Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Pharmacy

Apply for a License

Effective January 1, 2008, the board will raise several of its application and renewal fees to the statutory maximum.

Applicants – Please be advised that affected applications will be highlighted and the instructions will contain the new fees. All applications mailed after December 31, 2007 will need to include the higher application fee. THE FEE INCREASE DOES NOT AFFECT PHARMACY TECHNICIAN APPLICANTS.


Please select the license type you wish to apply for to download the application and instructions.

For questions regarding a specific application, please contact us.

To inquire about the status of an application, please contact us.

Fee Schedule

Personal Licenses

Attention Applicants:
Effective October 1, 2007, the Department of Justice and FBI have changed the fees for fingerprint background checks. The new fees are detailed below:

DOJ $32
FBI $19

If you are an out of state applicant who is unable to submit fingerprints via LiveScan, please submit two professionally rolled fingerprint cards along with a check for $51.00 made payable to the California State Board of Pharmacy.

Attention Technician Applicants:
Effective October 1, 2007, the Department of Justice has changed the fees for fingerprint background checks. The new fee is detailed below:

DOJ $32

If you are an out of state applicant who is unable to submit fingerprints via LiveScan, please submit two professionally rolled fingerprint cards along with a check for $32.00 made payable to the California State Board of Pharmacy.

Site Licenses

Attention Applicants:
Effective October 1, 2007, the Department of Justice and FBI have changed the fees for fingerprint background checks. The new fees are detailed below:

DOJ $32
FBI $19

If you are an out of state applicant who is unable to submit fingerprints via LiveScan, please submit two professionally rolled fingerprint cards along with a check for $51.00 made payable to the California State Board of Pharmacy.
Clinic

A clinic must first be licensed with the State Department of Health Services to qualify for a permit with the board. The dispensing of drugs in a clinic can only be performed by a physician, pharmacist or other person lawfully authorized to dispense drugs. Such clinics are required to retain a consulting pharmacist to approve policies and procedures related to the drug distribution service so that inventories, security procedures, training, protocol development, record keeping, packaging, labeling, dispensing, and patient consultation occur in a manner that is consistent with the promotion and protection of the health and safety of the public.

Community Pharmacy

The licensure of a pharmacy is a critical process. No examination is required of the owners, and the owners can be non-pharmacists. However, the premise is highly regulated.

The board performs a thorough investigation of the application for a pharmacy permit, which includes criminal background checks, completion of rules of professional conduct and financial reporting for all owners. The pharmacy is also required to meet security, sanitation and record keeping requirements and must have an area for confidential patient consultation.

Every pharmacy must have a pharmacist-in-charge who is responsible for the day to day operations (Business and Professions Code section 4054).

The Pharmacy License application forms may be obtained by download only.

Please follow the application instructions completely. Failure to submit the necessary items will delay the processing of your application. You will be notified in writing of any deficiencies in your application. Any forms that were previously submitted with another application will not be pulled from the file. You must complete and submit all of the requested information.

Designated Representative (Exemptee)

Wholesale operations that distribute dangerous drugs or dangerous devices must be supervised by a registered pharmacist or an individual approved by the board as a designated representative. These companies may not operate unless the pharmacist or designated representative is physically on the licensed premises. To ensure proper control at all times, the board recommends that there be more than one person approved to supervise operations. The Designated Representative application forms may be obtained by download only. Click the appropriate link for forms: Designated Representative for a Wholesaler/Non-Resident Wholesaler or Designated Representative for a Vet-Food Animal Drug Retailer.

Hospital Pharmacy

"Hospital pharmacy" is a pharmacy located within any licensed hospital, institution, or establishment that maintains and operates organized facilities for the diagnosis, care, and treatment of human illnesses to which persons may be admitted for overnight stay.

A hospital pharmacy also includes a pharmacy that may be located outside of the hospital, in another physical plant that is regulated under a hospital's consolidated license issued pursuant to Section 1250.8 of the Health and Safety Code. As a condition of licensure by the board, the pharmacy in another physical plant shall provide pharmaceutical services only to registered hospital patients who are on the premises of the same physical plant in which the pharmacy is located. The pharmacy services provided shall be directly related to the services or treatment plan administered in the physical plant.

Define Exempt Hospital Pharmacy (under 100 beds)

Hypodermic Needle and Syringe

A pharmacist or physician may, without a prescription, furnish a hypodermic needle and syringe for human use to administer insulin or adrenaline. A pharmacist or a veterinarian may, without a prescription, furnish hypodermic needles and syringe for use on poultry or animals. Any such furnishing of a hypodermic needle or syringe without a prescription must be recorded in a book by the furnisher.

