{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/54.1-3701.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/54.1-3701.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/54.1-3701.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/54.1-3701.html"}],"law_id":78374,"edition_id":1,"section_id":78374,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3701","catch_line":"Exemption from requirements of licensure","history":"1976, c. 608, \u00a7 54-944; 1986, c. 581; 1988, c. 765; 2022, c. 275.","full_text":"The requirements for licensure provided for in this chapter shall not be applicable to:\n\n1\n\nPersons who render services that are like or similar to those falling within the scope of the classifications or categories in this chapter, so long as the recipients or beneficiaries of such services are not subject to any charge or fee, or any financial requirement, actual or implied, and the person rendering such service is not held out, by himself or otherwise, as a licensed practitioner.2\n\nThe activities or services of a student pursuing a course of study in social work in an institution recognized by the Board for purposes of licensure upon completion of the course of study or under the supervision of a practitioner licensed under this chapter; if such activities or services constitute a part of his course of study and are adequately supervised.3\n\nThe activities of rabbis, priests, ministers or clergymen of any religious denomination or sect when such activities are within the scope of the performance of their regular or specialized ministerial duties, and no separate charge is made or when such activities are performed, whether with or without charge, for or under auspices or sponsorship, individually or in conjunction with others, of an established and legally cognizable church, denomination or sect, and the person rendering service remains accountable to its established authority.4\n\nPersons employed as salaried employees or volunteers of the federal government, the Commonwealth, a locality, or of any agency established or funded, in whole or part, by any such governmental entity or of a private, nonprofit organization or agency sponsored or funded, in whole or part, by a community-based citizen group or organization. Any person who renders psychological services, as defined in Chapter 36 (§ 54.1-3600 et seq.) of this title, shall be subject to the requirements of that chapter. Any person who, in addition to the above-enumerated employment, engages in an independent private practice shall not be exempt from the requirements for licensure.5\n\nPersons regularly employed by private business firms as personnel managers, deputies or assistants so long as their counseling activities relate only to employees of their employer and in respect to their employment.6\n\nAny person who is licensed to practice as a clinical social worker in another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States territory or possession and who is in good standing with the applicable regulatory agency in that state, the District of Columbia, or that United States territory or possession who provides behavioral health services, as defined in § 37.2-100, to a patient located in the Commonwealth when (i) such practice is for the purpose of providing continuity of care through the use of telemedicine services as defined in § 38.2-3418.16 and (ii) the clinical social worker has previously established a practitioner-patient relationship with the patient. A person who is licensed to practice as clinical social worker who provides behavioral health services to a patient located in the Commonwealth through use of telemedicine services pursuant to this subdivision may provide such services for a period of no more than one year from the date on which the clinical social worker began providing such services to such patient.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":280905,"text":"The requirements for licensure provided for in this chapter shall not be applicable to:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":"1"},"1":{"id":280906,"text":"Persons who render services that are like or similar to those falling within the scope of the classifications or categories in this chapter, so long as the recipients or beneficiaries of such services are not subject to any charge or fee, or any financial requirement, actual or implied, and the person rendering such service is not held out, by himself or otherwise, as a licensed practitioner.","type":"section","prefixes":["1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"1","prefix_anchor":"1","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":"2"},"2":{"id":280907,"text":"The activities or services of a student pursuing a course of study in social work in an institution recognized by the Board for purposes of licensure upon completion of the course of study or under the supervision of a practitioner licensed under this chapter; if such activities or services constitute a part of his course of study and are adequately supervised.","type":"section","prefixes":["2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"2","prefix_anchor":"2","level":1,"prior_prefix":"1","next_prefix":"3"},"3":{"id":280908,"text":"The activities of rabbis, priests, ministers or clergymen of any religious denomination or sect when such activities are within the scope of the performance of their regular or specialized ministerial duties, and no separate charge is made or when such activities are performed, whether with or without charge, for or under auspices or sponsorship, individually or in conjunction with others, of an established and legally cognizable church, denomination or sect, and the person rendering service remains accountable to its established authority.","type":"section","prefixes":["3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"3","prefix_anchor":"3","level":1,"prior_prefix":"2","next_prefix":"4"},"4":{"id":280909,"text":"Persons employed as salaried employees or volunteers of the federal government, the Commonwealth, a locality, or of any agency established or funded, in whole or part, by any such governmental entity or of a private, nonprofit organization or agency sponsored or funded, in whole or part, by a community-based citizen group or organization. Any person who renders psychological services, as defined in Chapter 36 (§ 54.1-3600 et seq.) of this title, shall be subject to the requirements of that chapter. Any person who, in addition to the above-enumerated employment, engages in an independent private practice shall not be exempt from the requirements for licensure.","type":"section","prefixes":["4"],"prefix":"4","entire_prefix":"4","prefix_anchor":"4","level":1,"prior_prefix":"3","next_prefix":"5"},"5":{"id":280910,"text":"Persons regularly employed by private business firms as personnel managers, deputies or assistants so long as their counseling activities relate only to employees of their employer and in respect to their employment.","type":"section","prefixes":["5"],"prefix":"5","entire_prefix":"5","prefix_anchor":"5","level":1,"prior_prefix":"4","next_prefix":"6"},"6":{"id":280911,"text":"Any person who is licensed to practice as a clinical social worker in another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States