How to Become a Pharmacy Technician: Requirements by State
Checked against official state sources ·
Pharmacy technicians help pharmacists prepare and dispense medications. Each state's Board of Pharmacy decides what you need before you can work: some only require a registration and background check, others add a training program, a trainee period, or national certification through PTCB's PTCE or NHA's ExCPT.
Of the 50 states covered here, 21 require a certification exam and 26 require a training program — the table below shows where your state falls.
The steps most states share
- Check the basics: most states set a minimum age and require a high school diploma or GED.
- Complete any required training program or trainee period.
- Pass the PTCE or ExCPT if your state requires national certification.
- If your state registers or licenses technicians, apply to its Board of Pharmacy, complete any required background check and pay the fee.
- Renew on schedule and complete any required continuing education.
Requirements by state
| State | Exam | Training | Term | State fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No | Yes | 2 yrs | $60 application fee plus $40 background check fee ($100 total) for initial registration; $60 renewal every two years. All fees are non-refundable. |
| Alaska | No | Yes | 2 yrs | $25 license fee. The regulation sets the application fee for pharmacy technicians at $0 (12 AAC 02.310). Renewal is $25 every two years; the renewal form charges $12.50 for licenses first issued in the second year of the cycle. |
| Arizona | Yes | Yes | 2 yrs | Trainee registration: $25 (36 months, not renewable) plus a $10 wall license fee. Technician license: $72 initial licensure fee plus $10 wall license; renewal $72 every two years (A.A.C. R4-23-205). Late renewal penalty: half the renewal fee, not over $350. |
| Arkansas | No | No | 2 yrs | Board rule 17 CAR § 160-107 caps the original technician permit fee at $35 and renewal at $35 per year; the exact amount charged is shown in the portal and is not published on the Board's pages. Biennial renewal costs two annual renewal fees. If you are first registered in the first year of the two-year term, you pay the initial fee plus the second year's annual fee; if first registered in the second year, you pay only the initial fee until the next renewal (17 CAR § 160-107(d)(3)-(5)). Reinstatement is $40 plus current registration fees. |
| California | No | No | 2 yrs | $120 application fee (non-refundable) |
| Colorado | Yes | No | — | The DPO technician page says the fee for a certification or provisional certification is $57; the same page's Q&A also lists a $22 'base fee'. Renewal and reinstatement fees exist (C.R.S. 12-280-112) but amounts are not published on the Board's pages. |
| Connecticut | No | Yes | 1 yrs | $100 application fee for registration; $50 annual renewal (C.G.S. 20-601). All fees are non-refundable. |
| Delaware | No | Yes | — | — |
| Florida | No | Yes | 2 yrs | $105 total: $50 application fee (non-refundable) + $50 initial licensure fee + $5 unlicensed activity fee |
| Georgia | No | No | 2 yrs | $100 application fee (non-refundable) |
| Hawaii | No | No | Every registration is valid through December 31 of the next odd-numbered year, so a registration issued in 2026 expires December 31, 2027. | $130 if the registration takes effect in an even-numbered year ($20 application + $10 registration + $100 Compliance Resolution Fund); $80 if it takes effect in an odd-numbered year ($20 + $10 + $50, half the Compliance Resolution Fund). The $20 application fee is not refundable. |
| Idaho | No | No | New applicants receive at least a 2-year registration that expires on their birthday. | $70 application fee (new applicants receive a 2-year registration). Applicants 18 and older also pay a $32 background check fee. Renewal is $30 per year, or $60 for a 2-year renewal. Reinstatement is $35. Idaho Code 54-1720 caps the technician fee at $35 initial and $35 per annual renewal. |
| Illinois | Yes | No | 1 yrs | $50 new application fee (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1330.20(a)(1), in effect from April 1, 2026 per IDFPR variance; the older checklist shows $40) |
| Indiana | No | No | 2 yrs | $25 application fee (non-refundable) |
| Iowa | Yes | No | Trainee registrations last 1 year. Certified technician registrations expire on the date your national certification expires, generally a 2-year cycle. | Technician trainee: $20 (1 year; renewal $20, late $40, reactivation $80). Certified pharmacy technician: initial fee prorated to the national certification expiration date (481 IAC 551.7 sets it at $20 per year); renewal $40 for 2 years, delinquent $80, reactivation $160. No background check fee applies to technicians. |
