On September 1, 2027, Colorado occupational therapists will be allowed to perform dry needling. If you are in pain and choosing who to see, here is what the law says, what it leaves open, and what to ask any provider who offers it. I am an acupuncturist, so I have a stake in this topic, and I have tried to stick to what the law itself says.
What the law says
House Bill 26-1042, "Dry Needling by Occupational Therapists," was signed on April 2, 2026. From September 1, 2027, an occupational therapist may perform dry needling if they:
have the knowledge, skill and documented competency to do it;
complete a dry needling course of study that meets educational, supervisory and clinical requirements set by state rule; and
get written informed consent from each patient that explains the potential benefits and risks and states that the therapist is not an acupuncturist.
The Division of Professions and Occupations must write the rules. At a minimum, they must be equivalent to the rules the State Physical Therapy Board already uses for physical therapists who dry needle.
What is not settled yet
Those rules have not been written, so the amount of training, supervision and clinical practice for occupational therapists is not set. Nothing changes for patients until September 2027.
Dry needling and acupuncture: how they differ
Both use thin, solid needles. In Colorado, a licensed acupuncturist completes a graduate degree in acupuncture and passes national board exams before the state issues a license. Physical therapists and chiropractors add dry needling to a license they already hold, and occupational therapists will join them in 2027. I explain the differences in training, rules and technique in my post on dry needling vs. acupuncture in Denver.
How to choose a provider
As occupational therapists join physical therapists and chiropractors in offering dry needling, you may have more providers to choose from. A few questions will tell you a lot about any of them:
How much dry needling training have you completed, and where?
How often do you treat people with my kind of pain?
Which areas will you needle, and what could go wrong?
What should I expect afterward, and who do I call if something feels off?
How many visits do you expect I will need, and what will tell us it is working?
Needling of any kind can cause soreness or bruising and, rarely, something more serious. Before you sign the consent form, your provider should walk you through those risks in plain language. If you are seeing an acupuncturist, you can confirm that their license is current on the state's license lookup.
Sources
HB26-1042, Dry Needling by Occupational Therapists, Colorado General Assembly
Michael Sugiura, L.Ac., is a Colorado licensed acupuncturist (license ACU.0002378) at The Subtle Point, 3600 S Beeler St, Suite 150, Denver, CO 80237. This post is general information, not medical advice or legal advice.