Who Can Own a Dental Practice? State Rules on Non-Dentist Ownership and What They Mean for Sellers (2026)

Who can own a dental practice, state by state: 36 jurisdictions say dentists only

We read the dental practice act, and board rules where the act was silent or unavailable, for all 50 states and DC. 50 could be coded from official text; Georgia could not and is marked 'not coded' rather than guessed.

In 36 jurisdictions the text makes owning, managing or operating a dental office part of the practice of dentistry, or otherwise reserves ownership to dentists through employment bans, entity rules or an ownership cap. Florida goes furthest in wording: no one other than a licensed dentist or a dentist-owned professional corporation or LLC may employ a dentist in a dental office, and a violation is a third-degree felony (Fla. Stat. 466.0285).

Four states read the other way. Arizona lets any business entity with non-dentist owners offer dental services once it registers with the Board of Dental Examiners (A.R.S. 32-1213). Utah lets a dentist practice as an employee of another person or through a business corporation (Utah Code 58-69-804). Wisconsin's chapter 447 regulates 'a person who manages or controls a business' offering dental services through others and contains no ownership bar. New Mexico lets a non-dentist individual or company own a practice and employ dentists once it holds a non-dentist owner license from the Board of Dental Health Care (16.5.9 NMAC).

North Dakota sits between the two: a non-dentist may own up to 49 percent of a dental practice, but not more (N.D.C.C. 43-28-25).

Corporate practice of dentistry: The rule, written into many dental practice acts, that a business owned by people who are not dentists may not own a dental practice or employ dentists to treat patients. Most states express it by defining the 'manager, proprietor, operator or conductor' of a dental office as someone who practices dentistry.

Most dental offices sit where only a dentist can buy the practice

77.5% of US dental offices (105,110 of 135,665) are in jurisdictions whose dental act limits ownership to dentists. Among the 50 jurisdictions we could code, the share is 79.6%.

California, Texas and Florida alone hold 43,698 dental offices, or 41.6% of the offices in dentist-only jurisdictions. All three restrict ownership, though Texas law expressly protects a dentist's right to contract with a management service organization (Tex. Occ. Code 254.0011).

The four states that allow non-dentist owners hold 7,297 offices (5.4%). Another 19,595 offices (14.4%) are in 10 states where the dental act text we read contains no ownership bar; the remaining 3,663 (2.7%) are in Georgia, which we could not code from official text.

An estate gets 12 to 48 months to sell, where the law names a period at all

16 jurisdictions state a fixed period during which a deceased dentist's estate, spouse or personal representative may keep the practice running through licensed dentists. The median is 21 months; the range is 12 to 48 months.

8 jurisdictions allow 24 months or more: Alaska, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota and West Virginia. Alaska is longest: the personal representative may hold the interest for 24 months and the board must add another 24 on 30 days' notice, for 48 (AS 08.36.367(d)). Oregon's 24 is a 12-month period plus a 12-month extension the board must grant on 30 days' notice (ORS 679.020(7)). Kansas starts at 18 months and lets the board add six-month extensions up to 30 months in total (K.S.A. 65-1424(b)).

In 22 of the 36 dentist-only jurisdictions, the text we read names no estate period. Those 22 hold 64,993 dental offices, 61.8% of the offices in dentist-only jurisdictions. Florida and Texas are among them. A period may exist in a statute or rule we did not open; the point for a family is that the dental act itself does not hand them one.

Three states give a period without a number. New Hampshire lets a spouse, executor or administrator continue the business under a registered dentist with no stated limit (RSA 317-A:30). Vermont allows a dentist to be employed to wind the practice down 'within a reasonable length of time' (26 V.S.A. 564). Kentucky, as amended in April 2026, lets an estate's contract with dentists run until the practice is sold (2026 Ky. Acts ch. 131).

The laws target control of treatment, records and fees, not only share ownership

23 jurisdictions' text, in the sections read, expressly bars a non-dentist from controlling a dentist's clinical judgment, records or fees. 19 of them also limit ownership to dentists.

Florida and South Carolina list what a non-dentist may not control: the course of treatment, patient records and, in Florida, pricing, credit, refunds, advertising, personnel and hours. Illinois adds referrals and the hiring of hygienists and assistants (225 ILCS 25/38.1).

Several restrictive states spell out what a management company may do. Washington and Oregon let a non-dentist own the real estate, equipment and other assets, employ staff other than dentists and run the business side of the practice (RCW 18.32.675(2)). Nevada allows business support vendors only if they are not paid a percentage of revenue or profit and exercise no clinical control (NRS 631.215(2)(i)). New York's Regents rules treat a space, equipment or staffing fee set as a percentage of practice income as unprofessional fee sharing (8 NYCRR 29.1(b)(4)).

