Tennessee charges $335 up front, assembled from a $75 application fee, a $250 initial licensure fee and a $10 state regulatory fee, under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1130-01-.06. Quoted as one number it looks steep; understood as three components it explains itself.
$335 sounds like one of the more expensive states. Broken into its parts it is ordinary, and the parts are worth knowing.
What the rule sets
$75 to process the application. Two hundred and fifty to issue the license. $10 for a state regulatory fee applied across health professions in Tennessee.
Renewal is $175 biennially, plus the same $10 levy. Temporary licensure is $50. Late renewal is $50.
Why the split matters
Because the components are not all at risk in the same way. The application fee is consumed by processing whether or not a license issues. The licensure fee is for the credential itself.
That distinction becomes real if an application is withdrawn or denied — the treatment of each component differs, and it is worth asking the board rather than assuming the whole $335 behaves the same way.
How it compares
Among compact member states, Ohio is higher at $400 to apply. North Carolina is close at $325 with a much heavier annual renewal at $200. Kentucky is $100, Indiana $100, Minnesota $120, Missouri $28.
So Tennessee is upper-middle at entry and mid-range to hold — $175 every two years is well under North Carolina’s $400 across the same period.
Tennessee is a compact member
Which is the fact that decides whether $335 is well spent. A member-state license supports privileges into every other member state from 2027, so it does work far beyond Tennessee.
For a PA who will practice in Tennessee, the fee is a line item against a salary. For a PA buying a compact foundation speculatively, cheaper member states exist and Missouri is the cheapest of them.
What the board does not charge for
Fingerprinting through the state vendor. NCCPA verification. Primary source verification from every board that has ever licensed you, each with its own fee. Transcripts sent directly by your program.
Those are identical everywhere, and for an applicant with several prior licenses they will rival the $335 on their own. A fee schedule is a poor proxy for what a license actually costs.
The ten-dollar levy is a useful tell
Small fees like this exist in several states — Florida charges $5 for unlicensed activity enforcement, Washington adds HEAL-WA and physician health program surcharges to every renewal.
They are minor individually and they are the reason a headline application fee rarely equals what you pay. Read the whole schedule, not the first line of it.
Fees are set by rule and revised without much notice. The amount you owe is the one in force when the board receives your application.
Common questions
- How much is a Tennessee PA license?
- $335 total at application — $75 application, $250 initial licensure, $10 state regulatory fee. Biennial renewal is $175 plus the $10 regulatory fee.
- Why is the Tennessee fee split into three parts?
- Because each component funds something different: processing the application, issuing the license, and a statewide regulatory levy applied across health professions.
- Is Tennessee in the PA compact?
- Yes. Tennessee is a member state, so a Tennessee license will support privileges in other member states once applications open.
- What does Tennessee charge for a temporary license?
- $50, with late renewal also at $50. Both are set in the same rule as the application and renewal fees.
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