Georgia Dietitian License Requirements (2026)

Compiled and verified against primary state-board, CDR, and ACEND sources by DietitianLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →

Georgia recently overhauled its dietetics licensing law: HB 185, signed by Governor Kemp on May 11, 2026 and effective immediately upon signature, repealed and reenacted Title 43, Chapter 11A as the "Dietetics and Nutrition Practices Act," replacing the prior dietitian-only "Dietetics Practice Act." The reenacted law creates two separate, protected licenses — "Licensed Dietitian" (LD/LDN) and "Licensed Nutritionist" (LN) — both administered by the renamed Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Dietitians and Licensed Nutritionists, and both now requiring a master's or doctoral degree (reflecting CDR's 2024 national graduate-degree requirement) plus 1,000 hours of supervised practice and a national exam. Individuals already licensed as dietitians who applied before July 1, 2026 remain licensed under the prior (bachelor's-level) standards as long as they stay in good standing. Because this law is only weeks old at the time of this record's verification, it should be periodically re-checked as the Board issues implementing rules and updates its fee schedule.

Georgia Dietitian License Requirements

Licensing Authority	Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Dietitians and Licensed Nutritionists
Protected Titles	LD, LDN, LN
Education	Licensed Dietitian (LD/LDN): master's or doctoral degree, completed through a program of study accredited by a programmatic accreditor (ACEND). Licensed Nutritionist (LN): master's or doctoral degree with a major in human nutrition, food and nutrition, community nutrition, public health nutrition, nutrition education, nutrition science, clinical nutrition, applied clinical nutrition, nutrition counseling, nutrition and functional medicine, nutritional biochemistry, nutrition and integrative health, a comparable major, or a field of clinical healthcare — plus coursework of at least 15 semester hours in clinical/life sciences (including 3 hours of human anatomy and physiology) and 15 semester hours in nutrition and metabolism (including 6 hours of biochemistry). — 1,000 supervised-practice hours
Exam	Licensed Dietitian: CDR Registration Examination for Dietitians. Licensed Nutritionist: Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) examination (or an equivalent nationally accredited nutrition exam approved by a two-thirds Board vote); current CNS certification from the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists satisfies this requirement without a separate exam. (Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) for LD; Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists (BCNS) of the American Nutrition Association for LN)
Continuing Education	Required hours
Endorsement (CDR/RD holders)	O.C.G.A. §43-11A-9 (as reenacted by HB 185) lets the Board grant a license without examination to an applicant who either (1) holds a valid license or certification as a licensed/certified dietitian, dietitian nutritionist, or nutritionist from another state or jurisdiction with substantially equal or greater requirements, or (2) applies for Licensed Dietitian status and presents satisfactory evidence of current CDR registration as a registered dietitian.

Fee Breakdown

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Is “Nutritionist” a Protected Title in Georgia?

Under 2026 HB 185, "licensed nutritionist" is now a distinct, separately defined and licensed credential from "licensed dietitian," each with its own degree, coursework, supervised-hours, and exam requirements (O.C.G.A. §43-11A-3(8)-(9), §43-11A-10). §43-11A-16 separately protects the titles "dietitian," "licensed dietitian," "dietitian nutritionist," "dietician," "LD," and "LDN" (licensed-dietitian titles) from "licensed nutritionist," "nutritionist," and "LN" (licensed-nutritionist titles) — unauthorized use of either set is a misdemeanor. This replaces Georgia's pre-2026 law, under which only "dietitian"/"LD"/"RD" were protected and "nutritionist" was unregulated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Georgia require a dietitian license?

Yes. Georgia licenses dietitians through the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Dietitians and Licensed Nutritionists. The protected titles are LD, LDN, LN.

Is the title "nutritionist" protected in Georgia?

Can I get a Georgia dietitian license by endorsement if I'm already a CDR-registered RD?

O.C.G.A. §43-11A-9 (as reenacted by HB 185) lets the Board grant a license without examination to an applicant who either (1) holds a valid license or certification as a licensed/certified dietitian, dietitian nutritionist, or nutritionist from another state or jurisdiction with substantially equal or greater requirements, or (2) applies for Licensed Dietitian status and presents satisfactory evidence of current CDR registration as a registered dietitian.

Sources

Data last verified: 2026-07-22 | Source: Georgia HB 185 (2026, AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) — full enacted text repealing/reenacting O.C.G.A. Chapter 11A as the Dietetics and Nutrition Practices Act