The Texas Board of Nursing (TBON or TxBON) is the state agency that licenses and regulates every nurse who practices in Texas. It runs the application process for new nurses, conducts background checks, authorizes the licensing exam, handles renewals and reinstatements, and investigates complaints and arrests that may put a nursing license at risk. If your career as a Texas nurse depends on staying in good standing with the Board, this is the agency that decides whether that happens.
Every job that requires a professional license has a regulator behind it, and in nursing that regulator is the Board of Nursing in each state. In Texas, the Texas Board of Nursing — abbreviated TBON or TxBON — is the agency that sets the rules. It governs everything from how a student becomes a licensed nurse to whether a working nurse keeps their license after an arrest, a complaint, or a workplace incident.
What Does the Texas Board of Nursing Do?
TBON’s job is to protect the public, not the nurse. That distinction matters, because every other function the Board carries out flows from it. In practice, that means TBON:
- Reviews and approves applications for new licenses, including running the criminal background check required of every applicant.
- Authorizes candidates to sit for the NCLEX, the national nursing licensure exam.
- Manages license renewals, endorsements for out-of-state nurses moving to Texas, and reinstatements for nurses who let a license lapse or had it revoked.
- Receives and investigates complaints filed against nurses, as well as arrests reported by law enforcement or employers.
- Issues disciplinary actions — warnings, reprimands, probation, suspensions, and revocations — when the Board determines a nurse has violated the Nursing Practice Act or Board rules.
You can find the Board’s official site, rules, and online services at bon.texas.gov.
Becoming Licensed in Texas: The TBON Application Process
Before a Texas nurse can practice, the Board has to approve their license. The process is straightforward when there is no criminal history; it gets more complex when there is. The basic path:
- Finish nursing school. Graduate from a Board-approved nursing program in Texas or from a comparable program in another state.
- Apply to TBON. Submit the application before sitting for the licensing exam. Applications are filed through the Board’s portal.
- Complete the background check. Every applicant goes through a fingerprint-based criminal history review. The Board pulls records back to the applicant’s youth, and any past arrest can affect eligibility — even charges that were dismissed or expunged.
- Get authorized to test. Once the application clears, the Board issues an authorization to take the exam.
- Pass the exam. New nurses sit for the NCLEX. Passing the exam, with a clean Board review, results in a Texas nursing license.
If you have been arrested at any point before or during nursing school, TBON will likely require a declaratory order before authorizing you to sit for the exam. The declaratory order is the Board’s pre-emptive eligibility ruling — it tells you, in advance, whether your record will block licensure. Getting it right matters; an experienced Texas Board of Nursing lawyer knows the application process and can help you compile the documentation the Board expects. For a deeper look at how criminal history affects licensure, see our guide on becoming a nurse with a felony in Texas. The Board’s nursing application process page on our site covers the practical steps.
Out-of-State Nurses: License Endorsement to Practice in Texas
If you are already a licensed nurse in another state and you want to work in Texas, you do not have to retake the NCLEX. The Board offers a process called endorsement, which allows your existing license to be recognized in Texas after a Board review. Each state’s licensing rules differ, so the Board needs to confirm your credentials, criminal history, and active license status in your current state of practice meet Texas requirements. The Board publishes its endorsement criteria on its website, and most experienced nurses move from authorization to active Texas practice in a relatively short window. If your record or licensing history is complicated, an attorney can help you navigate the process — see our nursing license renewal resources for related context.
License Renewals
TBON also oversees nursing license renewals. The renewal cycle requires an updated background check, which can create problems if you have been arrested since your last renewal. The Board uses each renewal as a check-in: if anything new has happened on your record, the Board sees it. If you are coming up on a renewal and have an open or recent criminal matter, build in extra time — the Board needs room to review, and a last-minute renewal that gets caught up in a review is a preventable problem. For the practical steps, see our nursing license renewals page.
TBON Investigations
When a complaint is filed against a nurse, or when an arrest is reported, TBON sends out an investigation letter. The letter notifies the nurse that the Board is reviewing their fitness to practice. The single most important step at this stage is to contact a TBON attorney before responding. What you write, sign, or say to the Board in the first few weeks after that letter often shapes the rest of the case.
If your license was revoked in a prior investigation, or if you held a Texas license in the past and want to return, you will work through TBON to seek nursing license reinstatement. For a deeper guide on what to do when you receive an investigation notice, see what to do when you’re a nurse under TBON investigation.
When You Need a TBON Attorney
A TBON Attorney — also called a Texas Board of Nursing Attorney or a nurse license defense attorney — is a licensed Texas lawyer who defends nurses in matters with the Board. Their job is the opposite of the Board’s. TBON exists to protect the general public; a TBON Attorney exists to protect the nurse.
