Welcome to the Board of Optometry Website

Mission Statement

The mission of the California State Board of Optometry is to serve the public and optometrists by promoting and enforcing laws and regulations which protect the health and safety of California's consumers and to ensure high quality care.

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ALERT-Potential License Denial or Suspension for Failure to Pay Taxes

Effective July 1, 2012, the California State Board of Optometry is required to deny an application for licensure and to suspend the license/certificate/registration of any applicant or licensee who has outstanding tax obligations due to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) or the State Board of Equalization (BOE) and appears on either the FTB or BOE's certified lists of top 500 tax delinquencies over $100,000. (AB 1424, Perea, Chapter 455, Statutes of 2011)

Once it has been determined that an applicant or a licensee is on a certified list, the applicant or licensee has 90 days from the issuance of a preliminary notice of suspension to either satisfy all outstanding tax obligations or enter into a payment installment program with the FTB or BOE. Any such person who fails to come into compliance will have his/her license denied or suspended until the California State Board of Optometry receives a release from the FTB or BOE. The form for requesting a release will be included with the preliminary notice of suspension.

The law prohibits the California State Board of Optometry from refunding any money paid for the issuance or renewal of a license where the license is denied or suspended as required by AB 1424.

The FTB and BOE are currently expanding the certified lists from 250 to 500, but you can check if you are currently on the FTB's certified list at: www.ftb.ca.gov/aboutFTB/Delinquent_Taxpayers.shtml or the BOE's certified list at: www.boe.ca.gov/cgi-bin/deliq.cgi. If you believe you are on either list in error, please call the FTB at (866) 418-3702 or the BOE at 916-445-5167.