BY STATE · DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA · 49 CFR §40.281
How to Become a DOT SAP in District of Columbia
Becoming a DOT Substance Abuse Professional is one uniform federal pathway, set in 49 CFR §40.281 and applied the same way in every state. What is specific to District of Columbia is the underlying clinical credential — the license or certification you earn through the boards below to satisfy the §40.281(a) requirement before you complete SAP qualification training and pass the national exam.
TRACK A
Addiction-counselor certification (the DOT counselor path)
This is the path that satisfies the §40.281(a) “drug and alcohol counselor” category, which DOT accepts only through a NAADAC-, IC&RC-, or NBCC-affiliated board. In District of Columbia that credential is:
CAC I and CAC II (Certified Addiction Counselor I / II)
IC&RC-affiliated: No- Issuing board
- DC Board of Professional Counseling (DC Health)
- Education requirement
- CAC I: 30 credit hours across 10 content areas (associate degree). CAC II: 39–42 credit hours across 12 content areas (bachelor's degree). Confirm at DC Health.
- Supervised hours
- CAC I: 500 hours with ≥40 hours in each of 12 core functions. CAC II: 180 hours with ≥10 hours in each of the 12 core functions (confirm at DC Health).
- Required exam
- NAADAC national exam + DC Jurisprudence exam (for the DC Health CAC credential). The DCAPC IC&RC path uses the IC&RC ADC exam.
- Also accepted
- DC's CAC I/II are issued by DC Health's Board of Professional Counseling using the NAADAC national exam (NAADAC is DOT-accepted). Separately, the District of Columbia Addiction Professionals Consortium (DCAPC) is DC's IC&RC member board — an alternate IC&RC certification path exists there.
TRACK B
State clinical license
District of Columbia also issues a clinical license that qualifies on its own under §40.281(a).
CAC I / CAC II (Certified Addiction Counselor) — DC Health credential
- Issuing board
- DC Board of Professional Counseling (DC Health)
OTHER PATHS
Other SAP-eligible boards in District of Columbia
You do not have to be an addiction counselor. Any one of these District of Columbia boards licenses a profession that satisfies one of the other five §40.281(a) SAP credential categories — physician, social worker, psychologist, employee assistance professional, or marriage and family therapist.
THE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS
The federal steps are the same in every state
Once you hold a qualifying District of Columbia credential above, the rest of the SAP pathway is set by federal rule and does not change by state. See the full federal requirements →
- 1 What credential do you need to become a DOT SAP?
- 2 What knowledge does a SAP need?
- 3 What qualification training and exam are required?
- 4 What continuing education must a SAP maintain?
- 5 What documentation must a SAP keep?
- 6 What does a DOT SAP actually do?
Sources
- https://internationalcredentialing.org/member-boards/
- https://dcapcboard.org/
- https://dchealth.dc.gov/service/addiction-counselors-licensing
Last reviewed: 2026-07-07
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