How to become an LCDC in Texas: requirements, application, exam and renewal

What an LCDC is, and who licenses it

LCDC stands for licensed chemical dependency counselor. It's the Texas license to counsel people with substance use disorders, created by Texas Occupations Code chapter 504 and run by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's LCDC program. The Behavioral Health Executive Council, which licenses LPCs, LMFTs and social workers, has nothing to do with it.

• The rules moved. HHSC transferred the LCDC rules from 25 TAC chapter 140, subchapter I, to 26 TAC chapter 562, effective January 31, 2025 (Texas Register transfer notice). Older guides and some forms still cite §140.4xx numbers; the requirements carried over.
• It's a substance use license. Under 26 TAC 562 an LCDC isn't qualified to treat mental health disorders on their own; that takes a license such as the LPC or LCSW. Many counselors hold both.
• There is one LCDC license in Texas. Before it, there's the counselor intern registration (often written CI or LCDC-I). "LCDC III" and "LCDC II" are Ohio credentials, not Texas ones (see the questions).
• Programs need you. In an HHSC-licensed treatment program, counseling must be provided by a qualified credentialed counselor (QCC), a graduate or a counselor intern, and an LCDC is a QCC by definition (26 TAC 564.1). That's why most LCDC careers start in a licensed IOP, PHP, residential or outpatient program.

The LCDC requirements at a glance

These are the Texas LCDC requirements as of October 2026, in the order you meet them. The section numbers are 26 TAC chapter 562.

Requirement	What it takes	Rule
Age and school	At least 18, with a high school diploma or equivalent, to register as a counselor intern	§562.6
Education	270 classroom hours of chemical dependency curricula, at least 135 of them specific to substance use disorders and their treatment	§562.7
Practicum	300 hours of supervised field work through a school, taught by QCCs	§562.8
Exemption	A bachelor's or higher in chemical dependency counseling, sociology, psychology or another approved human-behavior major skips the 270 hours and the practicum	§562.6
Counselor intern registration	Form 3248, fingerprints, criminal history standards, an ethics attestation; issued for five years	§562.5, §562.6
Supervised work experience	4,000 hours as a registered intern, at a clinical training institution or under a certified clinical supervisor; practicum hours don't count	§562.9, §562.10
Master's waiver	HHSC may waive the 4,000 hours for a master's or doctorate in social work or a counseling-related field with 48 graduate semester hours	§562.9(b)
Degree	An associate degree or higher by the time you're licensed	§562.9
Exam	Pass the written exam, then submit an acceptable written case presentation to the test administrator	§562.9
References and peer assistance	Two letters of recommendation from LCDCs, and written assurance you have access to an approved peer assistance program	§562.9, §562.20
Renewal	Every two years, with 40 hours of continuing education (24 with a master's or higher)	§562.17, §562.18

The rule text is on Cornell LII (§562.9) and Justia (all of chapter 562); the official copy is the Texas Secretary of State's Texas Administrative Code. Check the current version before you rely on a number.

Before you start: criminal history

Every intern and LCDC applicant has to meet HHSC's criminal history standards, checked through fingerprints by both the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI. Many people come to this work through their own recovery, and a record doesn't automatically end the path, but find out before you pay for school.

• Ask for an evaluation first. Occupations Code §53.102 lets you request a criminal history evaluation letter from a licensing agency before you enroll in training or sit for an exam. HHSC's form for the LCDC program is Form 3233, Request for Criminal History Evaluation.
• Disclose everything. The fingerprint check finds it anyway, and an undisclosed record is its own problem.
• Programs check too. A licensed treatment program runs its own background and exclusion checks on every hire; our staff credential file checklist lists them.

Step 1: the 270 hours and the practicum

Unless your bachelor's degree exempts you, you need both before you can register as an intern.

