A Hawaii license takes a bachelor’s degree with approved coursework, one year of Administrator-in-Training (AIT) training or qualifying experience, and a passing score on the NAB exams. One question, whether a Hawaii laws exam still applies, is best settled with the licensing office.
| Who licenses | The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), through the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division (PVL) as a licensing program |
|---|---|
| Education | A bachelor’s degree plus an approved course of study, with waivers; over twenty-one (HAR 16-90-7.5, 7.15). See the requirements |
| AIT | One year under a licensed administrator, or one year of qualifying experience (HAR 16-90-7.10, 16-90-37). NAB’s summary lists 2,080 hours, which is NAB’s figure. See the AIT rules |
| National exams | NAB CORE and NHA Line of Service; $480 for the two together, paid to NAB |
| State exam | The current DCCA application and NAB list only the NAB exams. The 1988 rule, HAR 16-90-18(b), still describes a two-part exam with a Hawaii laws part. Ask DCCA which applies to you. See the details |
| Continuing education | None for renewal in the statute, the rules or the DCCA pages. Restoring a forfeited license takes 10 hours for each forfeited year (HAR 16-90-34) |
| Renewal | 30 June of even-numbered years; the next is 30 June 2028. $230 on the program page |
| Licensed elsewhere | Endorsement without an exam, if the other state’s standards are substantially equivalent (HAR 16-90-28). See the out-of-state route |
| Official sources | PVL program page · Application (December 2025) · HAR chapter 16-90 (the rules) · HRS chapter 457B (Justia mirror) · nabweb.org (national exams) |
Verified against the sources above, September 2026. The statute and the current rules govern, and PVL can answer questions about your own application.
Hawaii licenses nursing home administrators through the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division (PVL) of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). PVL lists “Nursing Home Administrator” under its Programs, not its Boards, and the page is titled “Nursing Home Administrator Program”.
The statute and the rules word this differently. HRS 457B-6 (Justia mirror), “Powers and duties of director”, says “the director shall” develop and enforce standards, issue licenses and adopt rules, and HRS 457B-2 defines the director as the director of commerce and consumer affairs. The rules, HAR chapter 16-90, date from 1988 and still say “the board” throughout; for example, § 16-90-37 says to “register with the board”. On this page, PVL stands in wherever the rules say the board.
The law. The statute is HRS chapter 457B and the rules are HAR Title 16, chapter 90, effective 4 April 1988. DCCA posted the chapter as a PDF in February 2026, with the 1988 text.
| Website | cca.hawaii.gov/pvl · Nursing home administrator program |
|---|---|
| Phone and email | (808) 586-3000; Exam Branch (808) 586-2711, pvlexam@dcca.hawaii.gov |
| Mail and office | DCCA, PVL Licensing Branch, P.O. Box 3469, Honolulu, HI 96801; 335 Merchant St., Rm. 301, Honolulu, HI 96813 |
| Renew and verify | MyPVL |
The details above are from the December 2025 application form. NAB’s Hawaii page lists a different phone, (808) 586-2695.
HRS 457B-3 (Justia mirror) says “No person shall operate a nursing home in the State without having a nursing home administrator’s license from the department”. To sit for the exam you need education, practical experience and fitness under HAR 16-90-7.5, 7.10 and 7.15:
Hawaii’s rule describes the AIT in years: one year of practical training and experience as an administrator-in-training “as prescribed in section 16-90-37” (§ 16-90-7.10(a)(2)). NAB’s summary of Hawaii lists a minimum of 2,080 hours, which is NAB’s figure. HAR 16-90-37 sets:
| Length | One year as an administrator-in-training (HAR 16-90-7.10(a)(2), 16-90-37). NAB lists a 2,080-hour minimum, which is NAB’s figure |
|---|---|
| Register | With PVL “no later than two weeks prior to beginning” the training, on the prescribed form (§ 16-90-37(a)) |
| Who may register | You must be 21 or older, have completed high school and hold a bachelor’s degree, and have met the pre-exam requirements of § 16-90-7.5 and 7.10 except the year of experience, plus 7.15 (§ 16-90-37(b)) |
| What you do | Practical experience and pertinent academic study, with responsibility for planning, organizing, directing and controlling the operation of the nursing home (§ 16-90-37(c)(1), (2)) |
| Supervision | “Full-time supervision of a licensed nursing home administrator”, who submits a course outline with specific behavioral objectives (§ 16-90-37(c)(3)) |
| Facility | A duly licensed nursing home with “not less than fifty beds”; the board may except a smaller one with adequate facilities and personnel (§ 16-90-37(c)(4)) |
| Your job status | A full-time employee of the facility, with at least 50 percent of your training hours between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. (§ 16-90-37(c)(5)); the trainer submits “quarterly performance evaluation reports” (§ 16-90-37(d)) |
The application form lists three ways to meet the experience requirement: “1 year administrative experience in an SNF or ICF; OR Administrator-in-training program; OR 1 year administrative experience in a health related area.” Applicants with the qualifying master’s degree are exempt from that line. Administrators licensed in another state have the endorsement route. Other states: AIT Hours by State.