territory or possession and who is in good standing with the applicable regulatory agency in that state, the District of Columbia, or that United States territory or possession who provides behavioral health services, as defined in § 37.2-100, to a patient located in the Commonwealth when (i) such practice is for the purpose of providing continuity of care through the use of telemedicine services as defined in § 38.2-3418.16 and (ii) the clinical social worker has previously established a practitioner-patient relationship with the patient. A person who is licensed to practice as clinical social worker who provides behavioral health services to a patient located in the Commonwealth through use of telemedicine services pursuant to this subdivision may provide such services for a period of no more than one year from the date on which the clinical social worker began providing such services to such patient.","type":"section","prefixes":["6"],"prefix":"6","entire_prefix":"6","prefix_anchor":"6","level":1,"prior_prefix":"5"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13553,"edition_id":1,"name":"Social Work","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13552,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:13","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:13","permalink":{"id":244067,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13553,"identifier":"1","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1","url":"\/54.1\/III\/37\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13552,"edition_id":1,"name":"Social Work","identifier":"37","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12758,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:13","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:13","permalink":{"id":244065,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13552,"identifier":"37","token":"54.1\/III\/37","url":"\/54.1\/III\/37\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12758,"edition_id":1,"name":"Professions and Occupations Regulated by Boards Within the Department of Health Professions","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12754,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":241105,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12758,"identifier":"III","token":"54.1\/III","url":"\/54.1\/III\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12754,"edition_id":1,"name":"Professions and Occupations","identifier":"54.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":239313,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12754,"identifier":"54.1","token":"54.1","url":"\/54.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":68354,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3700","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/54.1-3700\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3700","metadata":false},{"id":78374,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3701","catch_line":"Exemption from requirements of licensure","url":"\/54.1-3701\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3701","metadata":false},{"id":70274,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3702","catch_line":"Administration or prescription of drugs not permitted","url":"\/54.1-3702\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3702","metadata":false},{"id":55949,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3703","catch_line":"Board of Social Work; members","url":"\/54.1-3703\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3703","metadata":false},{"id":87504,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3704","catch_line":"Nominations","url":"\/54.1-3704\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3704","metadata":false},{"id":57107,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3705","catch_line":"Specific powers and duties of the Board","url":"\/54.1-3705\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3705","metadata":false},{"id":68880,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3706","catch_line":"License required","url":"\/54.1-3706\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3706","metadata":false},{"id":64406,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3707","catch_line":"Licenses continued","url":"\/54.1-3707\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3707","metadata":false},{"id":76939,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3707.1","catch_line":"Educational requirements","url":"\/54.1-3707.1\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3707.1","metadata":false},{"id":54517,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3708","catch_line":"Continuing education requirements","url":"\/54.1-3708\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3708","metadata":false},{"id":68264,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3709","catch_line":"Unlawful designation as social worker","url":"\/54.1-3709\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3709","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":68354,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3700","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/54.1-3700\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3700","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":70274,"structure_id":13553,"section_number":"54.1-3702","catch_line":"Administration or prescription of drugs not permitted","url":"\/54.1-3702\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3702","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/54.1-3701\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1976. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 608 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1976 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1986, chapter 581; in 1988, chapter 765; in 2022, chapter 275<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":60864,"section_number":"37.2-403","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/37.2-403\/"},{"id":64160,"section_number":"54.1-3605","catch_line":"Powers and duties of the Board","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-3605\/"},{"id":59959,"section_number":"54.1-3611","catch_line":"Restriction of practice; use of titles","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-3611\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":76036,"section_number":"37.2-100","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/37.2-100\/"},{"id":61286,"section_number":"38.2-3418.16","catch_line":"Coverage for telemedicine services","order_by":null,"url":"\/38.2-3418.16\/"},{"id":79319,"section_number":"54.1-3600","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-3600\/"}],"permalink":{"id":244073,"object_type":"law","relational_id":78374,"identifier":"54.1-3701","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3701","url":"\/54.1-3701\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/54.1-3701\/","token":"54.1\/III\/37\/1\/54.1-3701","dublin_core":{"Title":"Exemption from requirements of licensure","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 54.1-3701","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The requirements for licensure provided for in this chapter shall not be applicable to:<\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> Persons who render services that are like or similar to those falling within the scope of the classifications or categories in this chapter, so long as the recipients or beneficiaries of such services are not subject to any charge or fee, or any financial requirement, actual or implied, and the person rendering such service is not held out, by himself or otherwise, as a licensed practitioner. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> The activities or services of a student pursuing a course of study in social work in an institution recognized by the Board<\/span> for purposes of licensure upon completion of the course of study or under the supervision of a practitioner licensed under this chapter; if such activities or services constitute a part of his course of study and are adequately supervised. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