• 270 classroom hours (§562.7). At least 135 clock hours (nine semester hours) must be specific to substance use disorders and their treatment. The other 135 can be specific or related: psychology, sociology, counseling, mental health, behavioral science, psychiatric nursing, ethics or rehabilitation counseling. Hours from a career school or college follow the "Transdisciplinary Foundations" curriculum in the national addiction counseling competencies (the KSAs).
• The 300-hour practicum (§562.8) is supervised field work through a single career school or accredited institution, on a written curriculum, with at least 20 hours in each competency dimension, taught by QCCs. It's separate from the 4,000 work hours later; the same hours can't count twice.
• Where people get them: community college addiction counseling certificates and associate degrees, university programs, and HHSC-approved career schools. Ask the school, in writing, whether its program meets §562.7 and §562.8 and whether it includes the practicum.
• The exemption (§562.6): a bachelor's degree or higher in chemical dependency counseling, sociology, psychology, or a major HHSC approves as related to human behavior and development exempts you from both. Send an official transcript.

Step 2: the counselor intern application

HHSC must issue your counselor intern registration before you counsel or start counting supervised hours in Texas. Hours worked before the registration don't count. The LCDC application, in practice, is this one: Form 3248, Chemical Dependency Counselor Intern Registration Application.

1. Complete Form 3248 and sign the ethics attestation. HHSC's application rules call for a notarized form and a recent wallet-sized photo.
2. Attach proof of education: the certificates or transcripts for the 270 hours and the practicum, or the transcript that exempts you.
3. Get fingerprinted through IdentoGo using HHSC's LCDC fingerprint instructions, and include the receipt.
4. Pay the fees: a $25 application fee and a $40 background investigation fee, $65 in one check or money order per the form's instructions (fees in §562.4).
5. Wait for the registration, then give a copy to your employer. A program's credential file needs it before your first session.

The registration lasts five years, and you must finish every LCDC requirement, including the exam, in that time. It doesn't renew: if the five years run out, you apply again on a new Form 3248. Checking on an application? Email the LCDC program rather than sending a second application.

Step 3: 4,000 hours of supervised work experience

This is the long part: 4,000 hours is about two years of full-time work (40 hours a week for 100 weeks).

• Where the hours count (§562.10): all supervised work experience in Texas, and every counseling service an intern provides, must be at a registered clinical training institution (CTI) or under a certified clinical supervisor (CCS). HHSC won't accept hours from an unregistered CTI or an uncertified supervisor, so check both on HHSC's license search before you accept the job.
• Most interns are paid staff. The hours are work experience, usually a counselor intern job in a licensed program that's registered as a CTI (26 TAC 564.601 requires a licensed facility with interns to register). The program assigns a supervising QCC, and our guide to supervising counselor interns covers what the program has to document.
• What interns can and can't do. Interns counsel under supervision. In a licensed program, a QCC reviews and signs an intern's treatment plans and plan reviews. An intern needs more than 2,000 supervised hours and a passed exam before doing screenings or assessments by video, and HHSC declined in 2024 to let interns provide telehealth before passing the exam. Our plain-English guide to 26 TAC 564 lists the program rules.
• Keep your own log. Use HHSC's current supervision forms, get each period signed while your supervisor is still your supervisor, and keep copies. Supervisors can't sign off on hours you haven't substantially completed.
• The master's waiver (§562.9(b)): HHSC may waive the 4,000 hours if you hold a master's or doctorate in social work or a counseling-related field with 48 semester hours of graduate courses. HHSC lists social work, counseling, substance abuse, addiction studies and psychology as examples. The waiver is discretionary; send an official transcript and ask.

Step 4: the LCDC exam

The exam is given through the Texas Certification Board (TCB), formerly the Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals, which also issues addiction certifications such as the ADC. The written test is the IC&RC alcohol and drug counselor (ADC) exam.

1. Pre-register for the LCDC exam with TCB, attaching a copy of your current counselor intern card. Use TCB's LCDC pre-registration, not its general ADC certification forms: TCB's ADC pre-registration page warns LCDC candidates not to use the certification forms. Check TCB for the current exam fee.
2. Schedule and take the written exam as TCB instructs.
3. Submit the written case presentation. After you pass, §562.9 requires an acceptable written case presentation to the test administrator: a case you worked, written up in the format TCB gives you.
4. Keep TCB's letter. HHSC's license application asks for a copy of the letter from TCB showing you passed.

