AB 1703 adds osteopathic practice and title restrictions
Oct 4, 2026 edition · GC-2026-0065 · Published 2026-10-04 · Version 2 · Final
AB 1703 adds osteopathic manipulative treatment to a specified unlicensed-practice exclusion and restricts osteopathic titles beginning January 1, 2028. The final text preserves authorized California licensed-profession and massage services and grants no new practice authority.
What happened
California enacted AB 1703 on September 27 with the relevant new restrictions operative January 1, 2028. The replacement Business and Professions Code section 2053.5 adds osteopathic manipulative treatment to the activities outside the disclosure-based exception to specified unauthorized medical-practice provisions. It defines that treatment as the therapeutic application of manually guided forces to alleviate somatic dysfunction. The provision expressly preserves practice of a California-licensed healthcare profession and massage services authorized by California law.
New section 2453.3 also begins January 1, 2028. A person not licensed by the Osteopathic Medical Board may not use “doctor of osteopathy” or “D.O.” and may not use “osteopath” in the specified manner implying board licensure when offering or providing treatment for a medical or physical condition. A violation is a misdemeanor. The amended section 2053.5 keeps the existing statutory framework in place until its 2028 replacement, so the signature date is not the operative date of the new osteopathic restrictions.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Final
- Applicability
- Potentially applicable
- Audience
- Health systems, Provider networks
- Jurisdiction
- California
- Recorded date
- 2028-01-01
- Date type
- effective
Why it matters
Service descriptions and professional titles can imply authority beyond the practitioner’s actual license. Organizations offering manipulative services need to distinguish protected osteopathic practice from other lawfully authorized professions and massage services.
Recommended action
Plan a review of practitioner credentials, offered services, website copy and titles before January 1, 2028. Document the professional authority for each relevant service and preserve the express licensed-profession and authorized-massage qualification rather than treating every manual technique as prohibited.
Sources
- AB-1703 Osteopathic physicians and surgeons: unauthorized practice: unauthorized use of titles, bill historyOfficial · California Legislature · 2026-08-31 · Source review 2026-09-10
- AB-1703 Osteopathic physicians and surgeons: unauthorized practice: unauthorized use of titles, current bill text (08/27/26 - Enrolled)Official · California Legislature · 2026-08-27 · Source review 2026-09-10
- AB1703 enacted final textOfficial · California Legislature · 2026-09-27 · Source review 2026-10-05
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