3.<\/span> The activities of rabbis, priests, ministers or clergymen of any religious denomination or sect when such activities are within the scope of the performance of their regular or specialized ministerial duties, and no separate charge is made or when such activities are performed, whether with or without charge, for or under auspices or sponsorship, individually or in conjunction with others, of an established and legally cognizable church, denomination or sect, and the person rendering service remains accountable to its established authority. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

4.<\/span> Persons employed as salaried employees or volunteers of the federal government, the Commonwealth, a locality, or of any agency established or funded, in whole or part, by any such governmental entity or of a private, nonprofit organization or agency sponsored or funded, in whole or part, by a community-based citizen group or organization. Any person who renders psychological services, as defined in Chapter 36 (§ 54.1-3600<\/a> et seq.) of this title, shall be subject to the requirements of that chapter. Any person who, in addition to the above-enumerated employment, engages in an independent private practice shall not be exempt from the requirements for licensure. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

5.<\/span> Persons regularly employed by private business firms as personnel managers, deputies or assistants so long as their counseling activities relate only to employees of their employer and in respect to their employment. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

6.<\/span> Any person who is licensed to practice as a clinical social worker<\/span> in another state, the District of Columbia, or a United States territory or possession<\/span> and who is in good standing with the applicable regulatory agency in that state, the District of Columbia, or that United States territory or possession<\/span> who provides behavioral health services, as defined in § 37.2-100<\/a>, to a patient located in the Commonwealth when (i) such practice is for the purpose of providing continuity of care through the use of telemedicine services as defined in § 38.2-3418.16<\/a> and (ii) the clinical social worker<\/span> has previously established a practitioner-patient relationship with the patient. A person who is licensed to practice as clinical social worker<\/span> who provides behavioral health services to a patient located in the Commonwealth through use of telemedicine services pursuant to this subdivision may provide such services for a period of no more than one year from the date on which the clinical social worker<\/span> began providing such services to such patient. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nEXEMPTION FROM REQUIREMENTS OF LICENSURE (\u00a7 54.1-3701)\n\nThe requirements for licensure provided for in this chapter shall not be\napplicable to:\n\n1. Persons who render services that are like or similar to those falling within\nthe scope of the classifications or categories in this chapter, so long as the\nrecipients or beneficiaries of such services are not subject to any charge or\nfee, or any financial requirement, actual or implied, and the person rendering\nsuch service is not held out, by himself or otherwise, as a licensed\npractitioner.\n\n2. The activities or services of a student pursuing a course of study in social\nwork in an institution recognized by the Board for purposes of licensure upon\ncompletion of the course of study or under the supervision of a practitioner\nlicensed under this chapter; if such activities or services constitute a part of\nhis course of study and are adequately supervised.\n\n3. The activities of rabbis, priests, ministers or clergymen of any religious\ndenomination or sect when such activities are within the scope of the\nperformance of their regular or specialized ministerial duties, and no separate\ncharge is made or when such activities are performed, whether with or without\ncharge, for or under auspices or sponsorship, individually or in conjunction\nwith others, of an established and legally cognizable church, denomination or\nsect, and the person rendering service remains accountable to its established\nauthority.\n\n4. Persons employed as salaried employees or volunteers of the federal\ngovernment, the Commonwealth, a locality, or of any agency established or\nfunded, in whole or part, by any such governmental entity or of a private,\nnonprofit organization or agency sponsored or funded, in whole or part, by a\ncommunity-based citizen group or organization. Any person who renders\npsychological services, as defined in Chapter 36 (§ 54.1-3600 et seq.) of\nthis title, shall be subject to the requirements of that chapter. Any person\nwho, in addition to the above-enumerated employment, engages in an independent\nprivate practice shall not be exempt from the requirements for licensure.\n\n5. Persons regularly employed by private business firms as personnel managers,\ndeputies or assistants so long as their counseling activities relate only to\nemployees of their employer and in respect to their employment.\n\n6. Any person who is licensed to practice as a clinical social worker in another\nstate, the District of Columbia, or a United States territory or possession and\nwho is in good standing with the applicable regulatory agency in that state, the\nDistrict of Columbia, or that United States territory or possession who provides\nbehavioral health services, as defined in § 37.2-100, to a patient located\nin the Commonwealth when (i) such practice is for the purpose of providing\ncontinuity of care through the use of telemedicine services as defined in §\n38.2-3418.16 and (ii) the clinical social worker has previously established a\npractitioner-patient relationship with the patient. A person who is licensed to\npractice as clinical social worker who provides behavioral health services to a\npatient located in the Commonwealth through use of telemedicine services\npursuant to this subdivision may provide such services for a period of no more\nthan one year from the date on which the clinical social worker began providing\nsuch services to such patient.\n\nHISTORY: 1976, c. 608, \u00a7 54-944; 1986, c. 581; 1988, c. 765; 2022, c. 275.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}