Arizona
PMHNP Scope And Prescribing Rules In Arizona
In Arizona, a PMHNP diagnoses, treats and prescribes, controlled substances included, with a DEA registration and no physician agreement, and AANP lists Arizona as full practice. A patient’s first Schedule II opioid prescription is capped at five days, and opioids or benzodiazepines in Schedules II to IV need a 12 month state monitoring report first.
Need payer contracts too? We prepare the applications and follow each one until the payer gives its decision in writing. Buy online, sign your agreements in the Command Suite, and we start within three business days after we receive your completed onboarding information, documents and access.
| At A Glance | Arizona |
|---|---|
| Practice Authority | Full practice (AANP). A.R.S. § 32-1601 includes making independent decisions and prescribing controlled substances in the nurse practitioner scope. |
| Physician Agreement | None required by state law. |
| Controlled Substances | Allowed with your DEA registration. A patient’s initial Schedule II opioid prescription is capped at five days, or 14 after surgery (A.R.S. § 32-3248). |
| CSPMP | Register if you hold a DEA registration with an Arizona address. Pull a 12-month report before each opioid or benzodiazepine prescription in Schedules II to IV and before any refill (A.R.S. § 36-2606). |
| Regulator | Arizona State Board of Nursing. |
Updated October 25, 2026
Practice Authority
Arizona Practice Authority Category (Full Practice)
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) currently classifies Arizona as a full practice state. Arizona’s statute defines a registered nurse practitioner’s expanded scope to include making independent decisions on complex patient care problems, diagnosing, and prescribing, administering and dispensing legend drugs, medical devices and controlled substances (A.R.S. § 32-1601). You practice under the licensure authority of the Arizona State Board of Nursing, and no physician agreement is mandated.
Collaboration
Is A Collaborative Or Supervisory Agreement Required?
No state mandated physician agreement applies to NP practice in Arizona, since it’s a full practice authority state and the statute’s definition of nurse practitioner practice includes independent decisions. Employers, facilities and payers can still ask for their own documentation, which is worth knowing before you sign an employment or payer contract.
Prescriptive Authority
Prescriptive Authority And Controlled Substances
Arizona’s nurse practitioner definition covers prescribing controlled substances within the scope of NP practice (A.R.S. § 32-1601), and you’ll need your own federal DEA registration from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The state cap to know is A.R.S. § 32-3248.
A health professional authorized to prescribe controlled substances has to limit a patient’s initial prescription for a Schedule II opioid to a five-day supply, or 14 days after a surgical procedure. Its exceptions include an active oncology diagnosis, hospice and palliative care, and medication-assisted treatment for a substance use disorder. Benzodiazepines aren’t part of that cap, but they’re covered by the CSPMP rule below.
CSPMP
Arizona CSPMP Rules For Nurse Practitioners
If you hold an Arizona license and a DEA registration with an Arizona address, A.R.S. § 36-2606 requires you to register with the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program. Before prescribing an opioid analgesic or a benzodiazepine in Schedule II, III or IV, you have to pull a patient utilization report covering the preceding 12 months, both before the prescription and before any refill of it. The statute exempts hospice and palliative care, cancer treatment, dialysis, inpatient care, drugs you administer directly, and up to five days for an invasive procedure or one that leaves the patient in acute pain.
Next Step
Credentialing Is A Separate Track
Practice authority decides what you can do in Arizona. It doesn’t get you paid. Payer enrollment runs on its own track, and our Arizona credentialing and payer enrollment guide covers it. The PMHNP credentialing guide has the national picture.
- Opening your own practice? First Practice Launch sets up the payers, EHR, portals and medical billing together for $6,000, or four monthly payments of $1,500.
- On Headway, Alma, Grow or Rula today? You can usually keep seeing clients there while we build contracts in your own practice, and this page explains how.
- Joining a clinic? New Provider Credentialing covers the applications for adding you to its existing contracts.
- Changing to your own Tax ID? We quote that in writing.
Planning the sequence? Our guide on how to start a PMHNP practice and the practice launch checklist put licensure, any collaboration your state requires and enrollment in order. See what PMHNP credentialing costs and what it costs to start a PMHNP practice before you budget, and browse the PMHNP hub for the rest.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Arizona A Full Practice Authority State For PMHNPs?
Yes. AANP classifies Arizona as full practice, and A.R.S. § 32-1601 defines a registered nurse practitioner’s scope to include making independent decisions, diagnosing, and prescribing legend drugs, devices and controlled substances. No physician agreement is mandated, so you practice under the Arizona State Board of Nursing’s authority, though employers, facilities and payers can still set their own requirements.
Do I Need A Collaborating Or Supervising Physician In Arizona?
No. Arizona doesn’t mandate a collaborating or supervising physician agreement for nurse practitioners. You carry the state’s prescribing duties yourself, including the five-day cap on a patient’s initial Schedule II opioid prescription and the CSPMP report before opioid or benzodiazepine prescriptions. An employer, facility or payer can still ask for its own documentation before you sign.
Can A PMHNP Prescribe Controlled Substances In Arizona?
Yes, with your own DEA registration. A.R.S. § 32-3248 caps a patient’s initial Schedule II opioid prescription at a five-day supply, or 14 days after surgery, and A.R.S. § 36-2606 requires a 12-month CSPMP report before you prescribe an opioid or benzodiazepine in Schedules II to IV and before any refill. Hospice, palliative and cancer care are among the exceptions.
Do Arizona Nurse Practitioners Have To Check The CSPMP?
Yes, if you prescribe opioids or benzodiazepines. An Arizona licensed practitioner with a DEA registration and an Arizona address has to register with the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program, and A.R.S. § 36-2606 requires a patient utilization report covering the prior 12 months before an opioid analgesic or benzodiazepine prescription in Schedules II to IV and before each refill of it.
References
Official Arizona Sources
- A.R.S. § 32-1601, registered nurse practitioner definition and scope, checked October 25, 2026.
- A.R.S. § 32-3248, five-day limit on initial Schedule II opioid prescriptions, checked October 25, 2026.
- A.R.S. § 36-2606, CSPMP registration and mandatory use, checked October 25, 2026.
This is general information, not legal advice. It applies the general nurse practitioner rules in Arizona to PMHNPs. Rules change, so check with the Arizona State Board of Nursing and the AANP State Practice Environment map before you act on it. Last reviewed: October 25, 2026.
Opening Your Own Practice In Arizona?
First Practice Launch is $6,000, or $1,500 a month for four months. It sets up your practice and applies to five insurance companies for you. Already practicing and only need insurance contracts? Price the Arizona payers you want.