A Delaware license takes a degree or a Delaware RN license, an Administrator-in-Training (AIT) program of 6, 9 or 12 months set by your degree, a NAB-approved course of study and the two national NAB exams. There is no state exam, and administrators licensed in another state may qualify by reciprocity.
| Who licenses | The Delaware Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators, within the Division of Professional Regulation (DPR); applications go through DELPROS |
|---|---|
| AIT | 6, 9 or 12 months, set by your degree (24 Del. C. § 5209), plus a NAB-approved course of study unless your degree has a major in long term care administration. See the three routes |
| National exams | NAB CORE and NHA Line of Service, both required (5200-2.3); $480 for the two together, paid to NAB |
| State exam | None. Delaware names only the NAB CORE and NHA exams (24 DE Admin. Code 5200-2.3), with its own limits: a passing score of 75 percent, and 4 attempts within 2 years of Board approval. See the limits |
| Continuing education | 48 hours every two years, 1 August to 31 July of odd years, including 6 hours of required topics; no carryover provision (5200-5.0) |
| Fees | $309 license application, $55 AIT application, $40 temporary license (DPR fee schedule) |
| Renewal | Every two years, by 31 July of odd years, online in DELPROS |
| Reciprocity | Yes, from a state with substantially similar standards (24 Del. C. § 5213). See the out-of-state route |
| Official sources | dpr.delaware.gov (the Board) · 24 Del. C. Chapter 52 (the law) · 24 DE Admin. Code 5200 (rules, Justia copy) · nabweb.org (national exams) |
Verified against the sources above, September 2026. Rule text on this page comes from the Justia copy of 24 DE Admin. Code 5200, current through Register Vol. 28, No. 12 (1 June 2025); the current statute and the official code govern.
Your license comes from the Delaware Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators, part of the Division of Professional Regulation (DPR) in the Delaware Department of State. Under 24 Del. C. § 5203 the Board has 9 members appointed by the Governor: 3 licensed nursing home administrators, 2 from professions caring for chronically ill, infirm or aged people, and 4 public members.
The law. The statute is 24 Del. C. Chapter 52, sections 5201 to 5222, and the rules are 24 DE Admin. Code 5200, sections 1.0 to 9.0.
Applying. You apply online in DELPROS. DPR gives you “six (6) months to submit your application once you begin”, and NAB sends your exam scores “directly to the Board office” (new license page).
| Website | Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators |
|---|---|
| Applications | DELPROS |
| Office (per NAB’s Delaware summary) | 861 Silver Lake Blvd, Dover, DE 19904-2467; (302) 744-4500 |
Delaware counts the AIT in months, not hours. 24 Del. C. § 5209(a)(1) names three routes, each with a “pre-approved nursing home AIT program” of the stated length. DPR’s AIT page repeats them and gives a week-by-week outline for each. To enter an AIT you need “a post-secondary degree in any field” or a current Delaware RN license.
| Route | Education | AIT length | DPR outline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route A | A bachelor’s or graduate degree with a major in health and human services, hospital administration, nursing or business administration | 6 months | 24-week outline |
| Route B | A bachelor’s or graduate degree in any other field | 9 months | 36-week outline |
| Route C | An associate degree in any field, or a current Delaware RN license | 12 months | 52-week outline |
24 DE Admin. Code 5200-2.2 asks for completion of a program that the NAB has approved. It names the Institute for Continuing Education & Research 120 hour program, UNC Chapel Hill long-term care education, St. Joseph’s College of Maine and the York College of Pennsylvania 120 hour program. A bachelor’s or graduate degree with a major in long term care administration or the equivalent replaces the NAB program. DPR’s approved courses page lists St. Joseph’s LTC 450 plus LTC 456 (proof of completion of both) and York College’s 120-hour program, and says the Board “also accepts any program that” NAB has approved.