The AIT Planner is our tool for laying out a training year by department. The department split is our planning aid, not a Hawaii rule: HAR 16-90-37 asks for practical experience and pertinent academic study under the full-time supervision of a licensed administrator, and names no departments or hours for each. No account needed.
Open the free AIT PlannerApply through PVL: the December 2025 application form and the application page are the sources for what follows. The form covers:
DCCA treats an application as abandoned “if you fail to complete the license process within one year after filing”; the form also says two years in one place, so ask PVL how long yours stays open.
NAB’s Hawaii page lists both national exams for Hawaii, CORE and NHA. The application page says “Electronic testing provided year-round throughout the U.S. The test center in Hawaii is located on Oahu.”
Two Hawaii sources point in different directions. HAR 16-90-18(b) describes “the two-part examination consisting of the national examination for a nursing home administrator’s license and the Hawaii state examination, covering the laws and rules governing the administration of nursing homes, with a minimum score of seventy-five per cent in each of the two parts of the examination”. That rule dates from 1988. The December 2025 application form describes only NAB: “The NAB examination (exam) is administered by computer”, with a passing score of 113. NAB’s Hawaii page also lists only the NAB exams, and the DCCA program and forms pages describe no Hawaii laws exam and list no fee for a Hawaii exam. Because the rule and the current materials differ, ask PVL which applies to you: the Exam Branch, (808) 586-2711 or pvlexam@dcca.hawaii.gov.
The form also tells applicants to read HRS chapter 457B, HAR chapter 90 and a “Chapter 94”. That last citation is outdated: the Department of Health’s nursing facility rule is now HAR chapter 11-94.2 (effective 16 September 2022).
| CORE | 125 questions (100 scored, 25 pretest); 130 minutes to answer, within 150 minutes in all, per the NAB Candidate Handbook |
|---|---|
| NHA Line of Service | 75 questions (60 scored, 15 pretest); 70 minutes to answer, within 90 minutes in all, per the same handbook |
| Passing score | A scaled score of 113 on each NAB exam |
| Fee | $480 for CORE and NHA together, from 1 February 2026. Taken alone, CORE is $320 and NHA is $190 (NAB) |
| Order of steps | The state approves you to test first, then you register with NAB. The form says candidates “must sit for the exam within 60 days of PES notification” |
| Attempts | Up to 4 attempts at each exam per cycle (1 July to 30 June), from 1 January 2026. HAR 16-90-18(b) lets you “retake only the part or parts failed” and calls for a new application after six examinations within three years |
More in NAB Exam Format and The Core Domains Explained.
Once you run a Hawaii nursing home, you work under the Department of Health’s nursing facility rule, HAR chapter 11-94.2, which applies to freestanding and hospital-based nursing facilities. The Department of Health’s Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA) handles facility licensing: (808) 692-7400 for state licensing, (808) 692-7420 for the Medicare section. Federally, 42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B, 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). Three topics follow. Several run parallel, so read the Hawaii column as what Hawaii’s own rule says:
| Topic | Federal rule (42 CFR 483) | Hawaii rule | Hawaii section |
|---|---|---|---|
| The administrator | The governing body appoints the administrator, who must be “Licensed by the State, where licensing is required” (483.70(d)(2)(i)) | A nursing facility is administered by a person “Licensed by the State as a nursing home administrator”. In the administrator’s absence, an employee “designated, in writing” acts “for a determined period of time as approved by the department” | HAR 11-94.2-17 |
| Nursing staff | Sufficient nursing staff (483.35(a)). No hours-per-resident-day minimum. A registered nurse “for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week” (483.35(b)) | Staff “sufficient in number and qualifications shall be on duty twenty-four hours a day”. At least one registered nurse full-time on the day shift, “for eight consecutive hours, seven days a week”, and at least one licensed nurse on the evening and night shifts, “unless otherwise determined by the department”. The director of nursing is a registered nurse | HAR 11-94.2-16; § 11-94.2-39 |
| Reporting abuse | Alleged abuse, neglect, exploitation or mistreatment goes to the administrator and the State Survey Agency “immediately, but not later than 2 hours” if it involves abuse or serious bodily injury, otherwise within 24 hours (483.12(c)(1)); investigation results within 5 working days (483.12(c)(4)) | Alleged violations “shall be reported immediately to the administrator of the facility”; investigation results go to the administrator and the department “in accordance with state law within five working days of the incident”. Under the statute, employees or officers of institutions providing “social, medical, hospital, or mental health services” who know or have reason to believe a vulnerable adult has incurred abuse must “promptly report the matter orally” to the Department of Human Services, then in writing; knowingly failing to do so is “a petty misdemeanor” | HAR 11-94.2-29; HRS 346-224 (Justia mirror, last amended 2015) |
One more federal duty applies in homes receiving 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 Hawaii it runs alongside the state reports above, which use the words “immediately” and “promptly”.
