kansas Defines a LaBA and the “Certifying Entity”

Kansas statute defines a LaBA and the national “certifying entity” this way:

• A “licensed assistant behavior analyst” or “LaBA” is “an individual who is certified by the certifying entity as a certified assistant behavior analyst and meets the licensing criteria as established by the board by rules and regulations.” (law.justia.com)
• The “certifying entity” is “the national accredited behavior analyst certification board or other equivalent nationally accredited nongovernmental agency approved by the behavioral sciences regulatory board which certifies individuals who have completed academic, examination, training and supervision requirements in applied behavior analysis.” (law.justia.com)

In practice, the certifying entity is the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), and the assistant‑level certification is BCaBA (Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst).

Another section of the statute is crucial for hours:

“The board shall not issue a license under this act until the license applicant provides proof that such applicant has met the certification requirements of a certifying entity.” (law.justia.com)

This is why the supervised‑experience hour requirements you must satisfy are those of the BACB’s BCaBA credential, not Kansas‑specific numeric hour totals.

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2. Pre‑Licensure Requirements: Becoming a BCaBA (Hours and Supervision)

To qualify for LaBA licensure you must first meet all BACB requirements for BCaBA certification. Kansas regulations then ask you to show “proof that the applicant has met the requirements for certification to practice applied behavior analysis at the assistant level.” (regulations.justia.com)

2.1 Education for BCaBA

Under the current BCaBA Handbook (updated August 2025), you must hold at least a bachelor’s degree and complete approved ABA coursework through one of the eligibility pathways (e.g., degree from an ABAI‑accredited program or a Verified Course Sequence). (bacb.com)

Kansas itself adds that, for LaBA licensure, the board must receive official transcripts showing the required baccalaureate degree, sent directly from each institution or from the certifying entity. (regulations.justia.com)

2.2 BACB Supervised Fieldwork Hours (BCaBA)

The only numeric pre‑licensure hours that Kansas effectively requires are those embedded in BCaBA certification. Under the current BCaBA Handbook, your supervised experience in applied behavior analysis must meet the following:

• You must complete supervised fieldwork in ABA.
• You may accrue hours in either or both of two types of fieldwork:
  • Supervised Fieldwork
  • Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork (bacb.com)

The current table of requirements states:

• Supervised Fieldwork – 1,300 fieldwork hours required to qualify
• Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork – 1,000 fieldwork hours required to qualify (bacb.com)

In addition, during each supervisory period:

• At least 5% of your total hours must be supervised for Supervised Fieldwork, and
• At least 10% of your total hours must be supervised for Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork. (bacb.com)

A few clarifications that matter when you are planning your hours:

• All fieldwork hours are supervised hours. The BACB does not split the requirement into “unsupervised direct experience” vs. “separately counted supervised hours.” Instead, the 1,300 or 1,000 hours are total fieldwork hours, with a required percentage of those hours taking place under direct supervision.
• Within those hours, the BACB distinguishes restricted (direct service delivery) and unrestricted (assessment, program design, data analysis, training, etc.) activities; for BCaBA, no more than 60% of fieldwork may be restricted activities. (bacb.com)

Kansas does not add any additional hours beyond what the BACB requires for BCaBA certification. There is no Kansas‑specific figure such as “1,500 hours of direct experience plus 1,500 hours of supervised experience” in statute or regulation.

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3. State Licensure Requirements: Applying to the Kansas BSRB as a LaBA

Once you are BCaBA‑eligible (or certified), you apply to the Kansas BSRB for LaBA licensure under K.A.R. 102‑8‑4 (Application for licensure).

3.1 Request and submit the application

Kansas regulation provides:

“Each applicant for licensure as an assistant behavior analyst or a behavior analyst shall request the appropriate forms from the executive director of the board.” (regulations.justia.com)

You then submit the completed application packet to the board.

3.2 Pay the required fees

Under K.A.R. 102‑8‑2 (Fees), you must pay:

• Initial assistant behavior analyst license: $70
• Renewal of an assistant behavior analyst license: $70

(For comparison, behavior analyst licenses renew at $120.) (regulations.justia.com)

Fees are non‑refundable.

3.3 Document certification‑level requirements (BCaBA)

For LaBA applicants, K.A.R. 102‑8‑4(b)(2) states that you must:

• “submit proof that the applicant has met the requirements for certification to practice applied behavior analysis at the assistant level.” (regulations.justia.com)

In practice, this means documentation that you have successfully met BCaBA eligibility (typically current BCaBA certification or, at minimum, proof of having completed all certification requirements).

Because Kansas law (65‑7503(c)) prohibits the board from issuing a license until the applicant has met the certification requirements of a certifying entity, your BACB‑level fieldwork hours and exam are an implicit part of your Kansas licensure file. (law.justia.com)

3.4 Submit official transcripts

K.A.R. 102‑8‑4(b)(3) requires that you:

• Arrange for official transcripts covering all relevant college or university coursework, including the required baccalaureate degree, to be sent directly to the board, either:
  • From each academic institution, or
  • From the certifying entity (e.g., BACB) that already holds verified copies of your transcripts. (regulations.justia.com)

Foreign degrees must be translated and evaluated for degree equivalency by a source acceptable to the board.

