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CompactStates

Compact nursing states in the West

The West is genuinely split — a mountain-state core is compact while much of the Pacific coast is not. That matters a lot for travel and cross-border work here.

Which Western states are compact nursing states?

About half. As of 2026, states such as Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming are compact. But several big-demand states are not — California, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, and Alaska. California in particular catches nurses out because so many work there. Confirm each state’s current status below.

NLC member states ↗Last reviewed 2026-06-17

West (13)

AlaskaNon-compact stateArizonaFull compact stateCaliforniaNon-compact stateColoradoFull compact stateHawaiiNon-compact stateIdahoFull compact stateMontanaFull compact stateNevadaNon-compact stateNew MexicoFull compact stateOregonNon-compact stateUtahFull compact stateWashingtonFull compact stateWyomingFull compact state

When this region joined

Seven of them began recognizing compact privilege on January 19, 2018, the day the enhanced compact took effect: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. One arrived later: Washington in 2023 — the most recent being Washington on July 24, 2023.

Dates are the day incoming privilege began, which is not always the day the board started issuing multistate licenses to its own residents — see how a state joins. Members without a verified date are omitted rather than guessed at; the full record is on the adoption timeline.

Where a multistate license stops at a state line here

These are the land borders in this region where a compact state meets one that has never joined. Each is a line people cross without thinking, and licensure changes at it — which matters most to whoever lives on one side and picks up shifts on the other. Each neighbour below links through to what that particular pairing means.

  • Arizona (compact) meets two states that never joined: California and Nevada. An Arizona multistate license reaches none of those lines.
  • Idaho (compact) meets two states that never joined: Nevada and Oregon. An Idaho multistate license reaches none of those lines.
  • Utah (compact) meets one state that never joined: Nevada. A Utah multistate license does not reach across that line.
  • Washington (compact) meets one state that never joined: Oregon. A Washington multistate license does not reach across that line.

Borders with jurisdictions that have enacted the compact but not yet implemented it are deliberately excluded: that is a temporary state of affairs rather than a standing one, and tracked separately. Every seam in the country, mapped.

Status shown as of 2026-06-17. Compact law changes — always confirm with the relevant board of nursing.

Frequently asked questions

No. California is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state and has not enacted the compact. There is no California multistate license, and compact privilege from another state does not authorize practice in California.

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