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Blog / IV hydration business requirements in Arizona: A complete guide

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IV hydration business requirements in Arizona: A complete guide

Tanja Lepcheska
September 3, 2025
Reviewed by: Teodor Jurukovski

Dehydration isn’t just a summer thing. In Arizona, it’s practically a year-round sport. 

Add in a health-conscious crowd that loves their marathons, yoga retreats, and wellness getaways, and you’ve got a recipe for an IV hydration therapy business to thrive.

The IV therapy industry in Arizona is growing fast, but it’s not as simple as hanging an ‘open’  sign and stocking up on saline. Arizona has its rulebook for: 

  • Who can give IV drips
  • How clinics are licensed
  • How patient care has to be managed

In this guide, we’ll break down exactly what those rules are, go through the legal, clinical, and business requirements you need to know before you hang your shingle in the Grand Canyon State.

Let’s start!

What are IV hydration services, and why are they booming in Arizona?

IV hydration therapy involves infusing fluids, electrolytes, vitamins, or medications directly into a patient’s bloodstream. It’s a booming business in Arizona thanks to the state’s hot climate, active lifestyle culture, and growing wellness tourism industry.

Also, unlike oral supplements, it delivers nutrients rapidly, making it popular for several good reasons, such as:

Blog image - reasons why IV hydration therapy is popular

Source: Pabau

These factors drive the wellness trend, making IV hydration a fast-growing service to consider when building your med spa menu or expanding your services.

Who can legally offer IV hydration in Arizona?

Not everyone can hook up a drip and start infusing vitamins. Arizona law strictly regulates who can administer IV hydration therapy and under what circumstances. 

Here are the professional medical roles that are allowed to offer this kind of service:

Blog image - who can legally administer IV hydration therapy in Arizona

Source: Pabau

📌Nurses cannot compound IV solutions themselves; they may only administer pre-mixed or pharmacy-compounded products.

Every patient must also undergo a patient-specific evaluation, which ensures that the treatment is appropriate for the individual’s condition and needs.

That means your operational model must include licensed prescribers who issue individualized orders and oversee evaluations. You cannot rely on blanket directives or nurse-delegated protocols without provider involvement.

Licensing and registration requirements for IV hydration clinics

In Arizona, IV hydration isn’t just another spa service. The law recognizes this service as a medical treatment, meaning whoever plans to start this business must comply with specific requirements and rules.

Let’s take a look at the legal licensing and registration steps needed to start an IV hydration clinic in Arizona:

❗There is one narrow exemption: If your IV therapy services are provided in a private practice of a licensed healthcare professional (an MD, DO, NP, or PA), you may qualify for exemption from ADHS licensure. However, this only applies if all services occur within that professional office setting.

If you’re not exempt, you’ll still need to:

  • Apply for your ADHS Health Care Institution License
  • Meet all state inspection and operational standards for your facility type
  • Hire a licensed medical professional: A physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant on staff as your medical director if your business isn’t run through a licensed provider’s clinic

Also, don’t forget about local requirements. This depends on where your IV hydration business will be located, as your city or county health department. For example, the Maricopa County, may require additional permits, especially around: 

  • Infection control
  • Waste disposal 
  • Zoning
  • Building codes

💡Tip: Since the rules can vary depending on your business model, it’s worth talking to a healthcare attorney or compliance consultant before you embark on this journey. 

Understanding good faith exams and medical orders in Arizona

A good-faith exam is a thorough evaluation by a licensed provider to ensure IV hydration therapy is safe and medically necessary.

Blog image - Arizona board of nursing about good faith exams

Source: Pabau / Info: Lengea Law

It is also important to understand that good-faith exams can be done 

  • In person, or 

However, remote exams must fully comply with verification and documentation rules. If your IV hydration business lacks in-house prescribers, partnering with third-party physicians or telehealth services is a smart way to meet this requirement.

For example, a tool like Pabau can help you simplify this process by integrating compliant client documentation with its video conferencing feature for consultations, pre-treatment, and one-to-one aftercare.

Source: Pabau

With Pabau’s Telehealth, you can pull your client information, raise invoices, share information, all in a single window, and talk in a secure, private environment.

Choosing the right business entity and medical director

In Arizona, anyone can own an IV hydration business. But the catch is that you must have a licensed medical director on staff to: 

✅Oversee treatment protocols, ensure patient safety

✅Review and approve medical orders and standing policies

✅Participate in incident reviews and risk-management decisions

✅Ensure compliance with ADHS regulations and the Arizona Board of Nursing

✅Issue valid orders so no patient gets an IV hydration treatment without a legally compliant, medically justified reason

You’ll also need to decide on a business structure that fits your needs. In Arizona, common choices include:

  • Limited Liability Company (LLC):  It’s the simplest business structure to set up, can be owned by individuals or other companies, but needs a licensed medical director to handle the clinical side
  • Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC): Owners must be licensed healthcare providers (nurses, doctors, dentists)
  • Professional Corporation (PC): Stricter rules on record-keeping, board structure, and taxes; often chosen for larger practices or when there are multiple licensed owners

Also, your business entity choice must align with Arizona’s rules on provider ownership, so consulting an attorney or accountant here is just as important as during the licensing phase.

Training, staffing, and operational requirements

Even if you have a medical director and the right licenses, your team’s qualifications and your clinic’s day-to-day procedures will determine your compliance. 