| Kansas | Yes | No | All technician registrations expire October 31 every two years; the current period is November 1, 2024 to October 31, 2026, so a first registration can be shorter than two years. | $77 application fee with Form LA-14 (Board technician page). The same page says a new application and fingerprint card after an expired registration cost $77 in one answer and $67 in another. The Board FAQ lists a $57 KBI/FBI background check fee payable to the Board; the Board pages do not say whether that is part of the $77. Renewal is $20 every two years. K.S.A. 65-1663 caps the registration fee at $50 and the renewal fee at $25. |
| Kentucky | No | No | All technician registrations expire March 31 each year; a first registration expires March 31 of the year after it is issued. | $25 initial registration; $25 annual renewal, plus a $25 delinquent fee if the registration has expired. Volunteers at a charitable pharmacy pay no application fee. |
| Louisiana | Yes | Yes | Pharmacy Technician Certificates expire June 30 every year. The Candidate registration lasts 24 months and cannot be renewed. | Candidate registration $50; Pharmacy Technician Certificate application $100; certificate renewal $60 per year; delinquent renewal $30 per year; reinstatement $200 (the reinstatement application asks for $290 in total). |
| Maine | No | Yes | All pharmacy technician licenses expire December 31 each year. | $20 pharmacy technician license fee plus a $21 criminal background check fee. OPOR's fee rule (Chapter 10) lists the technician fee as $20 for a 1-year license and says that fee applies to renewals too, while the Board's license page describes a one-time initial fee with annual renewal at no cost. The late renewal fee is $50. |
| Maryland | Yes | Yes | The first registration expires on the last day of your birth month after about 1 year; each renewal after that is for 2 years. | $45 registration fee (non-refundable); renewal $45; reinstatement $45 (COMAR 10.34.09.02). |
| Massachusetts | Yes | Yes | A pharmacy technician license expires every two years on your birthdate. You may work as a pharmacy technician trainee for no more than 1,500 hours or one year, whichever is shorter, unless the Board grants an extension or another listed exception applies. | Technician license: $150 non-refundable fee per the Mass.gov application page (the state fee regulation 801 CMR 4.02, Mass. Register 5/23/2025, lists $60 for the technician application and $60 for each biennial renewal). Trainee license: no fee. |
| Michigan | Yes | No | Pharmacy technician licenses are valid for 2 years. A temporary license is valid for 1 year and cannot be renewed. | $137.70 application fee plus 2-year license (by exam or endorsement); temporary license $15.30 (1 year, non-renewable); renewal $61.20; relicensure $157.70; $20 late fee during the 60-day grace period (LARA guide revised 1/26/2026). |
| Minnesota | No | Yes | Technician registrations expire every December 31 and must be renewed by December 1. Initial registration is not prorated, so a registration issued late in the year still expires December 31. | $60 initial registration; $60 annual renewal (Minn. Stat. 151.065). Late renewal adds 50% of the renewal fee. Card fees for online payment are paid by the applicant. |
| Mississippi | No | Yes | Registrations are renewed every year; a registration not renewed by March 31 becomes inactive. | $50 registration fee plus $40 background check fee ($90 total) for a new registration. Late renewal after March 31: $50. The annual renewal amount is not listed on the Board's fee page; state law caps it at $100 plus up to a $5 surcharge. |
| Missouri | No | No | 1 yrs | $40 initial registration fee (20 CSR 2220-4.010) |
| Montana | Yes | Yes | Technician licenses are renewed each year during the May 2 to June 30 renewal period. The Board's page says a provisional license is valid for 12 months. | $35 application fee (non-refundable); $30 renewal; $30 late fee. |
| Nebraska | Yes | No | All registrations expire January 1 of odd-numbered years, so a first registration can last less than 2 years. | $25 registration fee; $25 renewal. The initial fee is waived for applicants under 26, low-income applicants and military families. |
| Nevada | No | Yes | 2 yrs | $50 non-refundable for a PTT registration and $50 for a PT registration (NAC 639.220 and the Board's applications); $50 to renew every two years. The Board adds a 5% processing fee to card payments. |
| New Hampshire | No | No | 2 yrs | The Board rules (Ph 803.02, 804.01, 808.02, 809.01) set a $100 application fee and a $100 renewal fee. OPLC's fee page (as archived May 31, 2025) lists $128 for application and renewal for registered, certified and advanced technicians, which includes a mandatory $28 Professional Health Program fee. |
| New Jersey | No | No | 2 yrs | $50 application fee plus an initial registration fee of $70 (or $35 if paid in the second year of the two-year renewal period), per N.J.A.C. 13:39-1.3 as adopted in 2007 |
