State Controlled Substance Licenses for Optometrists

A controlled substance prescription from an optometrist rests on up to three separate approvals: the state optometry license with the right therapeutic certification, a DEA registration for that state, and in some states a state controlled substance license or registration. The third one is the step optometrists licensing in a new state most often miss, because their home state does not have it.

Which states issue their own controlled substance license to optometrists?

From current board pages, statutes and rules:

• Delaware. A Delaware controlled substance registration comes before the Delaware DEA registration, followed by registration with the state PMP. Prescribing is limited to hydrocodone products in Schedule II and drugs in Schedules III to V, each up to a 72-hour supply.
• Illinois. Optometrists who prescribe controlled substances obtain an Illinois controlled substance license first, then a DEA registration.
• Indiana. Indiana issues a Controlled Substances Registration for optometrists that is limited to tramadol. Prescribing anything requires the Optometric Legend Drug Certificate as well.
• Massachusetts. Prescribing therapeutic agents requires registration to issue prescriptions under M.G.L. c. 94C, § 7(h). Optometrists may prescribe only Schedule VI drugs, so controlled substances stay outside optometric scope there.
• Michigan. A Michigan controlled substance license ($176.40 as of October 2026) requires DPA/TPA certification and opioid awareness training. One license covers prescribing at several locations, but each dispensing location needs its own. Optometrists may not prescribe Schedule 2 drugs or oral corticosteroids.
• Rhode Island. Prescribing controlled substances needs a Rhode Island registration plus DEA. Schedules III to V and hydrocodone are limited to a 72-hour supply, with no injections.
• South Dakota. A South Dakota controlled substance registration, applied for online, is needed alongside DEA.
• Utah. A separate Utah Controlled Substance license renews with the main license and needs 3.5 approved controlled substance CE hours.

Nevada's board also posts its own controlled substance application. Other states may have requirements we have not confirmed from a primary source, so check each board's prescribing page before you write the first prescription.

In what order do the approvals go?

1. State optometry license, including the therapeutic certification the state ties to prescribing (Michigan's DPA/TPA, Indiana's legend drug certificate).
2. State controlled substance license or registration, where one exists. Illinois and Delaware both say it comes before DEA.
3. DEA registration for a practice address in that state. A DEA registration in your home state does not cover the new one; see DEA registration in more than one state.
4. PDMP registration and training, where the state ties them to prescribing. See PDMP registration and opioid CE.

Doing these out of order rarely saves time. A DEA application filed before the state controlled substance license exists in Illinois or Delaware is premature, and a Michigan controlled substance license needs the DPA/TPA certification on the license first.

Is there an ongoing cost to these licenses?

Mostly time and attention. Utah's renews with the main license and has its own CE. Michigan's carries its own fee. Several states charge for prescription monitoring through the optometry license instead: California charges active licensees a biennial $30 CURES fee, and Alabama adds $10 to each therapeutic renewal to fund its prescription drug database. For an optometrist licensed in three or four states, these become separate dates on the calendar, each with its own lapse consequence.

Do you need one if you never prescribe controlled substances?

Then you may not need the state license or a DEA registration in that state at all. Many optometrists hold therapeutic licenses in several states and controlled substance authority in only the one where they see most patients. That is a reasonable choice, and it keeps renewals simpler. Just make sure your employer's protocols and EHR do not route a controlled substance prescription to you in a state where you have no registration.

Should employers track this separately?

Practices and optical retailers that move optometrists between locations should track controlled substance authority per optometrist per state, separately from the license. Michigan's split between prescribing locations and dispensing locations is a good example of why: the same optometrist may be fully covered at one Michigan office and not at another that dispenses. More in licensing optometrists for optical retailers and multi-state practices.

How can we help?

Our State Controlled Substance License service is $249 per state, and DEA Registration is $249 per state. We prepare each application in the right order, gather the certification and training records the state asks for, and add each renewal to your tracking. You sign the applications and keep your own portal logins. See pricing and the Michigan, Illinois and Utah state pages.