RBT requirements in Texas

The rules that affect RBTs

• Texas has no state credential for behavior technicians; a license is required to practice ABA except as provided in Subchapter B (Occupations Code 506.251).
• Occupations Code 506.054 exempts a paraprofessional technician whose ABA services are provided under the extended authority and direction of a licensed behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior analyst.
• To be exempt, the technician must be designated as an "applied behavior analysis technician," "behavior technician," "tutor," or "front-line therapist" (506.054).
• The exemption has been unchanged since SB 589 (2017), and no section of Chapter 506 creates a technician license or registration.
• Behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).

BACB requirements apply everywhere

Whatever the state adds, RBT certification itself is the same in every state: the 40-hour training, the Initial Competency Assessment, the BACB exam, and ongoing supervision of at least 5% of your service hours each month. In Texas, your supervising BCBA must also hold the state license. Your employer and the programs that pay for services, such as Medicaid or insurers, can have their own requirements too. See how to become an RBT.