Studying. IC&RC publishes candidate guides with the exam's domains and reference list at internationalcredentialing.org; start there before you buy a prep course. An intern who works in a program already practices most of what the exam covers: screening and assessment, treatment planning, counseling, referral, documentation and ethics, including confidentiality under 42 CFR Part 2.

Step 5: the license itself

HHSC says there isn't a separate application to move from intern to LCDC: once you've met the requirements, it sends you a letter with instructions. The license paperwork HHSC uses is Form 3266, the LCDC license application. Expect to send:

• Proof of 4,000 hours of supervised work experience as a registered intern, on HHSC's forms (or the approved waiver)
• Your degree: an associate or higher, by official transcript
• The letter from TCB showing you passed the exam, and the accepted case presentation
• Two letters of recommendation from LCDCs
• Written assurance you have access to an approved peer assistance program (§562.20)
• The initial license fee: $75 plus a $10 peer assistance surcharge (§562.4); Form 3266 lists $85

Once the license issues, your LCDC number replaces your intern number everywhere: your employer's file, your NPI record (taxonomy 101YA0400X), and any insurance applications.

What the LCDC costs

State fees are small; education is the real cost. As of October 2026:

Item	Cost	Where it's set
Criminal history evaluation (optional)	Listed on Form 3233	HHSC
270 hours and practicum	Set by the school; ask what's included	College or career school
Counselor intern registration	$25 application + $40 background investigation = $65	26 TAC 562.4; Form 3248
Fingerprinting	IdentoGo's fee	IdentoGo
Exam	TCB's current fee	Texas Certification Board
Initial license	$75 + $10 peer assistance surcharge = $85	26 TAC 562.4; Form 3266
Renewal, every two years	$115 + $10 surcharge = $125 by mail; HHSC lists $128 online	26 TAC 562.4; HHSC renewal page

Late renewal costs more, and a license expired a year or longer can't be renewed: you start over with a new application. Put the date on a calendar the day the license arrives.

How long it takes

Your own pace decides most of it. A typical sequence, without the master's waiver:

Stage	What sets the length
Education and practicum	The school's schedule; a community college certificate is often two or more semesters, and an exempting bachelor's skips this
Intern registration	HHSC's processing time and a complete packet; a missing notary or fingerprint receipt is the usual delay
4,000 hours	About two years full time, longer part time; must fit inside the five-year registration
Exam and case presentation	TCB's scheduling and your prep; many interns test once they're well into their hours
License	HHSC's review of the final packet

LCDC renewal and CEU requirements in Texas

The license runs for two years (§562.17). To renew: a complete renewal application, the fee, the criminal history standards again, and your continuing education (§562.18). Per HHSC's continuing education page:

• 40 hours each two-year period if you don't hold a master's or higher; 24 hours if you do (also in Occupations Code §504.205).
• At least 3 hours of ethics, and a total of at least 6 hours on HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted diseases.
• 3 hours of clinical supervision training if your job includes clinical supervision.
• Every hour must be specific to substance use disorders and their treatment, or related to chemical dependency counseling. Extra hours don't carry over.

Programs track this for every counselor; it's one of the expirations a surveyor checks in the personnel file. Comply's compliance calendar shows how to put license and CE dates on a schedule.

LCDC license search and verification

• HHSC's online license search, linked from the LCDC program page, verifies LCDCs, counselor interns, certified clinical supervisors and clinical training institutions. It's the primary source employers and insurance plans use.
• Employers: print or save the verification with the date for the credential file at hire and at each renewal, and check exclusion lists too.
• Interns: look up your supervisor and your CTI before you count a single hour.

After you're licensed

An LCDC opens three doors, and each has its own guide:

• Work in a licensed program as a QCC: counseling, assessments and supervising interns once you're a CCS. Our guide to IOP staffing requirements in Texas shows where LCDCs fit.
• Open a private practice: a fully licensed LCDC can counsel clients personally without a facility license, within limits. See can an LCDC open a private practice in Texas?
• Take insurance: it's plan by plan for LCDCs, and Medicare doesn't enroll the license on its own. LCDC credentialing in Texas covers which plans pay and how.
• Open a program: outpatient, IOP or PHP treatment needs an HHSC facility license. Start with how to start an IOP or PHP in Texas.