Regardless of whether you’re opening a med spa or an IV hydration business, there are key roles that Arizona expects when it comes to skill, safety, and pricing your services appropriately, such as:

  • A Medical Director (MD): To provide clinical oversight and guidance on protocols and ensuring compliance with regulations, can be hired as part-time or consulting
  • RNs or LPNs: To handle IV treatments, patient assessments, and monitoring; must be trained in IV protocols and document IV certification, BLS, and infection control training
  • Admin staff: To deal with scheduling, billing, and client management
  • Mobile tech staff: To perform mobile IV therapy services (of offered as such)

IV therapy clinics should also establish clear standard  operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure safety and compliance, including:

  • Using sterile techniques during preparation and infusion
  • Proper disposal of sharps and medical waste
  • Following strict cleaning and sanitation protocols
  • Collecting informed consent forms that outline risks and potential side effects before any infusion

In addition, depending on the state and business model, a supervising physician or NP may also be required to oversee the clinic and its staff.

Recordkeeping, documentation, and HIPAA compliance

Arizona law requires meticulous record-keeping for at least 6 years and HIPAA-level data, whether you’re running a business. This means every drip you administer needs a paper trail.

To meet documentation standards, here’s what you need to pay attention to:

  • Collecting informed consent forms: Gather them before each treatment, clearly noting risks, ingredients, and patient acknowledgement
  • Documenting treatment plans, infusion orders, vitals, and any adverse events
  • Safely storing patient records: They must be with password-protected access, encryption, and HIPAA-compliant backups

Here’s a preview of how that looks like at Pabau:

IV therapy consent form Pabau features-blog image

Source: Pabau

A robust, all-in-one practice management software like Pabau has built-in features that can help ensure compliance with this by offering:

  • Consent forms that streamline client intake are automatically linked to the specific treatment, sent after booking, and ensure all necessary approvals are securely documented
  • Centralized digital patient records that keep all client information organized, accessible, and fully HIPAA compliant
  • Detailed audit trails tracking every action in the system

It’s features like these that help you stay compliant and enhance your clients’ experience, making their journey with you seamless and secure.

Emergency protocols and risk management

Patient safety isn’t just about proper infusion techniques. It also means being ready for the unexpected, such as adverse reactions, equipment issues, or medical emergencies, which can happen anytime.

That’s why having clear emergency plans, proper equipment, and trained staff is critical for patient safety and compliance. To stay prepared, IV hydration clinics must:

  • Maintain emergency equipment such as AEDs, oxygen supplies, and essential medications (e.g., epinephrine, antihistamines, IV fluids)
  • Develop and document clear emergency protocols and regularly train staff to respond to adverse reactions or emergencies
  • Ensure a licensed medical professional or prescriber  is available onsite to oversee treatments and authorize care

Keep these in check, and you’ll turn any emergency into another handled day.

Can you run a mobile IV hydration business in Arizona?

Yes, the law in Arizona allows you to run a mobile IV hydration business. This refers to offering IV therapy services to clients’ homes, offices, or hotels. 

However, you must still meet the same regulatory requirements as administering IV drips in a clinic.

✅Unless operating under a licensed provider’s office exemption, you’ll need a Health Care Institution License from ADHS for mobile units

✅Medical oversight and good-faith exams remain mandatory

✅Vehicle permits or zoning clearance from the local area

✅Proper transport and storage of IV solutions

✅Proper transport and storage of supplies and IV solutions

✅OSHA standards focusing on a sanitized infusion environment

✅Emergency preparedness outside clinical settings

✅Mobile-capable EMR to securely access and update patient records in real time 

A robust software solution like Pabau, with its built-in EMR feature, is ideal for keeping your patient records safe, secure, and easily accessible on any device with a secure internet connection, regardless of your location.

Blog image - Pabau built-in EMR feature

Source: Pabau

As you can see from the image above, with it, you can:

  • Access real-time patient data: Use your phone or tablet to pull up the client’s full medical record, anywhere they go, with the Pabau GO app
  • Upload photos and documents from the phone: Take before and after treatment photos, log vitals, and attach consent forms
  • Document each visit with customizable IV therapy treatment notes and not miss a detail

The bottom line is that you can run mobile IV therapy in Arizona, but only if you treat it like a fully compliant rolling clinic with proper oversight and documentation.

🚀How Pabau helps IV hydration businesses stay compliant and scale

Once you understand the clinical, legal, and operational complexities of running an IV hydration business, the challenge is keeping up with them day by day. 

That’s where an all-in-one practice management software like Pabau can make a huge difference, and here’s how:

👉 Collect and securely store digital consent forms 

👉 Keep patient records and EMRs organized and centralized in one place and ready when you need them – on your desktop, tablet, or mobile

👉 Track of each patient visit and care plan in detailed client cards, accurate and fully compliant from any location

👉 Keep client communication every time, HIPAA-compliant, safe, and private

👉 Track every action in the client journey  from consent to treatment to follow-up, and to support inspections

👉 Customize consent and treatment forms and questionnaires according to your client’s needs

Whether you’re treating clients from a van, managing a one-room startup, or growing into a multi-location brand and franchising, Pabau adapts to your business needs. 

Book a demo today to see how Pabau helps you stay compliant and scale without the chaos.