What it takes to become a licensed nursing home administrator in Montana, which requires no Administrator-in-Training (AIT) program. You qualify through a 1,200-point system in which AIT hours are optional, send the open-book Montana Jurisprudence Examination in with your application, then pass the NAB exams. Figures below are taken from the official sources listed on this page.
| Who licenses | Montana Board of Nursing Home Administrators, in the Department of Labor and Industry (MCA 2-15-1735; 37-9-302(1)) |
|---|---|
| AIT requirement | None. You document 1,200 points of education, training or experience (ARM 24.162.501); optional AIT hours count 1 point each |
| National exams | A passing scaled score on the national exam, as determined by NAB (ARM 24.162.504(1)); the rule does not name the exams, so ask the board which ones |
| State exam | The Montana Jurisprudence Examination, open book, sent in with your application (ARM 24.162.504(2)). At least 90 percent to pass. Details ↓ |
| Fees | $230 to apply by examination ($225 plus a $5 litigation fee), $500 by credential |
| Continuing education | 20 hours every year (ARM 24.162.2105(1)) |
| License renewal | Every year by 31 December, $235, plus the $5 litigation fee in years it is collected |
| Official sources | boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov (the board) · MCA Title 37, Chapter 9 · nabweb.org (national exams) |
Verified against the sources above, September 2026. Requirements change; the board's current published rule is always the final word.
The Montana Board of Nursing Home Administrators (MCA 2-15-1735) sits in the Department of Labor and Industry, whose Business Standards Division handles its licensing: “The department shall license nursing home administrators under the rules adopted by the board” (MCA 37-9-302(1)). You apply and renew online at ebiz.mt.gov/POL. Customer service: (406) 444-6880, DLIBSDHELP@MT.GOV.
NAB’s Montana page still lists an older website (nha.mt.gov) and phone number; use the board’s own. Facilities are licensed by a different agency, the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).
Under MCA 37-9-301(1) you must be “of good moral character” with “a high school diploma or its equivalent”; show a board-prescribed course or “evidence satisfactory to the board of sufficient education, training, or experience”; and pass “an examination designed to test for competence.” The board’s rules turn the second part into points and the third into two exams. You send transcripts and diplomas (ARM 24.162.501(4)), and the application (revised 2 April 2026) asks for three references who have known you for at least a year. It says to “Allow 14 days from the date the Board has a complete routine application file.”
Ask the board about a minimum age; NAB’s Montana summary lists 18.
ARM 24.162.501 asks you to document education, training or experience “totaling 1,200 points,” scored from a fixed table:
| Bachelor’s or higher, health care or business | 1,200 points (501(3)(b)) |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s, another field | 800 points |
| Associate degree, health care or business | 600 points |
| Associate degree, another field | 400 points |
| College coursework in a health or business related course | 20 points per credit hour, grade C or higher |
| Health care management | Up to 200 points a year (501(3)(a)) |
| Direct services with patient contact | Up to 100 points a year |
| Support services | Up to 50 points a year |
| Seminars, workshops, short courses | 1 point per approved clock hour (501(3)(c)) |
| AIT program | 1 point per clock hour, with the verification signed by a licensed active nursing home administrator (501(3)(d)) |
The application counts experience from “the MOST RECENT SEVEN YEARS” only, and its point table gives the full 1,200 points to a BS or BA in “Nursing (or 3-year Diploma Nurse)” or “Other Health Related” fields too.
An AIT is one way to earn points, not a requirement. AIT programs “may be submitted for one point per clock hour credit,” with the verification “signed by the licensed active nursing home administrator” (501(3)(d)). The rule sets no minimum hours, no preceptor qualifications or approval, and no board-approved program, so there is nothing to waive and no separate AIT pathway to arrange with the board.
Our arithmetic, not rule text: with no degree, 1,200 AIT clock hours would reach 1,200, and so would six years of full-time health care management. Confirm a combined count with the board.
States that do require an AIT are listed in AIT Hours by State.
If you choose an AIT to earn points, or need one in another state later, the free AIT Planner turns an hours figure into a plan across facility departments. No account needed.
