Naturopathic Doctors Act

The law keeps the California Board of Naturopathic Medicine operating for four more years while updating pathways for education approval, license status, and practice names. It also makes unlicensed practice of naturopathic medicine a crime while preserving specified nonlicensed naturopathy-related activities with disclosures.

What the law does ​

• Extends the Naturopathic Doctors Act and the California Board of Naturopathic Medicine through January 1, 2031.
• Sets staggered initial terms for Governor-appointed board members and four-year terms thereafter.
• Broadens approval standards for naturopathic medical programs, including substantially equivalent accreditors and qualifying programs housed at accredited institutions.
• Lets the board permanently accept voluntary license cancellations that are not used to avoid enforcement, requiring a new application to resume practice.
• Creates fictitious-name permits for naturopathic practices, sets $100 application and $50 renewal fees, and bars misleading practice names.
• Makes practicing, advertising, or holding oneself out as practicing naturopathic medicine without required authorization a criminal offense, subject to specified exceptions and disclosures.
• Requires unlicensed people who lawfully practice naturopathy to disclose in advertising and client materials that they are not licensed naturopathic doctors and obtain written client acknowledgment.
• Sets inactive-license renewal fees at one-half the active-license renewal fee and repeals an expired pre-1986 graduate licensing pathway.

Who it affects ​

• California-licensed naturopathic doctors and applicants for licensure.
• The California Board of Naturopathic Medicine and its members.
• Naturopathic medical education programs and students.
• Unlicensed people who lawfully offer naturopathy-related services or use the title “naturopath.”
• Naturopathic practices using assumed or business names.

Context ​

The Legislature states its intent to work with stakeholders and the board on potential future authority for naturopathic doctors to provide additional services within their training and qualifications.