| Approval first | The Board approves your education and your AIT plan first, and you name your preferred preceptors (5200-2.4.3). You submit the outline week by week, without dates (DPR AIT page). “Every AIT program shall be approved by the Board” (5200-3.1) |
|---|---|
| Start | “Approved applicants shall begin their AIT program immediately” (5200-2.5.1) |
| Supervision | “Direct supervision” is “oversight on the premises of a nursing home by a preceptor” (5200-1.2). It continues “for the entire duration of the AIT program”, even if you finish the outline early (5200-3.1) |
| Settings | If the sponsoring facility is a skilled nursing facility, “at least 10% of the program” is completed in an assisted living facility; if the sponsor is assisted living, at least 25% is in a skilled facility. “A preceptor is required for each type of facility”, and one preceptor can cover both settings (5200-3.2; DPR AIT page) |
| Reports | A progress report every 3 months for the whole program (5200-3.1). Each item is initialed and dated by the preceptor, with “arrows or ‘ditto marks’” not acceptable, and a report is not sent before the end of its period. A final progress report and a completion letter close the program (DPR preceptor page) |
| Time limit | The AIT must be completed within its term, “otherwise the AIT license expires” (5200-3.6) |
| Extensions | Granted “at the sole discretion of the Board upon written request” (5200-3.7). DPR names an unforeseen event such as hospitalization or a death in the family; it says “personal vacations are not extenuating circumstances” |
| Fee | $55 for the AIT application (DPR fee schedule) |
A preceptor must be licensed as a nursing home administrator “in this State or in any other jurisdiction for at least the 2 years immediately prior” to the request (24 Del. C. § 5210). The rules and DPR go further: the preceptor “currently has an active Delaware Nursing Home Administrator license”, works in a skilled nursing or assisted living facility and is approved by the Board (5200-1.2). DPR adds that the two years may be in Delaware or another jurisdiction. Your preceptor gives “direction, observation, aid, training, and instruction” (24 Del. C. § 5210). You send the Board an AIT Preceptor Request form from DPR’s forms page. Preceptors earn 3 CE credits per student, up to 6 per licensure period (5200-5.0).
Section 5212 lists 16 required components of the training, including “Resident rights” and “Professional ethics”. The Board’s outline, Addendum A (marked “Revised 8/2026”), has 14 domains: I Introduction, II Admissions, III Medical Records, IV Resident Rights, V Administration, VI Food Service, VII Nursing, VIII Housekeeping & Maintenance, IX Medical and Allied Health, X Recreation, XI Rehabilitation, XII Social Services, XIII Disaster & Emergency Management and XIV Medicare & Medicaid. Neither section 5212 nor Addendum A allots hours to each department.
Other states: AIT Hours by State.
The AIT Planner is our own planning aid, with a self-assessment that shapes how you spread training time across departments. Delaware sets the AIT in months, and the Board’s outline, Addendum A, has 14 domains, so the Planner is not the Board’s outline: build the plan you submit from Addendum A. No account needed.
Open the free AIT PlannerDelaware has no state exam. Rule 5200-2.3 says “Applicants must pass the NAB examination, which shall include NAB’s CORE and NAB’s NHA examinations.” You test at Pearson VUE. Candidates need state approval to test; NAB says it “is unable to approve any NHA exam applications” (NAB Exam Info page).
| CORE | 125 questions (100 scored, 25 pretest); 130 minutes to answer, within 150 minutes in all, per NAB’s Candidate Handbook (September 2026) |
|---|---|
| NHA Line of Service | 75 questions (60 scored, 15 pretest); 70 minutes to answer, within 90 minutes in all, per the same handbook |
| NAB passing score | A scaled score of 113 on each exam, on NAB’s scale of 50 to 150 |
| NAB fee | $480 for CORE and NHA together, from 1 February 2026. Taken alone, CORE is $320 and NHA is $190 (NAB) |
| NAB attempts | Up to 4 attempts for CORE and NHA in each cycle, 1 July to 30 June, from 1 January 2026 (NAB) |
Rule 5200-2.6 adds three limits for Delaware candidates, alongside NAB’s. The passing score is “75% or more on the NAB examination”; the rule states it without a conversion to NAB’s scaled score. You have “no longer than 2 years from the date of Board approval” to pass. And you are “limited to 4 attempts within that 2-year period”. More on the exams in NAB Exam Format and The Core Domains Explained.