Open the free AIT PlannerMontana’s rule asks for “a passing scaled score on the national examination, as determined by” NAB, the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (ARM 24.162.504(1), which uses NAB’s former name). It does not name the exams, so ask the board which NAB exams you take.
| CORE | 125 questions (25 unscored pretest) in a 2 hour 30 minute appointment, 2 hours 10 minutes of it for answering |
|---|---|
| NHA | 75 questions (15 pretest) in 1 hour 30 minutes, 1 hour 10 minutes of it for answering |
| Passing score | A scaled score of 113; taken at Pearson VUE |
| Fee | $480 for both, $320 CORE only, $190 NHA only, from 1 February 2026, paid to NAB (ARM 24.162.420(4)) |
| Attempts | No more than four per exam in each 1 July to 30 June cycle, from 1 January 2026 |
From the NAB Exam Candidate Handbook, revised September 2026. NAB’s State Licensure Requirements page still shows the 2025 fee of $455.
Once the board approves your application, you register with NAB; the board is “responsible for assuring that only eligible candidates sit for the exams.” We break down the NAB structure in NAB Exam Format and the content in The Core Domains Explained.
Montana’s state exam is the Montana Jurisprudence Examination, and it works nothing like the NAB exams. The rule calls it “the open book jurisprudence examination” (ARM 24.162.504(2)), and you complete it and send it in with your license application: the checklist lists a “Completed open book jurisprudence examination” among the items to submit. ARM 24.162.504 names no proctor or testing center, and it is not taken through NAB, which lists Montana’s state exam administration as “State.”
| Who writes it | The Montana Board of Nursing Home Administrators, which posts the exam form on its site |
|---|---|
| How you take it | Open book; the completed exam goes in with your application |
| Questions | The posted form, marked “Revised: 2/19,” has 45: Part One, 23 multiple choice, and Part Two, 22 true or false. No rule or board page states a count, and the board may send a different version |
| Passing score | At least 90 percent (ARM 24.162.504(2)) |
| Fee | The first attempt comes with your application; ARM 24.162.420 lists no separate fee for it. Each retake is $75 (ARM 24.162.420(1)(d)) |
| Retakes | Allowed “after paying the examination fees” (504(3)). You send the $75 first, and “then another exam will be provided.” The rule sets no limit on the number of retakes |
| Time limit | None stated on the posted form or in ARM 24.162.504; ask the board |
Ask the board whether the posted form is current. It dates from February 2019, and one item concerns a “temporary permit” and another inactive status, both of which the board’s December 2025 rule proposal addressed (see below).
The rule ties the exam to “the Montana long-term care facility licensing law and regulations” (ARM 24.162.504(2)). The application says it covers the laws and rules on licensing a nursing home administrator and the “Department of Public Health and Human Services licensure and regulation of facilities,” and gives these study sources:
The board’s Exam Information page names the statute more broadly, as all of MCA Title 50, Chapter 5, and the same rules, ARM Title 37, Chapter 106, subchapter 3. The questions on the 2019 form cover record retention, employee files, secured care units, disaster plans and evacuation drills, continuing education hours, the renewal deadline, provisional licenses for facilities, and unannounced inspections.
For a skilled nursing facility, ARM 37.106.601 (as amended effective 24 September 2022) says the facility “shall comply with the Conditions of Participation” in 42 CFR Part 483. So Montana’s licensing standard for nursing homes is largely the federal Part 483 requirements, which also underpin much of the NAB exam content, with a few Montana additions.
