Alabama Statutes

Medical nutrition therapy is a medical treatment. Like other non-physician practitioners providing medical treatments, registered dietitian nutritionists generally can practice MNT because of licensure and certification laws, which provide authority for RDNs to provide this medical service. It is with this understanding that the Academy strongly recommends — unless there is an applicable exception or exemption or a state does not provide for licensure or certification requirements — practitioners hold licensure or certification in all states where the practitioner's clients or patients are located when services are provided.

Links to State Boards, Statutes and Regulations

• Board/Agency Website
• Statute
  Alabama's Dietetics/Nutrition Practice Act may be accessed in the Alabama Code under Title 34 Professions and Business, Chapter 34A Dietetics/Nutrition Practice Act
• Regulation

Statute and Regulation Details

Background info and terminology

Licensure (or Certification) by Endorsement of RDN Credential

Section 34-34A-7 – Qualification for license

(8) Applicants who provide evidence of current registration as a registered dietitian by the Commission on Dietetic Registration shall be considered to have met the requirements of subdivisions (4) or (5), and (6) and (7) of this section.

Licensure (or Certification) by Reciprocity or Endorsement of Another License

Section 34-34A-11 - Reciprocity

Reciprocity shall be provided for licensed dietitians/nutritionists from other states provided that the standards for licensing in that state are not less than those provided for in this chapter as determined by the board.

Temporary/Provisional Licensure (or Certification)

Section 34-34A-9 Temporary license; fee

(a) A temporary license to practice as a dietitian/nutritionist may be issued by the board upon the filing of an application and submission of evidence of successful completion of education requirements specified in Section 34-34A-7.
(b) A temporary license shall expire one year from the date of issuance.
(c) The fee for a temporary license and for each renewal shall not be more than 50 percent of current renewal fees. Application fees must be paid same as licensed dietitians/nutritionists.

Exceptions/Exemptions

Section 34-34A-10 Exceptions

This chapter does not prevent or restrict the practice, services, or activities of:
(1) A dietetic technician, from engaging in the practice of dietetics/nutrition under the supervision of a licensed dietitian/nutritionist provided such activities are related to employment.
(2) A student enrolled in an approved educational program in dietetics/nutrition from engaging in the practice of dietetics/nutrition under the supervision of a licensed dietitian/nutritionist provided the activities are part of such program.
(3) A dietitian/nutritionist who is serving in the armed forces or the public health services of the United States or is employed by the Veterans Administration or other federal government agencies or the cooperative extension system from engaging in the practice of dietetics/nutrition provided such practice is related to such service or employment.
(4) A duly licensed health professional from engaging in the practice of dietetics/nutrition when incidental to the practice of his/her profession, provided that such a person does not represent himself/herself as a licensed dietitian/nutritionist or as able to practice dietetics/nutrition.
(5) A government employee other than a dietitian/nutritionist, or a certified teacher employed by a federal, state, county, or municipal agency, or other political subdivision, or an elementary or secondary school, or an accredited institution of higher education, from discharging his/her official duties, provided that if such person practices dietetics/nutrition in this state outside the scope of that official duty, he/she shall be licensed under this chapter.
(6) Any person, including hospital food service managers/directors and child nutrition program managers, who has management responsibility for food service department policies, procedures, and outcomes from performing his/her job provided that such a person does not represent himself/herself as a licensed dietitian/nutritionist.
(7) Nothing in this chapter is intended to prohibit any person who does not hold himself or herself out to be a dietitian or nutritionist from furnishing general nutritional information on food, food materials, or dietary supplements or from engaging in the explanation to customers about foods or food products in connection with marketing and distribution of those products, nor to prohibit any person licensed under this chapter from engaging in the marketing and distribution of food or food products.
(8) Any person who provides weight control services provided the program has been reviewed by a dietitian/nutritionist as defined in this chapter and consultation is available from a dietitian/nutritionist. No changes in a weight control program shall be initiated without prior approval by a dietitian/nutritionist as defined in this chapter.
(9) A dietitian/nutritionist licensed under this chapter from providing nutrition counseling on health and wellness to the public as an independent agent.

Updated August 2023

Disclaimer: This page is not intended to constitute legal or career advice. All information, content and materials are for general informational purposes only and may not represent the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites, which are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and its members do not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites, nor does such information necessarily constitute a legally binding interpretation of state policy. The ultimate authority to interpret each state's requirements is the licensing board or agency of that state.