How the Podiatry Compact Would Pick Your Home State

The podiatry compact, if it activates, would not let you apply from anywhere. Every application would start with one member state that the model law calls your "state of principal license." That state's board would check your eligibility, run your background check and issue your letter of qualification, and every license you got through the compact would depend on keeping your license there. The compact is not active yet, but the rule for picking that state is already written.

What is a state of principal license?

The model law, in the version dated May 27, 2026, defines it as "a member state where a podiatric physician holds a license to practice podiatric medicine and which has been designated by such a podiatric physician for purposes of registration and participation in the Compact" (Section 2(q)). Two points follow. It has to be a member state, meaning one that has enacted the compact. And you have to already hold a license there; the compact does not issue your first license.

Which state can you designate?

Section 4(a) says you may designate a member state where you hold "a full and unrestricted license to practice podiatric medicine," if that state is:

1. your state of principal residence, or
2. the state where at least 25% of your practice of podiatric medicine occurs, or
3. the location of your employer, or
4. if no state qualifies under the first three, the state you use as your residence for federal income tax purposes.

The first three are alternatives, so a podiatrist who lives in one state and works mostly in another may have a choice. The fourth is a fallback only.

Why does the choice matter so much?

Because nearly every part of the process runs through that state:

• Eligibility and background check. You "file an application for an expedited license with the member board of the state selected" as your home state, and that board evaluates eligibility and runs a fingerprint-based criminal background check (Section 5(a) and (b)).
• Verification once. Education, residency and exam results that board has already primary-source verified are not verified again by the other states (Section 5(b)(1)).
• Appeals. If you are found ineligible, the appeal goes to the state where you filed, "subject to the law of that state" (Section 5(b)(3)).
• Keeping your licenses. Renewal through the compact requires that you maintain a full and unrestricted license in your home state (Section 7(a)), and an expedited license "shall be terminated" if your home-state license lapses for a non-disciplinary reason and you have not designated a new one (Section 5(f)).
• Discipline. If your home-state license is revoked, surrendered in lieu of discipline or suspended, every license issued to you through the compact automatically takes the same status (Section 10(b)).

So the best home state is one where your license is stable, where you plan to keep practicing, and where the board's process works well for you.

Can you change your home state later?

Yes. Section 4(b) says you "may redesignate a member state as state of principal license at any time," as long as the new state meets the same tests. The Interstate Commission may write rules to handle redesignation (Section 4(c)). The physician compact, which the podiatry model copies, offers redesignation through a short form with no charge, according to its physician information page; the podiatry Commission has not written its rules yet.

If you move, change employers or shift most of your practice, check whether your current home state still qualifies. A podiatrist who no longer meets any of the four tests in a state would need to redesignate before a lapse there ends the compact licenses.

Which states could serve as a home state today?

None yet, because the compact is not active. It needs four enacting states under Section 20(b). Iowa enacted it in House File 2498, approved June 2, 2026. Maryland enacted it in Senate Bill 333, effective October 1, 2026 but contingent on substantially similar laws in four other states. Until the compact activates and a Commission writes its rules, no board can accept a compact application or issue a letter of qualification. See where the podiatry compact stands.

That also means a podiatrist whose home is in a state that never joins could not use the compact from that state. You would need a full license in a member state that qualifies under Section 4 before you could start.

How does this compare to the physician compact?

The tests are the same. The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact asks physicians to hold a full, unrestricted license in a member state that is their primary residence, where at least 25% of their practice occurs, where their employer is located, or their federal tax residence, and it warns that if a physician no longer meets the requirements for a state of principal license, "ALL licenses issued through the Compact will be terminated." More on what podiatry borrowed is in the podiatry compact and the physician compact.

What should you do now?

Nothing compact-specific yet. Licenses you need in the next year or two come through each state's endorsement, universal recognition or full application route; see podiatry license by endorsement. If you expect to use the compact later, keep the license in the state you would designate active and clean, and confirm you meet the eligibility rules in who would qualify.

To hear when the compact moves, join the free Compact Notification List on the state license index. A Podiatry Licensure Readiness Review ($149, credited toward your first application) maps your current options state by state.