| New Mexico | Yes | Yes | 2 yrs | $25 to register as a pharmacy technician (16.19.12.9 NMAC); $30 to renew every two years. Registration fees are waived for some military service members and spouses. |
| New York | Yes | No | 3 yrs | $175 for licensure and first registration ($75 initial license + $100 first three-year registration, 8 NYCRR 63.15). Each later three-year registration costs $100. |
| North Carolina | No | Yes | 1 yrs | $30 non-refundable application fee; $30 annual renewal; $60 to reinstate a lapsed registration. Technicians who work only at a free clinic pay no registration fee. |
| North Dakota | Yes | Yes | 1 yrs | Technician registration $35; technician-in-training registration $10 (renewed yearly). Annual technician renewal is $35 before March 1 and $45 after March 1. |
| Ohio | No | Yes | Registered technicians expire March 31 and certified technicians September 30 of even-numbered years. Trainee registrations last 18 months and cannot be renewed. | Since September 30, 2025: pharmacy technician trainee $40; registered pharmacy technician $65; certified pharmacy technician $65. The same amounts apply to initial, renewal and reinstatement applications. Payment by Visa, MasterCard or Discover through eLicense Ohio only. |
| Oklahoma | Yes | Yes | 1 yrs | $40 for a new technician permit, paid online only. Renewal is $40 per year. A duplicate permit for each additional workplace is $10. Reinstatement of a canceled permit is $80. |
| Oregon | No | No | 2 yrs | $140 biennial license fee for either Pharmacy Technician or Certified Oregon Pharmacy Technician (OAR 855-110-0005) |
| Pennsylvania | No | Yes | 2 yrs | Technician registration $30, or $15 when converting from an active trainee registration. Trainee registration $15 (no renewal). Biennial technician renewal $70. Late renewal adds $5 for each month or part of a month (49 Pa. Code 27.31 and 27.91). |
| Rhode Island | No | Yes | 2 yrs | $25 for a Technician I or Technician II license and $25 to renew (RIDOH fee regulation 216-RICR-10-05-2). |
| South Carolina | No | No | 1 yrs | $56 registration application (non-refundable); $21 annual renewal; $56 reinstatement/reactivation; $10 duplicate registration or wallet card (Board fee schedule revised 10/10/2023). |
| South Dakota | No | No | 1 yrs | $25 for an initial technician registration and $25 for each annual renewal (ARSD 20:51:29:12); fees are non-refundable. |
| Tennessee | No | No | 2 yrs | Board rule 1140-01-.10 (October 2025 revision): $55 registration fee plus a $10 peer assistance fee ($65 total); biennial renewal $75 plus $10 ($85). The Board's older paper technician forms (revised 01/17 and 01/18) list $95 ($85 + $10); the rule's fee amounts were last amended effective March 14, 2024. |
| Texas | Yes | Yes | 2 yrs | Technician: $88 initial ($80 application fee + $3 Texas OnLine + $5 Office of Patient Protection); renewal $85. Technician trainee: $55 ($48 application fee + $2 Texas OnLine + $5 Office of Patient Protection), not renewable. |
| Utah | Yes | Yes | 2 yrs | DOPL's current fee schedule: technician application $60, renewal $57; trainee application $50, renewal $50. DOPL's paper technician application (version 2025-06-12) lists a $95 application-processing fee, and the trainee paper application lists $50. Online payments add a processing fee. |
| Vermont | No | No | 2 yrs | Pharmacy technician application fee $70; renewal $85 every two years (OPR fee chart updated 7/1/2025). OPR's fee chart lists no separate trainee fee; the trainee option is a specialty on the technician license. |
| Virginia | Yes | Yes | 1 yrs | Pharmacy technician trainee registration $30; pharmacy technician registration $40; annual technician renewal $45 (18VAC110-21-20, amended effective September 23, 2026). Late fee $15; reinstatement $50. |
| Washington | Yes | Yes | 2 yrs | $140 original credential fee |
| West Virginia | Yes | Yes | 2 yrs | Original technician registration $25 (15 CSR 7-3.1 and 15 CSR 16-5.1.4). Renewal: the fee rule (15 CSR 16, effective April 23, 2026) sets $20 per biennial renewal, while the Board's renewal page and form list $30 (the Board's reinstatement page breaks a payment into a $20 renewal fee plus a $10 PRN fee). The trainee registration fee is not stated on the Board pages or rules fetched. |
| Wisconsin | No | No | 2 yrs | Initial registration $30; renewal $30 every two years; $25 late fee if renewed after the expiration date (DSPS Credential Fees and Renewal Dates). |
| Wyoming | Yes | No | 1 yrs | Pharmacy technician application $50 and annual renewal $50 (late fee $35); Technician-in-Training permit $15, not renewable; criminal background check $50 (Board fee schedule). |
More states are added only once their rules are checked against the state's own commissioning office.
General information, not legal advice. Fees and rules change — confirm with your state's commissioning office before you apply.