Hawaii’s facility rule also sets these, with no federal comparison drawn here:
In a certified home you meet both the Hawaii rule and the federal rule (42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B).
| Application, non-refundable | $100 (application form, December 2025; NAB’s Hawaii page also lists $100) |
|---|---|
| License issuance | $130 (application form). NAB’s Hawaii page lists $122 |
| Examination fees in the statute | HRS 457B-9(a) says applicants “shall pay application and examination fees” (Justia mirror). The NAB exams are paid to NAB |
| NAB exams, CORE and NHA together | $480, paid to NAB, from 1 February 2026. Taken alone, CORE is $320 and NHA is $190 (NAB) |
| Renewal, active | $230 (program page). The form lists $65 for a half-term renewal, so check MyPVL when you renew |
| Renewal, inactive | $12 (program page) |
| Restoration of a forfeited license | $330 for an active license and $112 for an inactive one (program page) |
Hawaii sets no continuing education requirement for renewing a nursing home administrator license. HRS 457B-9(b) (Justia mirror) and HAR 16-90-33 ask only for the renewal application and fee, HAR chapter 16-90 has no continuing education section, and neither the DCCA program page nor the application form lists CE hours. NAB’s Hawaii page lists a biennial CE frequency and no hours. With no renewal CE, there are no required topics, approved-provider lists or carryover rules to follow for renewal.
Education appears in one place, restoring a forfeited license. HAR 16-90-34 asks for “participation in ten hours of educational programs for each year of forfeiture”, and HRS 457B-9(b) asks for “evidence of participation in educational programs”.
A license “shall expire on June 30 of each even-numbered year” (HAR 16-90-33); the renewal fee is due by then (HRS 457B-9(b)). The last expiration was 30 June 2026, and the next is 30 June 2028. The program page adds that people whose licenses are not renewed by then “are unlicensed and may not practice”.
Endorsement. HAR 16-90-28 says the board “may endorse, without examination, a nursing home administrator license issued by the proper authorities of any other state” if:
The December 2025 form asks for a Verification of License form, proof of a NAB pass at 113 and certified copies of any disciplinary orders.
Limited and temporary license. Under HRS 457B-3.5 (Justia mirror), “The director may issue a limited and temporary license to an applicant who has not been examined” and is otherwise qualified, “effective only until the next licensure examination process has been completed”. The form lists a $100 temporary permit fee. A temporary permit for a replacement administrator under HAR 16-90-9 “shall not exceed one hundred twenty days”, though it may be extended if the examination is held later.
Military members and spouses. HRS 436B-14.7 (Justia mirror) lists “nursing home administrator” among the professions for a military spouse temporary license. It requires an active out-of-state license held at least one year in good standing, and runs up to the period of military orders, not to exceed five years in the aggregate. HRS 436B-14.5 lets service members deployed during a crisis ask for restoration within 120 days of release.
Start with PVL. PVL registers AITs (HAR 16-90-37(a)), so it is the office to ask about your registration and about training sites: the Exam Branch, (808) 586-2711. The AIT takes place in a licensed nursing home with at least 50 beds, under a licensed administrator who supervises you full time (§ 16-90-37(c)(3), (4)), so the practical step is to ask administrators of those facilities whether they will take you on. The Department of Health’s Office of Health Care Assurance handles facility licensing.
Associations. The Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH), (808) 521-8961, describes itself as the “Unified Voice for Healthcare”. It is a trade association, not a licensing office; PVL is where your AIT is registered. The American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) publishes national resources for AITs, including an Administrator Residency/AIT page and an AIT program manual.
For approaching facilities and administrators step by step, see How to Find an AIT Preceptor and an Approved Program.
The legal sources for nursing home administrator licensure in Hawaii, and the facility rule cited above.
Citations verified September 2026 against cca.hawaii.gov, the Department of Health’s rule PDF, NAB and the eCFR. Hawaii Revised Statutes text is from Justia’s copy, a mirror rather than the Legislature’s own site, and is labeled where used. Provided for reference, not legal advice; the current official text governs.
One year of full-time AIT training under a licensed administrator (HAR 16-90-7.10, 16-90-37), or one year of qualifying experience. NAB’s Hawaii summary lists 2,080 hours, which is NAB’s figure. You must be 21 or older with a bachelor’s degree and register with PVL at least two weeks before starting, in a licensed nursing home of at least 50 beds.
The NAB CORE and NHA exams, with a scaled passing score of 113. The December 2025 application form and NAB list only these exams, while HAR 16-90-18(b), from 1988, still describes a two-part exam with a Hawaii laws part at 75 percent. Ask PVL which applies to you: (808) 586-2711 or pvlexam@dcca.hawaii.gov.
None for renewal: the statute, the rules and the DCCA pages set no continuing education requirement. Restoring a forfeited license takes 10 hours of educational programs for each year of forfeiture (HAR 16-90-34). The next expiration is 30 June 2028.
PVL registers AITs, and the training takes place in a licensed nursing home of at least 50 beds under a licensed administrator (HAR 16-90-37), so ask facility administrators directly, and ask PVL about training sites: (808) 586-2711.
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