VCPR by State

This quick-reference guide lists each state’s VCPR (veterinarian client-patient relationship) regulations, and provides guidance to veterinarians how they can utilize TeleVet for conducting virtual visits.

In most cases, veterinarians can offer general advice (e.g., nutrition or training recommendations), first aid advice, triage patients, and assist in medical emergencies without VCPR. However, to diagnose a patient or to prescribe drugs, VCPR is required.

State	Link to Practice Act	VCPR must be established in-person	Scope of VCPR	Where telemedicine occurs	Brief Summary of Guidelines/Restrictions
Alabama	Alabama Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Where the client/animal is	VCPR must be established in-person. Telemedicine is defined by where the owner/animal is, regardless of where the veterinarian is (i.e. a vet must be licensed in AL and have VCPR to treat an animal in AL).
Alaska	Alaska Practice Act	No	Not defined	Not defined	Alaska does not define VCPR in its Practice Act. However, to be conservative, utilize the general guideline of establishing VCPR with in-person visits at least annually
Arizona	Arizona Practice Act	Yes	Any vet at same practice	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person but VCPR can apply to any vet working at the same practice
Arkansas	Arkansas Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
California	California Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	California has one of the strictest regulations for telemedicine. VCPR must be established in-person and is only applicable to one veterinarian. Additionally, telemedicine can only be used for specific medical conditions for which the animal has already been diagnosed by the veterinarian during an in-person exam.
Colorado	Colorado Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Where the client/animal is	VCPR must be established by an in-person examination and only applies to one veterinarian. Colorado defines telemedicine as taking place where the animal is (i.e., a vet must be licensed in CO and have VCPR to treat an animal in CO)
Connecticut	Connecticut Practice Act	No	Not defined	Not defined	Connecticut does not define VCPR in its Practice Act. However, to be conservative, utilize the general guideline of establishing VCPR with in-person visits at least annually
Delaware	Delaware Practice Act	No	Not defined	Not defined	Delaware does not define VCPR in its Practice Act. However, to be conservative, utilize the general guideline of establishing VCPR with in-person visits at least annually
District of Columbia	District of Columbia Practice Act	No	Not defined	Not defined	D.C. does not define VCPR in its Practice Act. However, to be conservative, utilize the general guideline of establishing VCPR with in-person visits at least annually
Florida	Florida Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Georgia	Georgia Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Hawaii	Hawaii Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	Hawaii has guidelines regarding establishing VCPR but these are not legally binding, although it is recommended to follow the guidelines. VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one vet.
Idaho	Idaho Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Where the client/animal is	VCPR must be established by an in-person examination at least annually and only applies to one vet. Telemedicine is defined by where the owner/animal is, regardless of where the veterinarian is (i.e., a vet must be licensed in ID and have VCPR to treat an animal in ID).
Illinois	Illinois Practice Act	Yes	Any vet at same practice	Where the client/animal is	VCPR must be established by an in-person examination but aplies to any veterinarian at the same practice. Telemedicine is defined by where the owner/animal is, regardless of where the veterinarian is (i.e., a vet must be licensed in IL and have VCPR to treat an animal in IL) unless there is an existing VCPR.
Indiana	Indiana Practice Act	Yes	Any vet at same practice	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person but VCPR can apply to any vet working at the same practice
Iowa	Iowa Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Kansas	Kansas Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Kentucky	Kentucky Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Louisiana	Louisiana Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Maine	Maine Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Maryland	Maryland Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Massachusetts	Massachusetts Practice Act	Yes	Any vet at same practice	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person but VCPR can apply to any vet working at the same practice
Michigan	Michigan Practice Act	No	Not defined	Not defined	Michigan rescinded the definition of VCPR in its Practice Act in 2019. However, to be conservative, utilize the general guideline of establishing VCPR with in-person visits at least annually
Minnesota	Minnesota Practice Act	Yes	Any vet at same practice	Not defined	Any DVM within 18 months
Mississippi	Mississippi Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Missouri	Missouri Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Montana	Montana Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Nebraska	Nebraska Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Nevada	Nevada Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
New Hampshire	New Hampshire Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
New Jersey	New Jersey Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Where the vet is	New Jersey has legislature for telemedicine that has been approved but not yet adopted (as of June 2020). Currently, VCPR must be established in-person, but the new guidelines may allow for VCPR to be established remotely as long as there is not a Schedule II drug being prescribed. The new legislature defines telemedicine as taking place where the veterinarian physically is (e.g., a vet licensed in NJ can have a telemedicine consult with a client in another state without being licensed in that state).
New Mexico	New Mexico Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
New York	New York Practice Act	Yes	Any vet at same practice	Not defined	New York has guidelines regarding establishing VCPR/telemedicine but clearly states that these are not legally binding, although it is recommended to follow the guidelines. VCPR must be established in-person but can apply to any veterinarian at the same practice.
North Carolina	North Carolina Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
North Dakota	North Dakota Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Ohio	Ohio Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Oklahoma	Oklahoma Practice Act	No	One vet	Where the client/animal is	Oklahoma has more guidelines than most states regarding telemedicine. Although ideally VCPR is established in-person, it can be established remotely in some situations (vets should use professional judgment to determine if it is appropriate or not to establish VCPR via telemedicine). Vets cannot prescribe drugs unless the VCPR is established in-person.
Oregon	Oregon Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania Practice Act	Yes	Any vet at same practice	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person but VCPR can apply to any vet working at the same practice
Puerto Rico	Puerto Rico Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Rhode Island	Rhode Island Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
South Carolina	South Carolina Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
South Dakota	South Dakota Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Tennessee	Tennessee Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Texas	Texas Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Utah	Utah Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Vermont	Vermont Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Virginia	Virginia Practice Act	No	Any vet at same practice	Not defined	VCPR may be established via telemedicine as long as there is a real-time, face-to-face interaction. VCPR can apply to any vet working at the same practice.
Washington	Washington Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
West Virginia	West Virginia Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Wisconsin	Wisconsin Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian
Wyoming	Wyoming Practice Act	Yes	One vet	Not defined	VCPR must be established in-person and only applies to one veterinarian