What the ownership rule means for a selling dentist's buyer pool

Where only dentists may own, the buyer of the clinical practice must be a dentist or a dentist-owned entity. Dental support organizations still take part in those states, through a dentist-owned practice that contracts with a separate management company.

In a dentist-only state, a sale to a group backed by outside investors is usually two transactions on paper: the clinical practice goes to a licensed dentist or dentist-owned professional entity, and the non-clinical assets and services go to a management company. The statutes above set the limits on that second contract.

In Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Wisconsin a non-dentist buyer can hold the practice entity itself, subject to registration in Arizona, a non-dentist owner license in New Mexico and the clinical-control limits in Utah. That widens the pool but does not remove the licensing requirement for whoever treats patients.

For an owner weighing a sale, the practical questions are which rule applies in the state, whether a management agreement passes the state's control and fee limits, and how long an estate could keep the office open if the owner died before a sale. Our list of questions to ask a broker covers how an intermediary handles regulated buyers.

Rule changes between 2023 and 2026 that a seller should know about

Four changes in the text we read took effect or were signed between 2025 and 2026; one Colorado board rule on DSO ownership is on hold.

• Kentucky, 2026-04-13: the Governor signed HB 776 (2026 Ky. Acts ch. 131) with an emergency clause. As amended, KRS 313.060 lets an estate contract with dentists to continue a sole-owner practice until it is sold.
• Illinois, 2026-01-01: P.A. 104-151 took effect, amending the death-or-incapacity section, 225 ILCS 25/38.2, which keeps the one-year period; the section is now scheduled to run to 2031.
• Colorado, 2025: SB 25-171 continued the Dental Practice Act and amended 12-220-303, requiring each proprietor's name, license number and ownership percentage, including an unlicensed heir serving as temporary proprietor, to be posted at reception.
• Colorado, 2026-08-24: the Colorado Dental Board voted to halt sections D and E of Rule 1.7, which would have barred a dental support organization from serving as a practice's proprietor, after the Association of Dental Support Organizations challenged the rule in the Colorado Court of Appeals.
• Utah, 2025: the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Practice Act was amended by Laws 2025, ch. 255; the form-of-practice section still permits business corporations.

Where the dental act is silent, and why that is not a green light

10 states' dental act text contains no ownership bar in the sections read: Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. They hold 19,595 offices.

Silence in the dental act does not mean a non-dentist may own. Professional corporation laws often limit shareholders to licensees, and board rules or court decisions can fill gaps. Maryland's act, for example, defines a dental professional corporation as solely dentist-owned and treats treatment planning and practice protocols as the practice of dentistry (Md. Health Occ. 4-101). South Carolina reserves control of treatment and records to dentists while referring to dentists employed by corporations (S.C. Code 40-15-135).

Legal form data show how common corporate wrappers are: 79.2% of US dental offices were organized as S or C corporations in 2023. That says nothing about who holds the shares.

For the broader count of US small firms, see how many small businesses there are.

Ratios behind the comparison

Download the calculations (CSV)

Where the numbers diverge

1. 36 of 50 coded jurisdictions limit dental practice ownership to licensed dentists (statutes as read 2026-11-02).^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]}
2. 105,110 of 135,665 US dental offices, 77.5%, were in dentist-only jurisdictions in 2023.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]}
3. Among offices in coded jurisdictions, 79.6% are in dentist-only jurisdictions (CBP 2023).^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]}
4. California, Texas and Florida hold 43,698 dental offices, 41.6% of all offices in dentist-only jurisdictions (CBP 2023).^{[1][6][44][11]}
5. Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Wisconsin allow non-dentist owners and hold 7,297 offices, 5.4% of the US total (2023).^{[1][4][32][45][50]}
6. The median estate window is 21 months across 16 jurisdictions that state one (law as read 2026-11-02).^{[6][8][17][26][38]}
7. 8 jurisdictions allow an estate 24 months or more: Alaska, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota and West Virginia; Alaska's 48 months is the longest (AS 08.36.367(d)).^{[3][19][26][29][35][38][42][49]}
8. Kansas allows an estate 18 months, extendable by the board to 30 months (K.S.A. 65-1424(b)).^[17]
9. 22 dentist-only jurisdictions, with 64,993 offices, name no estate period in the dental act read.^[1][11][44]
10. North Dakota caps non-dentist ownership at 49 percent of a dental practice (N.D.C.C. 43-28-25).^[35]
11. Florida makes non-dentist control of a dental office a third-degree felony and voids contracts that violate the rule (Fla. Stat. 466.0285).^[11]
12. Nevada bars business support vendors from taking a percentage of a dental practice's revenue or profit (NRS 631.215(2)(i)).^[29]
13. 79.2% of US dental offices were organized as S or C corporations in 2023 (CBP).^[1]

Summary

• 36 of 50 jurisdictions coded from official text limit dental practice ownership to licensed dentists or dentist-owned entities.
• Those jurisdictions hold 105,110 of 135,665 US dental offices, 77.5% (CBP 2023).
• Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Wisconsin allow non-dentist owners; together they hold 5.4% of dental offices.
• 16 jurisdictions give an estate a fixed period to keep the practice open: median 21 months, range 12 to 48.
• In 22 dentist-only jurisdictions, holding 61.8% of their offices, the dental act names no estate period.
• 23 jurisdictions' text expressly bars non-dentist control of clinical judgment, records or fees.
• Georgia could not be coded from official text and is marked as such; 50 of 51 jurisdictions were coded.

