Veterinary Job Hub

How to become a vet tech in Texas

Last checked October 25, 2026 against the sources listed below. Information, not legal advice: confirm with the board before you apply or take on a task.

Texas licenses veterinary technicians as Licensed Veterinary Technicians (LVTs). The license is issued by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, a state agency. It is not required to work in a clinic: the Board calls licensure optional, and the law protects the titles "Licensed Veterinary Technician" and "LVT." To get it, you graduate from an AVMA-accredited program, pass the VTNE, submit fingerprints and pass the Board's online Texas jurisprudence exam.

Texas vet tech credential at a glance

ItemTexas
TitleLicensed Veterinary Technician (LVT)
Issued byTexas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (TBVME), a state agency. Since September 1, 2023, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has temporarily administered the Board's law, with the Board acting as an advisory board.
TypeState license
Required to work as a techNo The Board calls licensure optional. Only license holders may use the LVT title, and one delegated task, hand extraction of loose teeth in dogs and cats, is written for LVTs only.
EducationGraduation from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technician program. The Board says alternate routes are not accepted.
ExamsVTNE first, then the Texas jurisprudence exam. The rules call it the LVTE; the Board's site calls it the State Board Exam (SBE). The rules set the passing score at 85%.
Renewal and CEEvery year, due by the end of your birth month. 10 hours of CE a year. Extra hours carry over to the next year only, up to 10 hours.
Moving from another stateNo licensure by endorsement. You meet the same requirements as new applicants: AVMA-accredited degree, VTNE score sent to Texas, fingerprints and the Texas exam. Military applicants have an expedited route.

How to get your LVT in Texas

  1. Graduate from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technician program. The Board does not accept on-the-job experience or other alternate routes.
  2. Pass the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE). Your score goes to the jurisdiction you picked on your VTNE application. If that was not Texas, AAVSB's VAULT First License service can send it to the Board ($50, listed by AAVSB as of October 2026).
  3. Create an account and apply in the Board's Self-Service Licensing Portal. Upload your documents or ask the issuing schools and agencies to send them. The application fee is $65, listed by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners as of October 2026.
  4. Schedule and complete fingerprinting through IdentoGo for the criminal history check. If you are worried about a past conviction, the Board offers a criminal history evaluation before you apply.
  5. Once your file is complete, the Board sends your Applicant ID and exam instructions. Buy and take the Texas exam online. It must be finished in one sitting within 10 days of purchase. The Board's fee page does not list a separate exam fee.
  6. The Board issues licenses within 7 business days of a passing score, with a license number and an Authority to Practice Letter. If you work for a veterinary hospital, the law requires you to display your license or a legible copy there.

What a credentialed tech can do, and what an assistant can do

Texas law and Board rules name a few tasks and the supervision they need. Direct supervision means the veterinarian is physically on the premises. Immediate supervision means the supervisor is within sight and hearing of both the patient and the person doing the task. General supervision means the veterinarian is readily available to communicate. For tasks the rules do not list, the supervising veterinarian decides the level of supervision.

TaskCredentialed techVeterinary assistant
Suture existing surgical skin incisions and skin lacerationsYes, with conditions: direct or immediate supervision of a veterinarian.Yes, with conditions: immediate supervision of a veterinarian or of an LVT.
Induce anesthesiaYes, with conditions: direct or immediate supervision of a veterinarian.Yes, with conditions: immediate supervision of a veterinarian or of an LVT.
Extract loose teeth or dental fragments by hand, without an elevator (dogs and cats)Yes, with conditions: direct or immediate supervision of a veterinarian.No, under any level of supervision.
Draw blood and take samples for testing and diagnosisYes, with conditions: general, direct or immediate supervision of a veterinarian.Yes, with conditions: listed under the immediate supervision of an LVT. The rules do not list this task for an assistant supervised by a veterinarian; it falls under other assigned tasks at the level the veterinarian sets.
Give a rabies vaccineYes, with conditions: direct supervision of a veterinarian who has a veterinarian-client-patient relationship.Yes, with conditions: direct supervision of a veterinarian who has a veterinarian-client-patient relationship.
Perform euthanasiaYes, with conditions: immediate supervision of a veterinarian.Yes, with conditions: immediate supervision of a veterinarian.

Neither an LVT nor an assistant may perform surgery, perform invasive dental procedures (except the LVT loose-tooth task above), diagnose or give a prognosis, prescribe drugs or appliances, or start treatment without a veterinarian's prior instruction, except in an emergency. An LVT who immediately supervises an assistant is responsible for that assistant's violations related to veterinary practice.

