Maryland LCSW-C for Out-of-State Social Workers

Maryland's Board of Social Work Examiners licenses social workers under Title 19 of the Health Occupations Article and COMAR 10.42. Maryland has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact (2025, HB 345 / SB 174), but the compact is not issuing multistate licenses anywhere yet; the Commission projects its data system for spring 2027. Until it does, you need a Maryland license to treat clients located in Maryland.

Maryland's tiers

• LBSW, Licensed Bachelor Social Worker: CSWE-accredited BSW and the exam.
• LMSW, Licensed Master Social Worker: CSWE-accredited master's and the exam. An LMSW may provide clinical services only under a Board-approved supervisor.
• LCSW, Licensed Certified Social Worker: an advanced non-clinical license. The statute published by the board allowed new LCSW applications only through December 31, 2023, other than through the out-of-state route in § 19-302.1. Existing LCSWs keep the license.
• LCSW-C, Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical: the independent clinical license.

LBSWs and LMSWs can also apply for approval to practice independently in non-clinical work after 4,500 supervised hours over three years. That is an approval, not a separate license.

The LCSW-C by endorsement

COMAR 10.42.01.11 says an applicant licensed in another state is eligible for a Maryland license at the same level. For the LCSW-C there are two routes.

More than five years of clinical practice

If you hold an active clinical license comparable to the LCSW-C and have more than five years of clinical social work practice, you qualify under § 19-302.1. That section requires you to:

• meet the general requirements (application, age, good moral character, fees, criminal history records check);
• hold a license in another state at the equivalent level;
• have passed an exam in that state as a condition of licensure; and
• have performed at least 1,000 hours of compensated social work practice per year for five of the ten years before applying.

The last condition is the one to count carefully if you took time off or worked part-time.

Fewer than five years

You meet the full LCSW-C requirements in § 19-302(e): a master's in social work with 12 academic credits of clinical coursework (at least 6 within the MSW), and two years and at least 3,000 hours of supervised experience after the degree, including 1,500 hours of face-to-face client contact and at least 100 hours of face-to-face supervision in assessment, diagnosis, treatment and psychotherapy. The experience must have been earned in compliance with your state's licensing rules, as a licensed master's social worker if that state required one.

Why Maryland has no temporary license, and what it has instead

The board's teletherapy FAQ is direct: "The Maryland Board does not have provisional or temporary licenses." Its example is an out-of-state therapist whose client comes home to Maryland for the summer. The answer is no; get a Maryland license.

There is a narrow exception in the statute and rules. Health Occupations § 19-301(b)(3) and COMAR 10.42.01.13 allow someone licensed in another state to practice in Maryland while a complete application is pending, if they have received the board's verification that the application is complete, meet the education and experience for the level sought, and have passed (or expect to pass within five months) the ASWB exam. The statute caps this at six months. It is a bridge for applicants who have already filed a complete application, not a way to see Maryland clients before applying. Confirm with the board before relying on it.

Board-approved supervisors

Maryland requires supervisors to be approved by the board in advance (COMAR 10.42.08). An LCSW-C who wants to supervise must complete one graduate course in supervision from a CSWE-accredited program, 12 hours of agency-sponsored supervision training, or 12 hours of social work supervision CE from a board-authorized sponsor, and then apply. Supervisees must receive at least 3 hours of face-to-face supervision a month, or 1 hour per 40 hours worked, and no more than half may be group supervision. If you plan to hire Maryland LMSWs, budget time for the approval.

Teletherapy and renewal

The board's FAQ confirms that a Maryland licensee may treat Maryland clients from another state, and that case management for Maryland clients is social work requiring a Maryland license. Licenses renew every two years with 40 CE hours (30 for LBSWs), at least 20 in live Category I activities, 3 in ethics, 3 in anti-oppressive practice, and 3 in supervision for board-approved supervisors.

A Maryland LCSW-C is usually a License by Endorsement for us. We count your compensated hours year by year before filing, because the five-of-ten rule is easy to miss by one year. See the Maryland page for the basics.