The board can issue a permit to a firm authorizing the sale and dispensing of hypodermic syringes and needles for animals and poultry. The sale of the hypodermic syringes and needles must be recorded in a book by the furnisher. Otherwise, the sale of needles and syringes must only be made by a pharmacy.

The Hypodermic Needle and Syringe license application forms may be obtained by download only.

Please follow the application instructions completely. Failure to submit the necessary items will delay the processing of your application. You will be notified in writing of any deficiencies in your application. Any forms that were previously submitted with another application will not be pulled from the file. You must complete and submit all of the requested information.

Intern Pharmacist

An "Intern pharmacist" is a person registered with the board who has completed the educational requirements determined by the board. An intern pharmacist may perform any activity restricted to a pharmacist, while under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. The Intern license application forms may be obtained by download only.

Non Resident Pharmacy

A nonresident pharmacy that ships, mails or delivers prescription medications to California residents must be registered with the board. Criteria for registration is that the pharmacy must be licensed and in good standing in the resident state. The pharmacy must maintain an 800 number for consumer access to a pharmacist and comply with California's triplicate law for filling Schedule II controlled prescriptions. California licensure is not required of the pharmacists practicing in these facilities, and the pharmacy must comply with the laws of the resident state.

The nonresident pharmacy license application forms may be obtained by download only.

Please follow the application instructions completely. Failure to submit the necessary items will delay the processing of your application. You will be notified in writing of any deficiencies in your application. Any forms that were previously submitted with another application will not be pulled from the file. You must complete and submit all of the requested information.

Non Resident Wholesaler

Out-of-state manufacturers or wholesalers of dangerous drugs or dangerous devices doing business in California must obtain an out-of-state dangerous drug or dangerous device distributor's license from the board.

Under California law, the name used to describe any business, located outside California that ships drugs into California at wholesale, will change on January 1, 2006, from the former name, out of state distributor, to nonresident wholesaler. For conventional use, the board refers to such a business as a nonresident wholesaler.

The non-resident wholesaler license application forms may be obtained by download only.

Pharmacist

To be licensed as a pharmacist in California, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age.
  • Have obtained a B.S. in Pharmacy or a Pharm.D. degree from a ACPE accredited college of pharmacy program.

Graduates from a college of pharmacy program outside the U.S. must pass the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and earn a score of at least 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE). If you are a foreign graduate, you must complete the foreign graduate assessment process of the board to demonstrate the equivalency of your education to that of domestic graduates (more information regarding foreign pharmacy graduates).

  • Have completed 1,500 intern experience hours or verified licensure as a pharmacist in another state for at least one year.
  • Have taken and passed the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and the California Pharmacist Jurisprudence Examination (CPJE) after December 31, 2003, or have passed a written and practical examination given by the board before January 1, 2004.

The Registered Pharmacist application forms may be obtained by download only.

Please follow the application instructions completely. Failure to submit the necessary items will delay the processing of your application. You will be notified in writing of any deficiencies in your application.

Pharmacy Technician

A Pharmacy Technician is an individual who, under the direct supervision and control of a pharmacist, performs packaging, manipulative, repetitive, or other non-discretionary tasks related to the processing of a prescription in a licensed pharmacy, but excludes all functions restricted to a registered pharmacist. To work as a pharmacy technician in California, you must possess and keep current registration as a pharmacy technician. The Pharmacy Technician application forms may be obtained by download only. Please follow the application instructions completely. Failure to submit the necessary items will delay the processing of your application. You will be notified in writing of any deficiencies in your application.

More FAQs for Pharmacy Technician Applicants

Sterile Injectable Compounding Pharmacy License

A pharmacy may not compound injectable sterile drug products in California unless it is specially licensed with the board as a sterile compounding pharmacy, OR has a current accreditation from one of the following organizations:

  • Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
  • Accreditation Commission on Healthcare or
  • Community Health Accreditation Program

All pharmacies that compound injectable sterile drug products must follow board regulations for sterile compounding. These regulations are found in Title 16 California Code of Regulations as Article 8, beginning with section 1751.

If a nonresident pharmacy is shipping injectable drug products into California, this pharmacy must:

  1. Be licensed as a nonresident pharmacy
  2. Comply with board regulations for sterile compounding, AND
  3. Be separately licensed with the board to compound injectable sterile drug products unless it is licensed as a hospital, home health agency or skilled nursing facility AND possesses current accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the Accreditation Commission on Healthcare or the Community Health Accreditation Program.

The Sterile Compounding License application forms may be obtained by download only. Click the appropriate link for forms: Sterile Compounding License application or Nonresident Sterile Compounding application.

Please follow the application instructions completely. Failure to submit the necessary items will delay the processing of your application. You will be notified in writing of any deficiencies in your application. Any forms that were previously submitted with another application will not be pulled from the file. You must complete and submit all of the requested information.