One consequence: Montana sets no staffing ratio or hours per resident day of its own. The state staffing rule, ARM 37.106.605, was repealed effective 24 September 2022, though the statute defines skilled nursing care as care under the supervision of a registered nurse “on a 24-hour basis” (MCA 50-5-101). The federal rule requires sufficient staff around the clock; a registered nurse at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week; and a full-time director of nursing, with limited waivers for the nurse requirements (483.35); the 2024 federal hours per resident day and 24/7 registered nurse minimums were repealed effective 2 February 2026 (90 FR 55687).
| Topic | Federal rule (42 CFR 483) | Montana rule | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical record retention | As long as state law requires; five years from discharge where the state sets no period; for a minor, three years after reaching legal age under state law (483.70(h)(4)) | Facilities other than hospitals keep records “no less than six years following” discharge or death | ARM 37.106.314 |
| Reporting abuse | The facility reports alleged abuse, neglect, exploitation, mistreatment, injuries of unknown source and misappropriation immediately to the administrator and to officials including the State Survey Agency and, where state law gives it jurisdiction, adult protective services: not later than 2 hours if the events involve abuse or serious bodily injury, otherwise not later than 24 hours (483.12(c)(1)). Separately, each covered individual reports a reasonable suspicion of a crime to the State Survey Agency and at least one local law enforcement agency immediately, but not later than 2 hours if there is serious bodily injury, otherwise not later than 24 hours (section 1150B of the Social Security Act; 483.12(b)(5)) | Reports about long-term care residents go to “the long-term care ombudsman” and “to the department.” The statute sets no hour deadline, but the federal deadlines still apply to Medicare- or Medicaid-certified facilities in Montana | MCA 52-3-811 |
| Residents’ rights statement | Part 483 requires staff training on residents’ rights (483.95(b)), written and oral notice of rights to residents (483.10(g)(1), (g)(4)) and certain postings (483.10(g)(5)), but no signed staff acknowledgment | The administrator adopts a written rights statement, gives each resident a copy on admission, and trains staff on it; each staff member affirms in writing that they have read and understand it, and it is posted “in a conspicuous place visible to the public” | MCA 50-5-1105 |
| The administrator | The governing body appoints an administrator who is “Licensed by the State, where licensing is required” (483.70(d)(2)(i)) | Montana licenses nursing home administrators: “The department shall license nursing home administrators under the rules adopted by the board.” Ask the board whether an acting or interim administrator is allowed | MCA 37-9-302(1) |
Montana column: mca.legmt.gov and the DPHHS rule PDFs; federal column: the eCFR; both read September 2026. MCA 52-3-811 and MCA 50-5-1105 (in part 11 of Chapter 5) sit outside the sources the application names, though the Exam Information page lists all of Chapter 5; both bind a Montana administrator all the same. Fire drills also differ: Montana requires at least four a year, no closer than two months apart and at least one on each shift (ARM 37.106.322), while the Life Safety Code that the federal rule adopts requires drills at least quarterly on each shift (483.90(a); NFPA 101, 2012 edition, 19.7.1.6).
The condition travels with the number, because it is part of the rule.
State NHA Exams Explained covers how state exams work and which states have one.
We build practice sets for state exams one state at a time: questions drawn from the state’s own rules, each cited to its section, the way our Illinois supplement is built. Montana is not built yet. Leave your email and we will tell you if we build it.
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There is no official list, because there is nothing to approve. The board publishes no AIT program or preceptor list, and its rules have no preceptor approval. If you choose an AIT to earn points, what matters is that a licensed active nursing home administrator verifies and signs for your hours (ARM 24.162.501(3)(d)), so the search is for an administrator who will take you on.
State association: the Montana Health Care Association (MHCA), “a non-profit, member-driven professional association serving Montana’s long term care facilities.” Its directory of skilled nursing facilities lists their administrators. Our guide How to Find an AIT Preceptor and an Approved Program covers the approach.
Montana’s fees are set by ARM 24.162.420, last amended in 2016. The amounts under that rule:
| Application by examination | $225 |
|---|---|
| Application by examination and temporary license | $425 |
| Application by credential | $500 |
| Jurisprudence reexamination, each | $75 |
| Active renewal, every year | $235 |
| Inactive renewal, every year | $100 |
The board’s forms, updated 2 April 2026, show $230 to apply by examination, which “includes $5 litigation fee”: the contingent litigation fund fee under MCA 37-1-125, enacted in 2025 and ending 30 June 2031. The NAB fee is paid “directly to the examination administrator” (420(4)), and “All fees are nonrefundable” (420(3)). The statute has the litigation fee paid with renewals as well as applications, in any year it is collected (MCA 37-1-125), so check the renewal total. A late renewal carries a penalty equal to the renewal fee for each renewal period missed: $235 for an active license and $100 for an inactive one (ARM 24.101.403; ARM 24.162.420).
