Lactation consultant licensing in Rhode Island
Rhode Island licenses lactation consultants under the Lactation Consultant Practice Act. Licensure is restricted to IBCLC-certified practitioners.
Licence to practise
Licence required
Since 2014 · IBCLC certification required
Medicaid billing · consultant who is not a nurse
Not checked yet
Not yet researched
Providers per 10,000 births
49.6
Rank 5 of 51 · US overall 27.9
Where this comes from
Checked against the state’s own law
Dataset compiled 2026-09-11
What we found
- Enacted as HB 7914; implementing regulations are published by the Department of State at 216-RICR-40-05-27.
- Restricts presenting oneself to the public as a lactation consultant to those holding the credential.
What this means if you are looking for help
In Rhode Island, the title is protected. Someone calling themselves a lactation consultant should be licensed, which means they are an IBCLC.
Can a lactation consultant bill Medicaid here?
Whether an IBCLC can enrol with Rhode Island Medicaid and bill it directly is a separate policy question from licensing, and we have only worked through 27 of 51 jurisdictions. A blank here means unchecked, not no — ask your plan directly.
Sources
- RI Department of State — Licensing of Lactation Consultants (216-RICR-40-05-27) — read 2026-09-09
- USLCA — Licensing the IBCLC — read 2026-09-09
Dataset compiled 2026-09-11. Directly researched. This is a plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice.