Oregon licenses independent clinical social workers as the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), through the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers. Oregon is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member. Below: what Oregon asks of a social worker already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Oregon Social Work License Requirements
Oregon licenses social workers at 4 levels: the RBSW (Registered Baccalaureate Social Worker), the LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker), the CSWA (Clinical Social Work Associate) and the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
RBSW: ASWB Bachelors. A registration rather than a license, but it carries the ASWB exam and Oregon laws and rules exam.
LMSW: ASWB Masters. Non-clinical license.
LCSW: ASWB Clinical.
Independent clinical practice requires the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
3,500 hours of post-master's supervised experience for the clinical license, including 100 hours of direct supervision.
Oregon requires a state law or jurisprudence exam.
Licensed elsewhere: Oregon has no reciprocity, but OAR 877-020-0016 licenses a person regulated in another jurisdiction who meets the education standard, had substantially equivalent requirements, and passes the national exam and the Oregon laws and rules exam. Anyone who will practice clinically before the LCSW is issued must first hold a CSWA.
How Much Does an Oregon Social Work License Cost?
We have not published an Oregon figure yet
We have not verified Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Oregon application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere Oregon Applications Get Delayed
At 3,500 hours, Oregon asks for more supervised clinical experience than most states. Check whether your hours elsewhere will be credited before you plan a start date.
Every applicant, including the CSWA, must pass Oregon's own laws and rules exam with a score of at least 90 percent (OAR 877-020-0008(4)).
The LCSW needs 3,500 post-MSW hours (2,000 direct client) and 100 supervision hours (50 individual) over 24 to 60 months; non-LCSW supervisors (LPC, LMFT, psychologist, psychiatrist) can supply no more than 50 of the 100 hours.
No ASWB exam has been dropped in Oregon: the board states that RBSW, LMSW and LCSW all require a passing ASWB score. The 2025 compact bill (HB 2554) died in committee.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your Oregon Social Work License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Social Work Compact and Oregon
Oregon is not a Social Work Licensure Compact member, so a multistate license will not cover practice here even once the Compact opens. Seeing clients located in Oregon takes an Oregon license, by endorsement where the state offers it or a full application where it does not.
Keeping it current
Oregon renews social work licenses every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. LCSW: 40 hours including 6 ethics, 6 cultural competency and, from January 1, 2027, 2 in suicide risk assessment, treatment and management. LMSW 30 hours, RBSW 20; up to 10 general hours carry over. No CE for the first renewal. Renewal is due the last day of the birth month. Holding licenses in several states means several calendars and several sets of CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Oregon Social Work License FAQ
What social work licenses does Oregon issue?
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Can I use the Social Work Compact for Oregon?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in Oregon?
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How many supervised hours does Oregon require for the clinical license?
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Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- License types, exams (ASWB plus laws and rules), LCSW hours, no reciprocity — checked 2026-10-08
- CSWA certificate, 3,500/2,000/100/50 hour requirements, supervisor types and the 50-hour cap for non-LCSW supervisors — checked 2026-10-08
- Renewal cycles and CE hours by license, ethics, cultural competency, suicide CE starting 2027-01-01 — checked 2026-10-08
- OAR 877-020-0008 (exams, 90 percent laws and rules score), 877-020-0016 (applicants qualified in another jurisdiction); read via WebFetch because the site blocks scripted access — checked 2026-10-08
- Recently adopted rules, including the suicide-risk CE requirement — checked 2026-10-08
- HB 2554 (2025 regular session, compact) left in House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care (archived OLIS page; live site refused connections) — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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