The most common mistake nurses make is talking to the Board without a lawyer. The Board’s rules and procedures are dense and frequently contradictory, and a single answer phrased incorrectly can shift a routine inquiry into a formal disciplinary case. Even when the Board’s questions seem informal, the answers become part of the investigative record.
You should consider hiring a TBON Attorney when:
- You have received a Board investigation letter or any written notice from TBON.
- You have been arrested or charged with a crime since your last renewal.
- A complaint has been filed against you by a patient, family member, coworker, or employer.
- You are applying for a license and your record includes anything the Board may flag — a declaratory order is almost always the right starting point.
- Your license has lapsed or been revoked and you want to seek reinstatement.
- You are moving to Texas and need help with license endorsement.
How TBON Attorneys at Texas Nursing Lawyers Help Nurses
Texas Nursing Lawyers — Buck Johnson and Deborah Goodall — focuses on nurse license defense and represents nurses in their dealings with the Texas Board of Nursing. The work spans license applications, declaratory orders, complaint responses, investigation defense, hearings, renewals, endorsements, and reinstatements. Whatever stage of the process you are in, you can reach the team through our contact page to set up a consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TBON?
TBON stands for the Texas Board of Nursing. It is the Texas state agency responsible for licensing and regulating every nurse who practices in Texas, including Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) and Registered Nurses (RNs). The Board administers exams, runs background checks, manages renewals and endorsements, and investigates complaints against nurses.
What does the Texas Board of Nursing do?
The Board approves new nursing licenses, authorizes the NCLEX licensing exam, runs criminal background checks, manages renewals and endorsements for out-of-state nurses, investigates complaints and reported arrests, and issues discipline against nurses found to have violated the Texas Nursing Practice Act or Board rules. Its statutory mandate is to protect the public, not the nurse.
How do I contact the Texas Board of Nursing?
The Board publishes its full contact information at bon.texas.gov, including mailing address, phone numbers for licensing, enforcement, and education divisions, and online portals for application and renewal. If you are contacting TBON because of an investigation, a complaint, or anything that could affect your license, talk to a nurse license defense attorney before you respond — what you say to the Board becomes part of the record.
Who regulates nurses in Texas?
Every nurse who practices in Texas is regulated by the Texas Board of Nursing (TBON). The Board’s authority comes from the Texas Nursing Practice Act, codified in the Texas Occupations Code, and from the Board’s own administrative rules. TBON is the only agency that issues, renews, restricts, suspends, or revokes a Texas nursing license.
What is the difference between TBON and BON?
“BON” is the generic acronym for “Board of Nursing” — every U.S. state has one. “TBON” (sometimes written TxBON) is the Texas-specific term that refers to the Texas Board of Nursing. They refer to the same agency in Texas; the longer form is just used to distinguish it from other states’ Boards when discussing licensure across state lines.
What is a TBON attorney?
A TBON attorney — also called a Texas Board of Nursing attorney or a nurse license defense attorney — is a Texas-licensed lawyer who represents nurses in any matter that involves the Board. That includes license applications, declaratory orders, complaint responses, investigations, formal hearings, renewals, endorsements, and reinstatements. Their role is the inverse of the Board’s: TBON’s job is to protect the public, and a nurse license defense attorney’s job is to protect the nurse.
What is a declaratory order from TBON?
A declaratory order is a pre-application ruling from the Texas Board of Nursing about whether your criminal or disciplinary history will affect your eligibility for a nursing license. It is used most often by nursing students or applicants with a past arrest or charge who want to know, in advance, whether they will be authorized to sit for the licensing exam. Getting the documentation right matters — an attorney with TBON experience knows what evidence the Board expects.
Can TBON revoke my nursing license?
Yes. The Texas Board of Nursing has the legal authority to suspend, restrict, or revoke a nursing license when it finds the nurse has violated the Texas Nursing Practice Act or the Board’s administrative rules. Revocation is the most severe outcome and is generally reserved for serious or repeat violations. Even short of revocation, the Board can impose probation, reprimands, fines, or required remediation. If your license is at risk, a nurse license defense attorney can often negotiate a less severe outcome than the Board’s initial proposal.
What is the Texas Nursing Practice Act?
The Texas Nursing Practice Act is the state statute that establishes the Texas Board of Nursing, defines what counts as the practice of nursing in Texas, and sets the standards every licensed nurse must follow. It is codified in the Texas Occupations Code. The Board’s authority to investigate, discipline, and license nurses flows directly from this Act, along with the administrative rules the Board adopts under it.