Running a program that hires interns? See the IOP / PHP Program Launch, or book a free 30-minute call. In practice on your own, Cima EHR for Texas LCDCs keeps 26 TAC 562 records and routes intern notes to a supervisor's co-sign.

Questions

How do I get my LCDC in Texas?

Finish 270 classroom hours and a 300-hour practicum (or have an exempting bachelor's degree), register with HHSC as a counselor intern on Form 3248, complete 4,000 hours of supervised work experience, pass the exam through the Texas Certification Board and submit a written case presentation, hold an associate degree or higher, send two LCDC recommendation letters, and pay the license fee.

Do you need a degree to be an LCDC in Texas?

Yes, an associate degree or higher by the time you're licensed (26 TAC 562.9). You can register as a counselor intern with a high school diploma plus the 270 hours and practicum, and finish the degree during your internship. A related bachelor's exempts you from the 270 hours and practicum.

Can I become an LCDC with a master's degree?

Yes, and faster. A master's or doctorate in social work or a counseling-related field with 48 graduate semester hours lets HHSC waive the 4,000 supervised hours (it's discretionary), and a related degree exempts you from the 270 hours and practicum. You still register as an intern, pass the exam and apply. With a master's you need 24 CE hours per renewal instead of 40.

What exam do you take for the LCDC?

The IC&RC alcohol and drug counselor (ADC) written exam, given through the Texas Certification Board using its LCDC pre-registration with your counselor intern card attached. After passing, you submit a written case presentation to the test administrator.

What is an LCDC III?

An Ohio license. Ohio's Chemical Dependency Professionals Board issues the LCDC II and LCDC III, with requirements in Ohio Administrative Code 4758-5. Texas has one LCDC license, reached through the counselor intern registration. Ohio hours and credentials don't transfer automatically; ask HHSC how it treats out-of-state credentials.

Is the LCDC a certification or a license?

In Texas it's a state license issued by HHSC under Occupations Code chapter 504. People say "LCDC certification" because the exam and many national addiction credentials (such as the ADC) are certifications from the Texas Certification Board and IC&RC. The license is what lets you practice.

Do LCDC interns get paid?

Usually, yes. The 4,000 hours are supervised work experience, and most interns earn them in a paid counselor intern job at a licensed program registered as a clinical training institution. The practicum before registration is school field work and is often unpaid.

How many CEUs does an LCDC need in Texas?

40 hours every two years without a master's degree, 24 with one. They must include at least 3 hours of ethics and a total of at least 6 hours on HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted diseases, plus 3 hours of clinical supervision training if you supervise.

How much does it cost to get an LCDC license?

State fees are $65 to register as an intern ($25 application, $40 background check), $85 for the license ($75 plus a $10 surcharge) and $125 to renew every two years by mail, plus fingerprinting, the Texas Certification Board's exam fee and your education. Check each fee on the current HHSC form before paying.

How do I check the status of my LCDC application?

Email HHSC's LCDC program at [email protected], and check HHSC's online license search for your registration once it issues. Don't send a second application.

Sources

• HHSC, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor program and how to become an LCDC
• HHSC, requirements for LCDC license renewal (continuing education)
• HHSC forms: Form 3248, Form 3266, Form 3233
• 26 TAC chapter 562 (Cornell LII, Justia): §562.4 fees, §562.5–562.6 applications and intern registration, §562.7 education, §562.8 practicum, §562.9 licensure, §562.10 supervised experience, §562.17–562.18 renewal and CE, §562.20 peer assistance
• Texas Register, transfer of 25 TAC chapter 140, subchapter I, to 26 TAC chapter 562
• 26 TAC §564.1 (QCC, counselor intern) and §564.601 (clinical training institutions)
• Texas Legislature, Occupations Code chapter 504; §504.205; §53.102
• Texas Certification Board, ADC exam pre-registration; IC&RC, candidate guides
• Ohio Administrative Code 4758-5-04 (LCDC III)