The Interstate Podiatric Medical Licensure Compact would let a qualifying podiatrist apply through a home state and receive full expedited licenses from other member states. It is not active. The model law needs four states; Iowa and Maryland have enacted it, Maryland contingent on four others, and no Commission, fees or application exist yet.
The Interstate Podiatric Medical Licensure Compact (IPMLC) is the podiatry profession's version of the interstate compact physicians have used since 2017. If enough states join, a qualifying podiatrist could apply once through a home state and receive full licenses from other member states on an expedited basis. The compact is not active today, and no one can apply through it. What follows describes how the model law would work once it is.
What is the podiatry compact?
The IPMLC's website calls it "an agreement among participating U.S. states to work together to significantly streamline the licensing process for podiatric physicians who want to practice in multiple states," offering "a voluntary, expedited pathway to licensure for podiatric physicians who qualify." It is an interstate compact, which the site describes as a "legally binding" agreement among states enacted by each legislature.
The Federation of Podiatric Medical Boards (FPMB) leads the effort. FPMB says the compact "is modeled after the existing Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC)," that it has a memorandum of understanding with the IMLC Commission for technical and administrative help, and that in June 2024 it received a federal Health Resources and Services Administration grant to support the compact from July 2024 to June 2029.
The most important design choice is that the compact does not create a multistate license or a privilege to practice. "These licenses are still issued by the individual states," the IPMLC site says. Each member state issues its own full, unrestricted "expedited license" (model law, Section 2(d)).
How would an application move through the compact?
The model law, in the version dated May 27, 2026, sets out the steps:
- Pick a state of principal license. You designate a member state where you hold a full, unrestricted license and that is your primary residence, where at least 25% of your practice occurs, where your employer is located, or, failing those, your federal tax residence (Section 4). See how the compact would pick your home state.
- Apply to that state's board. "A podiatric physician seeking licensure through the Compact shall file an application for an expedited license with the member board of the state selected" (Section 5(a)).
- Get a letter of qualification. The home board evaluates eligibility, runs a fingerprint-based criminal background check, and issues a letter of qualification "verifying or denying" eligibility. Static qualifications already primary-source verified by that board, such as education, residency and exam results, are not verified again (Section 5(b)).
- Register and pay. Eligible podiatrists complete a registration process set by the Interstate Commission, including any fees, and choose the member states where they want licenses (Section 5(c)).
- Receive each state's license. Each selected member board issues an expedited license, valid for that state's normal licensure period (Sections 5(d) and 5(e)).
Fees would be set by each member state and by Commission rule (Section 6). None exist yet.
Who would qualify?
Eligibility is narrow by design. Under Section 2(m), you would need to have graduated from a CPME-accredited podiatric medical school, passed APMLE Parts I, II and III, completed a CPME-approved residency, hold specialty certification from a CPME-recognized board, and hold a full and unrestricted license from a member board. You must also never have been convicted or received deferred adjudication for an offense, never had a license disciplined (fee matters aside), never had a controlled substance license suspended or revoked, and not be under active investigation.
Podiatrists who do not meet that list can still be licensed in a member state the ordinary way (Section 3(b)). The details are in who would qualify for the podiatry compact.
How would renewal and discipline work?
Renewal would run through the Interstate Commission, which collects renewal fees and passes them to each member board. To renew, you would need to keep a full license in your home state and stay free of convictions, discipline and controlled substance actions, and you would still meet each state's continuing education rules (Section 7).
The compact also ties the licenses together. Member boards report public actions to a shared database (Section 8) and can run joint investigations (Section 9). If your home-state license is revoked, surrendered in lieu of discipline or suspended, every compact license automatically takes the same status. If any member board revokes or suspends, the others suspend automatically for 90 days while they investigate (Section 10). An expedited license also ends if your home-state license lapses for a non-disciplinary reason and you do not designate a new home state (Section 5(f)).
Is a license through the compact different from endorsement?
Yes, though both end with a full license from the state. The differences are in the path and in what ties the licenses together:
- One eligibility check instead of several. With endorsement, each board reviews your file on its own. Through the compact, your home state verifies you once and the other member states do not re-verify education, residency and exam results it has already verified at the source.
- Licenses that depend on a home state. An endorsement license stands on its own. A license issued through the compact ends if your home-state license lapses for a non-disciplinary reason and you do not designate a new home state, and it follows your home-state license if that license is disciplined.
- Who can use it. Endorsement rules vary by state but rarely require board certification. The compact would require it for everyone.
- Where it works. Endorsement exists in most states today. The compact would cover only states that enact it.
For most podiatrists, endorsement will remain the main route for years. See what the podiatry compact borrowed from the physician compact for the model it copies.
Why is the compact not active yet?
Section 20(b) of the model law says the compact "shall become effective and binding upon legislative enactment of the Compact into law by no less than four (4) states." As of early September 2026, two states have enacted it:
- Iowa enacted it in House File 2498, approved by the governor on June 2, 2026.
- Maryland enacted it in Senate Bill 333 (Chapter 71), approved on April 14, 2026. The law takes effect October 1, 2026, and its synopsis says the act "is contingent on the enactment of substantially similar provisions in four other states."
Bills elsewhere have not finished: Ohio's Senate passed SB 354 in May 2026, Pennsylvania's HB 2745 was referred to committee in August 2026, Florida's SB 1312 died in committee in March 2026, and Arizona's HB 2438 passed the House but saw no Senate action. The current tally is in where the podiatry compact stands.
Even after a fourth state joins, the work is not done. The Interstate Commission has to be formed and write its rules, fees and application process. The IPMLC's own one-page summary says "licensure compacts can take up to 24 months to become fully operational after activation." Nobody can responsibly give a date.
Would the compact change scope or telehealth rules?
No. The model law says the compact "creates another pathway for licensure and does not otherwise change a state's existing Podiatric Medical Practice Act." It also restates the prevailing standard that "the practice of podiatric medicine occurs where the patient is located at the time of the podiatric physician-patient encounter." Each license would carry that state's scope, so a license issued through the compact in a foot-only state would still be foot-only. The scope-by-state hub shows those differences.
What should podiatrists do while they wait?
Use the routes that exist now. Most states offer endorsement or universal recognition for licensed podiatrists, and the ones that do not (New York, Georgia, Texas and a few others) are workable with a full application. See podiatry license by endorsement.
If you want to know when the compact moves, join the free Compact Notification List on the state license index. It is free, and it is the only compact-related service offered, because there is nothing to apply for yet. For licenses you need now, a Podiatry Licensure Readiness Review ($149, credited toward your first application) sorts out the fastest route in each state.
Common questions
- Is the podiatry compact active?
- No. The model law takes effect only after four states enact it. Iowa and Maryland have, and Maryland's law is itself contingent on four other states. There is no Commission and no application yet.
- Would the compact replace my state licenses?
- No. Each member state would issue its own full expedited license under its own practice act and renewal cycle. The compact would streamline the application, not replace state licenses.
- Do I have to be board certified to use the podiatry compact?
- Under the model law, yes. Section 2(m) requires specialty certification from a board recognized by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education, along with a CPME residency and APMLE Parts I to III.
- When will the podiatry compact open?
- No one can say. Two more states must enact it, a Commission must form and write rules, and the IPMLC says compacts can take up to 24 months to become fully operational after activation.
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