Tennessee Dietitian Licensing and the Compact

Tennessee licenses dietitian/nutritionists through the Board of Dietitian/Nutritionist Examiners under Tenn. Code Ann. 63-25-101 and following. The board's rules leave no doubt that this is a practice license: "Dietitian/Nutritionist is one of the healing arts and as such the practice of which is restricted to those persons credentialed by the board" (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0470-01-.03(2)). Practicing without a credential or an express exemption violates Tenn. Code Ann. 63-1-123.

The titles are protected too. Without a Tennessee license, no one may represent themselves as a dietitian or nutritionist or use "dietitian/nutritionist," "licensed dietitian," "licensed nutritionist," or the letters L.D.N., L.D. or L.N. (0470-01-.03(1)). The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' March 2026 telehealth chart lists licensure as the action Tennessee requires for telehealth.

Who is exempt?

The rules list exemptions, including other licensed health professionals working within their own scope, supervised students in approved programs, dietitians in the armed forces, the U.S. Public Health Service or the Veterans Administration, government nutrition educators and program staff, hospital and nursing home employees subject to facility licensure, and people who give non-medical nutrition information without holding themselves out as licensed, such as staff of weight loss programs and health food stores (0470-01-.03(3)). An RDN in private practice or telehealth seeing Tennessee clients for medical nutrition care does not fit these.

What does the Tennessee application require?

There are two routes (0470-01-.04). Licensure by examination requires a qualifying degree, at least 900 hours of supervised preprofessional experience or a CDR-recognized supervised program, a passing exam score and good moral character. Licensure by reciprocity is for someone who "holds a valid license issued by a board of dietitian / nutrition of any state," if the board finds that state's requirements substantially equivalent.

The procedure rule adds the details that trip people up (0470-01-.05):

• You answer every question "truthfully and completely," and the rule's intent is that all documentation be "filed simultaneously."
• A signed passport photograph taken within the last 12 months, signed by you on the back.
• A transcript sent directly from your school, showing the degree conferred, with the school's seal and the name you are applying under.
• At least one original letter, dated within the last 12 months, from a professional attesting to your character and professional ethics, on the signer's letterhead.
• Verification that you passed the CDR exam.
• Disclosure of any criminal conviction other than minor traffic violations, any denial or discipline of a license or certification in another state, any loss or restriction of a credential, and civil judgments or settlements in which you were a defendant.

How do board meetings affect timing?

Tennessee approves files at board meetings. Applications are accepted year-round, and files "completed on or before the 30th day prior to a board meeting will ordinarily be processed at the next board meeting." If the board sends a deficiency notice, the missing documents must arrive within 60 days or the file is closed and you reapply (0470-01-.05(3) and 0470-01-.07(4)). Initial review may be delegated to the board's administrator, but final approval is made and ratified by the board.

In practice, that means your target is not the board's meeting date but the date 30 days before it. Our post on why dietitian applications take as long as they do covers board calendars across states.

Which fees apply in Tennessee?

The fee schedule in 0470-01-.06(4) lists:

• application, $75;
• initial license, $55;
• state regulatory fee, $10, paid at application and with each biennial renewal;
• biennial renewal, $70;
• late renewal, $100;
• endorsement or verification to another state, $20; and
• temporary permit, $5.

The initial license fee is refunded if you paid it with the application and the application is denied; other fees are nonrefundable.

When does a Tennessee license renew?

Every two years, on the last day of your birth month, under the Division of Health Related Boards' birthdate renewal system (0470-01-.09). Renewal can be done online through the state's portal. An expired license can be reinstated by paying the past-due renewal fees and the late renewal fee.

Does Tennessee's compact membership change anything today?

Tennessee enacted the Dietitian Licensure Compact in 2024, one of three states to do so that year. Today that changes nothing on the ground: no state issues compact privileges, and CDR expects the first ones sometime in 2027. An out-of-state RDN seeing Tennessee clients needs a Tennessee license now, and a Tennessee RDN serving clients in other states needs a credential in each state that requires one.

When privileges do begin, CDR says you may be eligible if you are a registered dietitian, hold an active, unencumbered license in your home state, and your home state is part of the compact. An RD who lives in Tennessee and holds an unencumbered Tennessee license fits that description. See the Dietitian Licensure Compact, explained and when privileges will start.

How can we help with a Tennessee license?

Our License by Endorsement (RDN) service, $599 per state, assembles the Tennessee file so it can be filed all at once, as the rule intends: the photo and character letter specifications, the school transcript request, CDR verification and disclosure documents, timed to the 30-day cutoff before the next board meeting. You review, sign, pay the board and submit. Board fees are separate. The Tennessee state page has the summary.