APCC Registration in California: How to Apply (2026)

What Is APCC Registration?

An Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC) registration is the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) credential that allows a graduate of a qualifying counseling master’s program to begin earning supervised experience toward a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) license. You cannot accrue supervised experience in California without being registered as an APCC, with the only exception being hours protected under the 90-day rule (more on that below).

APCC registration is not a license. It is a six-year window — five renewals — during which you must complete your required supervised hours, take and pass the California Law and Ethics Exam, and apply for full LPCC licensure. The clock starts on the day your APCC registration number is issued. If you don’t finish in time, you must apply for a subsequent APCC registration number, and subsequent-registration holders cannot work in a private practice or professional corporation setting — no exceptions.

For the full picture of where APCC registration sits in the LPCC pathway, see our guide to becoming an LPCC in California.

Confirm Your Eligibility

Before you submit an APCC application, confirm three things:

• 1.Your degree has been conferred. Walking the stage isn’t enough — your degree must be officially awarded. Your transcript shows the degree-award date, and the 90-day window starts on that exact date.
• 2.Your education qualifies under the BBS. The BBS requires a qualifying master’s degree under Business and Professions Code § 4999.33 (for applicants who began graduate study on or after August 1, 2012, or who began before then but did not graduate by December 31, 2018) or § 4999.32 (for applicants who began before August 1, 2012 and graduated by December 31, 2018). The BBS publishes a list of schools with approved LPCC programs — check that list, or contact the Board, to confirm your program qualifies.
• 3.Your transcripts are available. The BBS requires official transcripts (sealed and sent directly from your registrar) showing the degree conferred. If they’re delayed, ask your registrar for a letter of degree completion as a stopgap while the official transcripts catch up.

Choose and Complete the Right Application

There isn’t one universal APCC form — which one you use depends on your situation:

• ✓In-state APCC registration: pci_app.pdf — for applicants whose degree is from a California school.
• ✓Out-of-state or out-of-country: pcci_app_oos_01012016.pdf — for applicants whose degree is from a school outside California or outside the United States.
• ✓Subsequent registration: pciapp_2reg.pdf — for applicants who previously held an APCC registration and ran out the six-year window after their fifth renewal.

Whichever form applies, expect it to ask for your legal name and contact information, the institution that conferred your degree along with your degree title and conferral date, disclosure of any prior professional discipline or criminal history, your Live Scan request form or hard fingerprint cards, official transcripts, and the applicable fee. Always download the current version of every form from bbs.ca.gov — older copies floating around the internet may be out of date.

Complete Fingerprinting (Live Scan or Hard Cards)

California residents complete electronic Live Scan fingerprinting, which runs your prints through the Department of Justice and FBI databases and forwards the results to the BBS. You bring the BBS Live Scan request form (the one on the BBS site, available at /pdf/forms/livescan.pdf), a government-issued photo ID, and payment to a Live Scan provider; the provider gives you a stamped receipt that you submit with your application.

Applicants who live outside California can’t use Live Scan. Instead, you submit hard fingerprint cards mailed to the BBS at 1625 N. Market Blvd., Suite S-200, Sacramento, CA 95834. Plan for roughly 6 to 8 weeks of processing for hard cards — significantly longer than electronic Live Scan.

The DOJ processing fee is $49. Live Scan sites may charge an additional rolling fee that varies by location. The Board recommends completing Live Scan no more than 30 days before you submit your application, and Live Scan results expire after six months if no application is filed — so don’t get fingerprinted months ahead of finishing your degree.

The 90-Day Rule

The BBS must receive your completed APCC registration application within 90 days of the date your degree was conferred — the degree-award date on your transcript. If they do, supervised hours you earn between conferral and the issuance of your APCC number can count retroactively, subject to BBS approval. If they don’t, those gap-period hours are permanently lost.

There’s a catch on where you can work during that gap. Even when you applied within 90 days, until your APCC number is issued you may only earn hours at exempt settings — community agencies, nonprofits, and government facilities — and your employer must complete a Live Scan on you before you start. You cannot earn countable hours at a private practice or professional corporation until your APCC number is in hand.

For the full mechanics of the 90-day rule — including what “completed” means, how the gap period works, and what to do if you miss the window — read our complete guide to the BBS 90-day rule. (It covers AMFTs, APCCs, and ASWs — the rule works the same way for all three.)

The California Law and Ethics Exam

The California Law and Ethics Exam is administered by Pearson Vue. As an APCC, you must take the exam each year in order to renew your registration until you pass it, and you must have passed it before the BBS will issue you a subsequent APCC registration. Most associates aim to pass it early in their hour-gathering years so renewals stay simple.

For current passing scores, exam content, scheduling, and fees, see the BBS Law and Ethics Exam Candidate Handbook (Pearson Vue) and bbs.ca.gov. Exam details change — always confirm with the BBS.

Separately, effective January 1, 2023, all registered Associates — including APCCs — must complete three hours of California Law and Ethics continuing education during each renewal period, before renewing, regardless of whether they have passed the Law and Ethics Exam. Other continuing education and renewal requirements may apply; check bbs.ca.gov for the current rules.

After You Submit

Processing times vary by season and by how clean your packet is. Hard-card applicants should expect roughly 6 to 8 weeks just for fingerprint processing on top of application review; electronic Live Scan is faster. The 90-day rule only cares that your completed application reached the BBS in time — processing beyond that date doesn’t cost you hours. For current processing-time estimates, check bbs.ca.gov.

While your application is being processed, you can already earn countable hours only at exempt settings — community agencies, nonprofits, county behavioral health, and government facilities — and only if you applied within 90 days and your employer has Live Scanned you. You cannot work at a private practice or professional corporation until your APCC number has been issued.

When your APCC registration is approved, the BBS issues a registration number and an issue date — and your six-year clock starts. From day one, start logging your hours against the BBS categories so nothing slips. For the rules on what counts and how to log it, see our guides to tracking LPCC hours in California and BBS supervision requirements, and try the California LPCC hours calculator to see how far along you are.

Frequently Asked Questions

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