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Reproduce this analysis

Every figure comes from the files below. The scripts that pulled and computed them are kept with the report and can be re-run.

Data quality and exclusions

• 1 of 51 jurisdictions (Georgia) not coded (no official statute could be opened); it holds 3,663 offices and are shown separately, never imputed.
• 33 dental offices fall outside the six legal-form categories shown in the legal form table because of suppressed or government cells; the legal-form total is 135,632 against 135,665 for all forms.
• Three estate periods without a number (New Hampshire, Vermont, Kentucky) were excluded from the median, mean and range.
• Oregon and Alaska estate periods include the one extension the board must grant (24 and 48 months); Kansas's discretionary extensions are noted, not added (18 months).
• Texas statute pages served only a script shell on 2026-11-02; three empty downloads were deleted and the Internet Archive copies were used.

Methodology

Selection: for each of the 50 states and DC we opened the dental practice act on the state legislature's site, or the dental board's posted copy, and read the sections that define the practice of dentistry, list exemptions, and address ownership, corporations, death or incapacity of a dentist, and control by non-dentists. Where the act was silent or unavailable we read the board's rules. All text was read on 2026-11-02 and saved unmodified in raw/.

Inclusion and coding: 'with exceptions' means the text limits ownership to licensed dentists or dentist-owned entities and lists carve-outs (estates, nonprofits, hospitals, schools, public clinics). 'Yes' means the bar has no carve-out in the text read. 'No' means the text lets a non-dentist person or business own or offer dental services. 'Not found' means no ownership rule appeared in the text read. Each row carries a confidence field: clear text, interpretation needed, or not found.

Exclusions: Georgia was not coded because the official statute could not be opened by automated access (blocked, script-only, or hosted by a commercial publisher) and no labelled Internet Archive copy of the official page was available. It is listed in excluded.md and is not counted as open or closed. Where only a board notice, rule or agency compilation could be opened (NJ, TN, AL, IN, OK), the row is marked interpretation needed. Law firm and vendor summaries were used only as context and never as evidence for a row.

Conflicts: where a secondary page disagreed with the statute (for example, one vendor page describes Nevada as open to entity ownership, while NRS 631.395(10) treats an unlicensed owner as engaged in illegal practice), the statute text governs. Where a live government page was blocked, the labelled Internet Archive copy of the same official page was used and its capture date recorded in registry.csv.

Derived metrics: dental office counts come from the Census County Business Patterns 2023 state file, NAICS 621210, all legal forms, summed by registry group. Estate-window statistics use the base period stated in each text. All formulas and results are in derived_metrics.csv and are reproduced by scripts/build_data.py.

Registry checking: the registry is rechecked once a year and after any reported amendment; it was last checked 2026-11-02. Owners looking for a broker can use the broker match form.

This report presents published data with its limitations. It is not legal, financial or investment advice.

Sources, ranked by quality

Tier 1: primary and official sources (51)