Once you run a Delaware nursing home, you work under Title 16 of the Delaware Code, the Division’s facility rules (16 DE Admin. Code 3201) and 42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B, which applies only if the home is certified for Medicare or Medicaid. On staffing, the federal side has no hours-per-resident-day minimum: CMS’s 2024 minimum staffing standards, which were never enforced, were repealed by an interim final rule published 3 December 2025 and effective 2 February 2026 (90 FR 55687). Four differences that matter on the job, each with the Delaware section:
| Topic | Federal rule (42 CFR 483) | Delaware rule | Delaware section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing staff hours | Sufficient numbers of licensed nurses and other nursing personnel on a 24-hour basis (483.35(a)), and a registered nurse “for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week” (483.35(b)). No hours-per-resident-day minimum | “3.28 hours of direct care per resident per day”, the figure the Division of Health Care Quality applies from 1 January 2025, with shift ratios: days 1 RN or LPN to 15 residents and 1 nurse aide to 8; evenings 1 to 23 and 1 to 10; nights 1 to 40 and 1 to 20. Directors of nursing, their assistants and assessment coordinators count as direct caregivers only in exigent circumstances, with written notice to the Division within 24 hours | 16 Del. C. § 1162(c); § 1161(5) |
| Nurse coverage by shift | A licensed nurse serves as charge nurse on each tour of duty (483.35(a)), and a registered nurse works at least 8 consecutive hours a day (483.35(b)) | In homes not covered by §§ 1161 to 1165: an RN or LPN on duty at all times on the first and second shifts and on call on the third if none is on duty; all other direct caregivers are certified nurse aides | 16 DE Admin. Code 3201-5.4.2.3, 5.4.2.4, 5.4.2.6 |
| The administrator | The administrator must be “Licensed by the State, where licensing is required” (483.70(d)(2)(i)); the rule sets no full-time requirement | “Each nursing facility shall have a full-time administrator.” When the administrator is absent two weeks or longer, a management employee is designated to be in charge and the Division is told in writing | 16 DE Admin. Code 3201-5.2 |
| Reporting abuse | A facility duty: alleged abuse, neglect, exploitation or mistreatment goes to the administrator and other officials “immediately, but not later than 2 hours” if it involves abuse or serious bodily injury, and within 24 hours otherwise (483.12(c)(1)) | A personal duty: any facility employee, or anyone who provides services to residents, with reasonable cause to believe a resident was abused, neglected, mistreated or financially exploited, or the victim of medication diversion, reports immediately by oral communication to the Department and in writing within 48 hours. Anyone else may also report to the Department. Failing to report can bring a fine of up to $1,000, up to 15 days in jail, or both. The Division’s rule adds that reportable incidents go in within eight hours of the occurrence | 16 Del. C. § 1132; 16 DE Admin. Code 3201-9.6 |
One more federal duty applies in every home that receives at least $10,000 in federal funds. Each covered individual reports a reasonable suspicion of a crime against a resident “to the State Agency and one or more law enforcement entities”, within 2 hours if there is serious bodily injury and otherwise within 24 hours (483.12(b)(5); section 1150B of the Social Security Act). In Delaware, § 1132 adds the report to the Department.
Delaware figures differ. Section 1162(c) sets 3.28 hours and § 1162(e) sets 3.67 hours, each “subject to Commission recommendation and provided that funds have been appropriated”; the Division of Health Care Quality applies 3.28 hours from 1 January 2025. Rule 3201-5.4.2.1, in the Justia copy, says “a minimum of 2.25 hours” for homes outside §§ 1161 to 1165.
Delaware: 16 Del. C. §§ 1161 and 1162, 16 Del. C. § 1132 and 16 DE Admin. Code 3201 (Justia copy). In a certified home you meet both.
From DPR’s fee schedule unless noted. NAB’s Delaware summary lists $243 for an application fee and a state exam fee; DPR’s schedule lists $309, and Delaware has no state exam, so use DPR’s figures.
| NHA license application | $309 |
|---|---|
| Administrator-in-training application | $55 |
| Temporary administrator application | $40 |
| Renewal, every two years | DPR’s fee page says you are notified of the amount at renewal |
| Late renewal | The renewal fee plus a late fee of 50% of the renewal fee |
| Inactive status change request | $45 |
| CE course approval | No fee when a Delaware licensee submits the course; $45 when a provider submits it |
| NAB exams, CORE and NHA together | $480, paid to NAB, from 1 February 2026. Taken alone, CORE is $320 and NHA is $190 (NAB handbook) |
| Background check | A separate state and FBI fingerprint check at your cost (24 Del. C. § 5208); service codes are on DPR’s criminal background check page |
Rule 5200-5.1 requires programs “totaling 48 hours or more” in each biennial licensure period, which runs 1 August to 31 July of odd-numbered years (DPR CE page).