Veterinary Food Animal Drug Retailer

"Veterinary food-animal drug retailer" is an area, place, or premises, other than a pharmacy, that holds a valid license from the California Board of Pharmacy as a wholesaler and, in and from which veterinary drugs for food-producing animals are dispensed pursuant to a prescription from a licensed veterinarian.

Wholesaler

A wholesaler permit is required before any firm or organization may distribute, broker or transact the sale or return of dangerous drugs or dangerous devices in California. Wholesalers sell and distribute dangerous drugs and dangerous devices (also called "legend" items or prescription-required drugs and devices) to other business entities who are authorized by law to purchase the items or to licensed health care providers who are authorized by law to possess the dangerous drugs and dangerous devices. Wholesalers are not authorized to sell or distribute these items directly to patients unless the wholesaler is delivering dialysis drugs and devices to home dialysis patients in case(s) or full shelf package lots (see section 4054 of the California Business & Professions Code).

A wholesaler permit is also required of customs brokers who sell for resale or negotiate for distribution any dangerous drug or device included in section 4022 of the Business and Professions Code. A wholesaler permit is also required for reverse distributors who arrange for the destruction of outdated or damaged dangerous drugs or devices.

The wholesaler license application forms may be obtained by download only.

Please follow the application instructions completely. Failure to submit the necessary items will delay the processing of your application. You will be notified in writing of any deficiencies in your application. Any forms that were previously submitted with another application will not be pulled from the file. You must complete and submit all of the requested information.

Frequently Asked Questions for Pharmacy Technician Applicants

What are the new changes regarding qualifying to become a pharmacy technician?

Effective January 1, 2004, there are only four ways to qualify for pharmacy technician registration (California Business and Professions Code section 4202). California law now requires that an applicant for a pharmacy technician permit must meet one of the following criteria:

  1. Have obtained an associate of arts degree in pharmacy technology.
  2. Have completed a course of training specified by the board (typically provided by employers under requirements of California Code of Regulations Section 1793.6 (provided below)).
  3. Have graduated from a school of pharmacy approved by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education or recognized by the board.
  4. Be certified by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. California Code of Regulations section 1793.6 describes the training courses acceptable to the board (item 2 above).

This training is:

  1. Any pharmacy technician training program accredited by the American Society of Health--System Pharmacists,
  2. Any pharmacy technician training program provided by a branch of the federal armed services for which the applicant possesses a certificate of completion, or
  3. Any other course that provides a training period of at least 240 hours of theoretical and practical instruction, provided that at least 120 of these hours are in theoretical instruction in a curriculum that provides:

    1. Knowledge and understanding of different pharmacy practice settings.
    2. Knowledge and understanding of the duties and responsibilities of a pharmacy technician in relationship to other pharmacy personnel and knowledge of standards and ethics, laws and regulations governing the practice of pharmacy.
    3. Knowledge and ability to identify and employ pharmaceutical and medical terms, abbreviations and symbols commonly used in prescribing, dispensing and record keeping of medications.
    4. Knowledge of and the ability to carry out calculations required for common dosage determination, employing both the metric and apothecary systems.
    5. Knowledge and understanding of the identification of drugs, drug dosages, routes of administration, dosage forms and storage requirements.
    6. Knowledge of and ability to perform the manipulative and record-keeping functions involved in and related to dispensing prescriptions.
    7. Knowledge of and ability to perform procedures and techniques relating to manufacturing, packaging, and labeling of drug products.
Can technicians still be "grandfathered" in?

No. What was frequently referred to as grandfathering in pharmacy technicians was a method by which an individual could use specific types of experience gained in a pharmacy to qualify for registration as a pharmacy technician. However, California law changed on January 1, 2004, and this type of experience is no longer a qualifying method.

I am a graduate of a college of pharmacy in another country. Can I qualify for registration because of my education as a pharmacist?

No. You will need to qualify by one of the four methods listed in the first question above. The board cannot accept this degree as equivalent to the associate of arts degree in pharmacy technology. Often applicants such as yourself take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination.

When is the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination given?

This examination is given by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. Here is a link to their web site: https://www.ptcb.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home1

How will I know when the Board of Pharmacy has received my application since the board is not always able to provide status information?

The best way is to include a self-addressed postcard with your application. The board will mail this postcard to you when it receives your application packet. Another way to know that the board has received your application is to look for whether your bank has paid your check for the application fees. The board cashiers any check it receives promptly.

Frequently Asked Questions for Site License Applicants

What do I do if I've never received my permit?

If you know that the board issued you a permit but you never received it, submit a Request for Duplicate/Replacement License form (17A-36).

What is the application processing time?

After completion of all deficiencies, the processing time is 60 days. If your application has no deficiencies, the process time is shorter.