• [1] U.S. Census Bureau. County Business Patterns 2023 (state file cbp23st.zip, NAICS 621210). 2023. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [2] Alabama Board of Dental Examiners (Alabama Administrative Code). Ala. Admin. Code ch. 270-X-4 (rules on PCs, LLCs and LLPs). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [3] Alaska State Legislature. AS 08.36.367. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [4] Arizona State Legislature. A.R.S. 32-1201(4), 32-1213, 32-1270. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [5] Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners. Ark. Code 17-82-104(b)-(c); 4-29-401 et seq.. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [6] California Legislature (via Internet Archive). Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 1625(e), 1625.2, 1625.3, 1625.4. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [7] Colorado General Assembly (via Internet Archive). C.R.S. 12-220-303 as amended by SB 25-171 (2025 Colo. Sess. Laws ch. 171). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [8] Connecticut General Assembly. Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-122. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [9] Delaware General Assembly. 24 Del. C. 1101(17), 1131(a)(2), 1133(5). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [10] Council of the District of Columbia. D.C. Code 3-1201.02(6)(J). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [11] Florida Legislature. Fla. Stat. 466.0285. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [12] Hawaii State Legislature (via Internet Archive). HRS 448-1, 448-14.5. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [13] Idaho Legislature (via Internet Archive). Idaho Code 54-924(13). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [14] Illinois General Assembly (via Internet Archive). 225 ILCS 25/38.1, 25/38.2; 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1220.407. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [15] Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. IC 25-14-1-23, 25-14-1-24 (Board compilation, 2014). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [16] Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code 153.13, 153.16. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [17] Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. K.S.A. 65-1424, 65-1435. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [18] Kentucky General Assembly. KRS 313.010, 313.060(4)-(6) (2026 Ky. Acts ch. 131, HB 776). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [19] Louisiana State Legislature. La. R.S. 37:752(9), 37:776(A)(9)-(10). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [20] Maine Legislature. 32 M.R.S. 18302, 18305, 18371. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [21] Maryland General Assembly. Md. Code, Health Occ. 4-101(f-1), (l). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [22] Massachusetts Legislature (via Internet Archive). G.L. c. 112, s. 49. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [23] Michigan Legislature (via Internet Archive). MCL 333.16601. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [24] Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minn. Stat. 150A.05 subd. 1(2), 150A.11. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [25] Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners. Miss. Code 73-9-3, 73-9-39. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [26] Missouri Revisor of Statutes. RSMo 332.071(10)-(11), 332.073, 332.081. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [27] Montana Legislature. Mont. Code Ann. 37-4-101(2)(b), 37-4-103, 37-4-104. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [28] Nebraska Legislature (via Internet Archive). Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-1115, 38-1116. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [29] Nevada Legislature (via Internet Archive). NRS 631.215, 631.385, 631.395(10). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [30] New Hampshire General Court (via Internet Archive). RSA 317-A:20(b), 317-A:28, 317-A:30. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [31] New Jersey Board of Dentistry (via Internet Archive). N.J.S.A. 45:6-12, 45:6-19 (as described in Board of Dentistry notices, 46 and 47 N.J.R.). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [32] New Mexico Commission of Public Records (NMAC). 16.5.9 NMAC (rev. 2023-05-31); NMSA 61-5A-5.1 (added by 2003 SB 453). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [33] New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions. Educ. Law 6604-A, 6611; BCL 1507; 8 NYCRR 29.1, 29.5. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [34] North Carolina General Assembly (via Internet Archive). N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-29(b)(11), 90-29(c)(14). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [35] North Dakota Legislative Branch. N.D.C.C. 43-28-25(3). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [36] Ohio Legislative Service Commission (via Internet Archive). Ohio Rev. Code 4715.01, 4715.18, 4715.19. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [37] Oklahoma Board of Dentistry. 59 O.S. 328.3(13), 328.31, 328.32(A)(36). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [38] Oregon State Legislature (via Internet Archive). ORS 679.020. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [39] Pennsylvania General Assembly. Dental Law, Act of May 1, 1933, P.L. 216, No. 76, sec. 2 (63 P.S. 121). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [40] Rhode Island General Assembly (via Internet Archive). R.I. Gen. Laws 5-31.1-1(17), 5-31.1-35, 5-31.1-37. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [41] South Carolina Legislature. S.C. Code 40-15-70, 40-15-135. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [42] South Dakota Legislature. SDCL 36-6A-31(9), 36-6A-33(15). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [43] Tennessee Secretary of State (via Internet Archive). Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0460-01-.08. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [44] Texas Legislature (via Internet Archive). Tex. Occ. Code 251.003(a)(4), (9); 251.004; 254.0011. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [45] Utah State Legislature. Utah Code 58-69-804. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [46] Vermont General Assembly. 26 V.S.A. 564. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [47] Virginia General Assembly (Code of Virginia). Va. Code 54.1-2711, 54.1-2715, 54.1-2717; 13.1-549. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [48] Washington State Legislature. RCW 18.32.020, 18.32.675. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [49] West Virginia Legislature (via Internet Archive). W. Va. Code 30-4-1(b), 30-4-16. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [50] Wisconsin Legislature (via Internet Archive). Wis. Stat. 447.02(4)-(5), 447.063. Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [51] Wyoming Legislature. W.S. 33-15-114(a)(ii), 33-15-128(a)(xii). Text as read 2026-11-02. Accessed 2026-11-02.

Tier 2: trade bodies, market research, company data (2)

• [52] Colorado Dental Association. Update on Rules for Practice Ownership. 2026. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [53] Association of Dental Support Organizations. ADSO Applauds Colorado Dental Board's Decision to Stay Rule 1.7. 2026-08-25. Accessed 2026-11-02.

Tier 3: journalism and expert commentary (3)

• [54] EisnerAmper. Who Can Own a Dental Practice?. 2021-03-01. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [55] Pearl. What States Can a Non-Dentist Own a Dental Practice In. 2025-06-12. Accessed 2026-11-02.
• [56] Peony. Selling a Dental Practice by State (2026). 2026-08. Accessed 2026-11-02.