Got a Letter From the Board?
Five Steps to Take First
A letter from a Pennsylvania licensing board, the Department of State or one of its investigators is unsettling, and the first few days matter. The five steps below apply to nearly every licensee and every kind of notice.
Note the Date and the Deadline
Write down the date you received the letter and keep the envelope. Read the letter in full and find any deadline it states. A citation must be paid or contested within 10 days of the date it is issued, and an Order to Show Cause states the time within which a written answer must be filed. Missing a citation deadline results in a default judgment for the full penalty, and a licensee who does not answer an Order to Show Cause in time may be held in default and the facts alleged deemed admitted.
Identify What You Received
A letter of inquiry, a subpoena, a citation, an Order to Show Cause and an order of temporary suspension are different documents, and each calls for a different response. The descriptions below explain each one.
Do Not Respond in Haste
A letter or call from an investigator should not be ignored, and a statement should not be given in haste. Licensees generally should cooperate with a lawful investigation, but cooperation does not require an immediate, unprepared statement, and an interview can ordinarily be scheduled so that counsel may attend. What you say or write may become evidence in the matter.
Preserve Your Records
Keep the letter and every related document, including patient, client and business records, emails and text messages. Do not alter, back-date or discard any record, and do not add to a record after the fact without advice. Privileged patient and client records may generally be obtained only with consent or by court order, so questions about privilege should be addressed before records are produced.
Speak With a Licensing Lawyer
The decisions made in the first weeks of a matter, including what records to produce and what to say, often shape the outcome. In some matters, a careful early response may resolve the matter before formal charges are filed. Check also whether any professional liability insurance you carry covers licensing board defense, and what notice of a claim the policy requires.
Which Letter Did You Receive?
The name of the document usually tells you how far the matter has gone and how quickly you must act.
Letter of Inquiry or Investigator’s Call
At this stage the Department is usually gathering facts, and no Order to Show Cause has yet been filed. Investigators from the Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation may request records or an interview. Some complaints are closed at this stage without formal action.
Subpoena
On application of the Commonwealth’s prosecuting attorney, the General Counsel or a designee may issue investigative subpoenas for records. Questions about privilege and the scope of the request should be addressed before records are produced.
Citation
For certain violations, such as practice on a lapsed license or specified continuing education deficiencies, the Department may issue a citation with a civil penalty set by schedule. Within 10 days of the date the citation is issued, you must either admit the violation and pay or deny it and request a hearing. Payment is treated as an admission. If you do not respond within 10 days, a default judgment for the full penalty is entered, and further disciplinary action may follow.
Order to Show Cause
The charging document that begins a formal disciplinary proceeding. It sets out the facts alleged and the laws said to have been violated, and it states the time within which a written answer must be filed. Each allegation should be specifically admitted or denied.
Order of Temporary Suspension
Where a board finds that continued practice presents an immediate and clear danger to public health and safety, it may suspend a license without a prior hearing. A preliminary hearing must be held within 30 days, and the temporary suspension may not last longer than 180 days. This proceeding requires immediate attention.
A Criminal Matter, Even Without a Letter
Licensees must notify their board in writing within 30 days of a finding of guilt, guilty plea, plea of nolo contendere, probation without verdict, disposition in lieu of trial or Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition on a felony or misdemeanor charge. Some boards’ regulations, including those for nurses and massage therapists, also require a report of the charge itself within 30 days. A late or omitted report may itself be a separate violation.
What Not to Do
- Do not ignore the letter or let a deadline pass.
- Do not contact the person you believe filed the complaint about the matter.
- Do not alter, back-date or discard any record.
- Do not discuss the matter on social media.
- Do not sign a consent agreement or a monitoring agreement without advice.
- Do not assume that the end of a criminal case ends the licensing matter.
Meet Your Attorney
Steven A. Mimm, Esq.
Founder, Mimm Law, LLC. Admitted in Pennsylvania (2008) and New Jersey (2022).
From 2014 to 2022, Attorney Steven A. Mimm served as a prosecuting attorney bringing disciplinary actions on behalf of the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs before Pennsylvania's licensing boards. That experience informs how the firm evaluates evidence, negotiates with the Commonwealth and prepares cases for hearing. Where a licensee also faces criminal charges, the firm handles the licensing matter and coordinates with the licensee's criminal defense counsel.
Related: Licensing and FAQs · All Licensing Boards
Last reviewed September 2026. The information on this page is general in nature and is not legal advice. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.