New licensees. The hours required at your first renewal depend on when in the period your license was issued (5200-5.1.1 to 5.1.4; dates from DPR):
| 1 August of an odd year to 31 January | 36 hours |
|---|---|
| 1 February to 31 July of an even year | 24 hours |
| 1 August of an even year to 31 January | 12 hours |
| 1 February to 31 July of an odd year | 0 hours |
Licenses are “renewed biennially” (24 Del. C. § 5215(b)) and expire 31 July of odd-numbered years; the next date is 31 July 2027. You renew online in DELPROS after an email notice a few months ahead, and you attest to your CE (DPR renewal page).
Reciprocity. Under 24 Del. C. § 5213, if the other state’s standards are substantially similar, the Board “shall grant a license” to someone with a current license in good standing there. If they are not substantially similar, a license is at the Board’s discretion and takes at least 3 years of practice after licensure. You provide a notarized list of every jurisdiction where you were licensed, verifications sent directly to the Board and copies of those laws and rules; “the burden of proof is upon the applicant” (5200-4.0). You do not need an AIT license (DPR AIT page).
Temporary license. Under § 5211 the owner or governing body of the nursing home makes the application. DPR’s temporary license page sets the requirements for the temporary administrator: 3 years of healthcare management experience acceptable to the Board plus a post-secondary degree in any field or a current Delaware RN license. The license “expire[s] 90 days after the date [it is] issued” and can be renewed once, at the Board’s discretion, for 90 more days. Nobody may get a second temporary license within 12 months of the first one expiring. The fee is $40.
Acting administrator. When the administrator is absent two weeks or longer, “a management employee shall be designated to be in charge” (16 DE Admin. Code 3201-5.2).
Military. DPR’s military page has three sections. The first offers two ways to apply: Military Registration, effective 5 January 2023, lets service members and spouses on PCS orders practice on their existing out-of-state license through the duration of the orders, and a provisional license is valid for up to six months while a Delaware application is pending. The second covers continuing a license during military deployment, requested in DELPROS. The third covers credit for military education, training and experience, citing 29 Del. C. § 8735(p)(6).
Start with the Board and NAB. The Board approves every AIT and every preceptor. For the course of study, DPR’s approved courses page and NAB’s National Approved Program Search (at nabweb.org) list programs; DPR accepts any program NAB has approved. The Board says it is “seeking volunteers to serve as preceptors”, and the AIT Preceptor Request and AIT Progress Report forms are on its forms page.
Associations. Member facilities are a practical place to ask about training sites. The Delaware Health Care Facilities Association (DHCFA) is in Wilmington (info@dhcfa.org). LeadingAge New Jersey & Delaware is the association of not-for-profit senior care providers in both states. Neither lists AIT placements.
For approaching facilities and preceptors step by step, see How to Find an AIT Preceptor and an Approved Program.
The legal sources for nursing home administrator licensure in Delaware, and the facility rules cited above.
Citations verified September 2026 against dpr.delaware.gov, delcode.delaware.gov, NAB and the eCFR, and against the Justia copy of 24 DE Admin. Code 5200, current through Register Vol. 28, No. 12 (1 June 2025). Provided for reference, not legal advice; the current official text governs.
Delaware sets the AIT in months, not hours (24 Del. C. § 5209(a)(1)): 6 months with a bachelor’s or graduate degree in health and human services, hospital administration, nursing or business administration; 9 months with a bachelor’s or graduate degree in any other field; and 12 months with an associate degree or a current Delaware RN license. A NAB-approved course of study is also required unless your degree has a major in long term care administration or the equivalent (24 DE Admin. Code 5200-2.2).
No. Delaware requires the NAB CORE and NHA exams (24 DE Admin. Code 5200-2.3). Its own limits are a passing score of 75 percent or more, 2 years from Board approval to pass, and at most 4 attempts in that period (5200-2.6).
48 hours in each two-year period, 1 August to 31 July of odd years, including 2 hours each of patient abuse and neglect, infection prevention and professional ethics. The rules have no carryover provision (5200-5.0).
Yes. If another state’s standards are substantially similar, the Board “shall grant a license” to an administrator in good standing there (24 Del. C. § 5213). If they are not, a license is at the Board’s discretion and takes at least 3 years of practice after licensure.
The Board approves every AIT and every preceptor, and it says it is seeking volunteers to serve as preceptors. Its approved courses page and NAB’s program search list approved courses. The Delaware Health Care Facilities Association and LeadingAge New Jersey & Delaware are contacts for member facilities.
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