State certification reciprocity

Last reviewed 2026-09-30General guidance, not legal advice

Not legal advice. This guide is general information. Certification, licensing and hiring rules are set by each state's POST or standards board and by each agency, and they change. Confirm anything important with them before you act on it.

Each state certifies its own officers, usually through a POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) board or a similar commission. When you move states, the new state decides how much of your training and experience it accepts.

How it usually works

The details differ by state, but the same ideas come up again and again:

• Few states have automatic reciprocity. Most use a waiver, an equivalency of training review or a shortened academy, plus state exams.
• The agency often goes first. Many states require you to be hired or sponsored by an agency in that state before the board will review your training.
• Experience and gaps matter. States commonly set a minimum amount of full-time sworn experience and a maximum break in service.
• State-specific training is common. Expect courses on state law, use of force and other topics the state legislature mandates, plus firearms qualification.
• Standing matters. A suspended, revoked or surrendered certification, or a pending investigation, can stop the process.

How to use the table

For the states below where we checked the official board website, we summarize what that page says, link to it, and show the date we checked. For every other state we link to the board and make no claims. Rules change, so treat this as a starting point and confirm with the board and the hiring agency before you resign, relocate or sign anything.

If you spot something out of date, please tell us through Contact support.

State by state

Each state's POST or standards board sets its own rules for officers coming from another state. Many states have no automatic reciprocity. Instead they use a waiver, an equivalency review or a shortened academy, and most require the hiring agency to start the process. Where we checked a state's official site, we summarize what it says and link to the page. For every other state, check with the board directly.

13 states have details we checked on the state's official site. For the others we link to the board instead of guessing.