Veterinary assistants in Texas

We found no state license, permit or registration for veterinary assistants in the Veterinary Licensing Act or the Board's rules. State law defines a veterinary assistant as a person employed by a licensed veterinarian who performs animal care tasks and is not an LVT or a certified veterinary assistant. Assistants work at the supervision level their veterinarian sets, within the limits in the table above.

The law also recognizes the Certified Veterinary Assistant (CVA), a voluntary credential from the Texas Veterinary Medical Association, a private professional group. Level I requires 500 hours of work under a veterinarian or LVT, a skills checklist approved by that supervisor and an exam with a 70% passing score. CVAs renew every year with at least 5 hours of CE. The statute gives CVAs the same task limits as other assistants.

On titles, the law says only a license holder may use "Licensed Veterinary Technician" or "LVT," or advertise in a way that suggests they are licensed. We found no Texas law or rule that addresses "veterinary technician," "veterinary technologist" or "veterinary nurse" used on their own.

Renewal and continuing education

  • Active LVT licenses renew every year. The Board says renewal is due by the last day of your birth month and opens 90 days before expiration.
  • You need 10 hours of acceptable CE each year, earned in the renewal year before you renew. Extra hours carry over to the next renewal year only, up to 10 hours.
  • Format limits in the rules: no more than 2 hours from practice management, 4 hours from correspondence courses and 2 hours from self-study. The Board's CE page describes the 4-hour group as non-interactive, pre-recorded or on-demand courses, and says live or interactive courses can cover all 10 hours.
  • CE earned before your Texas license does not count. The Board's CE page says new licensees are exempt from CE in their first year; the rule text itself does not spell out a first-year exemption for LVTs, so confirm with the Board before your first renewal.
  • Keep records of your CE for 4 years. The rules say they must be available at your practice location if Board investigators ask.
  • Renewal fees, listed by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners as of October 2026: $80 for an active license and $35 for an inactive one. Late renewal of an active license costs $120 if less than 90 days late and $160 if 90 days to 1 year late.
  • A license that goes unrenewed for one year or more is cancelled. To reinstate it, the rules require you to pass the Texas exam again.

Recent changes

  • Board under TDLR (2023 to 2027): A 2023 law (SB 1414) placed the Board under temporary administration by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation from September 1, 2023, with the Board acting as an advisory board. That arrangement expires September 1, 2027. The law requires a review of every Board rule by December 31, 2026.
  • New fees (2024): The current fee schedule took effect September 1, 2024.
  • SB 2155 (2025): Effective September 1, 2025, this law changed how the Board is run, allowed the Board to make reciprocity agreements with other states with the governor's approval (we found none in place) and created registration for veterinary facilities, which must register by September 1, 2027. The bill analysis does not mention LVTs or veterinary assistants.
  • Proposed rule rewrite (2026): The Board posted revised drafts of its licensing rules (Chapter 571) and professional conduct rules (Chapter 573) in June 2026. On July 21, 2026, it voted to publish them in the Texas Register for public comment. We found no Texas Register notice for them in issues through October 23, 2026, and they have not been adopted, so the rules described on this page are the ones in force. As proposed, the Chapter 573 draft would say that inducing anesthesia includes local anesthesia and nerve blocks under a protocol the veterinarian sets for the specific patient.

FAQ

Do I need a license to work as a vet tech in Texas?

No. The Board says LVT licensure is optional, and the law lets veterinarians delegate tasks to unlicensed assistants. You need the license to use the title Licensed Veterinary Technician or LVT, and hand extraction of loose teeth in dogs and cats is allowed only for LVTs.

Can I get licensed in Texas through on-the-job experience?

No. Texas requires graduation from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technician program, and the Board says alternate routes are not accepted.

I am a credentialed tech in another state. Can I transfer my license?

Texas does not license by endorsement. You apply like a new applicant: show your AVMA-accredited degree, have your VTNE score sent to Texas, submit fingerprints and pass the Texas jurisprudence exam. Military service members, veterans and military spouses have an expedited route under the Board's rules.

What is on the Texas state exam?

It is a jurisprudence exam on Texas veterinary law. The Board lists the Veterinary Licensing Act and Board rule Chapters 571, 573, 575 and 577 as study materials. It is taken online in one sitting, and the rules set the passing score at 85%.

I was a TVMA registered veterinary technician. What happened to that credential?

The 2013 law that created the LVT license had the Board license TVMA registered veterinary technicians in good standing who applied before September 1, 2014. Today the state LVT license is the credential that carries the LVT title.

Sources

Rules change and boards apply them case by case. If your situation is unusual, ask the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners directly.

Other state guides