Once you have met the statutory and regulatory criteria and paid the initial license fee, the regulation provides that you “shall be licensed by the board.” (regulations.justia.com)

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4. Post‑Licensure: Kansas‑Specific Supervision and Hour Requirements for LaBAs

While Kansas does not impose additional pre‑licensure hour totals, it does impose ongoing supervision requirements on licensed assistant behavior analysts.

4.1 Mandatory supervision relationship

Statute and regulation together require that LaBAs always practice under a supervising LBA:

• Statute: A person may practice ABA as a “licensed assistant behavior analyst working under the supervision of a licensed behavior analyst.” (law.justia.com)
• Regulation: “Each licensed assistant behavior analyst shall be supervised by a licensed behavior analyst.” (regulations.justia.com)

4.2 Minimum number and structure of supervision sessions

K.A.R. 102‑8‑6 sets out a quantitative supervision requirement that applies after licensure:

• A LaBA must receive at least 12 supervision sessions annually.
• Each session must involve two‑way, real‑time visual and auditory contact (e.g., in‑person or live video). (regulations.justia.com)

Within those 12 sessions:

• There must be at least one monthly supervision session of at least one hour.
• At least two of the 12 annual sessions must be conducted in person and must include direct observation of the LaBA’s provision of ABA services to clients.
• No more than half of the sessions may be in a group format, unless the board approves additional group supervision under “extenuating circumstances” based on a written request. (regulations.justia.com)

Both supervisor and supervisee must maintain documentation of supervision for three years after the date of each session. (regulations.justia.com)

These are Kansas‑specific requirements and are separate from any supervision you must maintain to comply with BACB’s ongoing‑supervision rules for BCaBAs.

4.3 License term, renewal, and continuing education

Kansas licenses run for 24 months:

• “Each license issued pursuant to the act shall expire 24 months after the date of issuance unless revoked before that time.” (law.cornell.edu)

To renew, a LaBA must submit:

1. A completed renewal application.
2. A continuing‑education reporting form.
3. The renewal fee specified in K.A.R. 102‑8‑2.
4. Proof of required supervision, including the name of each supervising LBA and documentation of supervision dates, format, and length of time. (law.cornell.edu)

For continuing education, K.A.R. 102‑8‑9 requires that:

• Each LaBA complete 30 hours of documented and approved continuing education during each two‑year renewal period.
• At least 4 of those hours must be in professional ethics. (regulations.justia.com)

Excess hours may not be carried over to the next renewal period, and records must be kept for three years after the renewal date. (regulations.justia.com)

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5. Practical Step‑By‑Step Summary

Putting the statutes, regulations, and BACB standards together, the pathway to LaBA licensure in Kansas looks like this:

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree (any field acceptable to BACB and Kansas, so long as you meet BCaBA coursework requirements). (bacb.com)
2. Complete approved ABA coursework (e.g., ABAI‑accredited program or Verified Course Sequence) that satisfies BCaBA eligibility requirements. (bacb.com)
3. Accrue BCaBA supervised fieldwork hours:
   • Either 1,300 hours of Supervised Fieldwork (with at least 5% of hours per supervisory period under direct supervision),
   • Or 1,000 hours of Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork (with at least 10% of hours per period supervised),
   • Or a combination that meets BACB rules. (bacb.com)
4. Pass the BCaBA exam and obtain BCaBA certification from the BACB. (bacb.com)
5. Request LaBA licensure forms from the Kansas BSRB and submit:
   • Completed application,
   • $70 initial assistant behavior analyst license fee,
   • Proof you have met assistant‑level certification requirements (BCaBA),
   • Official transcripts for your bachelor’s degree sent directly to the board (or via the certifying entity). (regulations.justia.com)
6. Once licensed, practice only under supervision of an LBA, and ensure you receive:
   • At least 12 supervision sessions each year,
   • With monthly sessions of at least one hour,
   • At least two in‑person sessions annually with direct observation,
   • No more than half of sessions in group format unless the board approves more. (regulations.justia.com)
7. Renew every 24 months, documenting:
   • 30 hours of continuing education (including 4 ethics hours), and
   • Proof of required supervision during the renewal period, plus the renewal fee. (law.cornell.edu)

In sum, Kansas does not prescribe its own numerical pre‑licensure experience hours for LaBAs. Instead, it adopts the BACB’s BCaBA supervised fieldwork requirements (currently 1,300 or 1,000 total supervised fieldwork hours, depending on fieldwork type) as the de facto hour standard by requiring proof that you have met “the certification requirements of a certifying entity” before granting a LaBA license. Once you are licensed, Kansas adds its own quantitative supervision and continuing‑education requirements to protect consumers and ensure ongoing competence.