Confirm the temporary license total before you pay. The rule makes $425 a combined fee, but the checklist lists a “$425 Temporary license fee” as its own line, and the board’s FAQ says to “pay the temporary fee along with the application fee.”
“Each active licensee must complete 20 hours of continuing education (CE) annually” (ARM 24.162.2105(1)), except in “the year of original licensure” (2105(3)).
The board’s 2020 provider list is titled “Suggested Providers of Continuing Education”; it is not a list of approved programs. Ask the board about carryover and required topics.
“The license expires December 31 and is renewed yearly,” says the board’s FAQ. Missing 31 December is governed by MCA 37-1-141, and reactivating means sending the renewal form with the late penalty, the current renewal fee and proof of the CE that has come due:
Inactive status (ARM 24.162.515) costs $100 a year and needs no CE; to return, you show CE “for the prior renewal period” and good standing elsewhere. A 2025 law, HB 276, requires you to report a new mailing address within 30 days.
ARM 24.162.510 licenses you by credential with a passing scaled score on an NAB-approved exam and “a currently valid license as a nursing home administrator in any jurisdiction,” for $500. The checklist lists the jurisprudence exam for all applicants; ask the board whether that includes you. For endorsement, MCA 37-1-304 (amended by HB 246 in 2025) looks for a license from a jurisdiction whose qualifications “are substantially equivalent,” and the Department’s undated Substantial Equivalency Determinations list shows “Yes” for this license for all 50 states and DC.
Exam applicants “are eligible for the issuance of a temporary license upon approval of the licensure application,” says the application. The rule, ARM 24.162.506, calls it a temporary permit, valid until you fail the first national exam or pass and are licensed; “Only one temporary permit will be issued per applicant.” MCA 37-1-144 (Chapter 279, Laws of 2025) is now in the code, so ask the board how it affects the temporary permit.
Ask the board whether an acting or interim nursing home administrator is allowed.
On 5 December 2025 the board proposed rule changes, MAR 2025-122.1. They would lower several fees, turn the temporary permit into a provisional license with a time limit, end inactive status, replace the licensure by credential rule, ARM 24.162.510, with a substantial equivalency rule, and fold the exam rule, ARM 24.162.504, into ARM 24.162.501. Montana law says a rule is not valid unless notice of its adoption is published within six months of the proposal notice (MCA 2-4-305(7)). That period ended in June 2026. The April 2026 forms still show the current fees. Ask the board, or check the Montana Administrative Register, whether any of these changes was adopted before you rely on the rules and fees on this page.
These are the legal sources that govern nursing home administrator licensure in Montana, and the facility law the Montana Jurisprudence Examination draws on.
Citations verified against official sources, September 2026. Provided for reference, not legal advice; the current official text governs. ARM 24.162 text here comes from the board’s June 2021 rules compilation, checked against later published copies of the rules, which show no amendments since then.
None. Montana has no required AIT. ARM 24.162.501 asks for 1,200 points of education, training or experience instead, and optional AIT hours count one point per clock hour, verified by a licensed active nursing home administrator. A bachelor’s degree in health care or business is worth 1,200 points on its own.
The NAB national exam and the Montana Jurisprudence Examination (ARM 24.162.504). The rule asks for a passing scaled score as determined by NAB and does not name the exams, so ask the board which ones you take. The jurisprudence exam is open book, sent in with your application, and needs at least 90 percent.
The application names MCA Title 50, Chapter 5, parts 1 and 2, and ARM Title 37, Chapter 106, subchapter 3, and points to the board’s website for the administrator law and rules, MCA Title 37, Chapter 9 and ARM 24.162. The posted form, revised in February 2019, has 23 multiple choice and 22 true or false questions. A retake costs $75, and ARM 24.162.504(3) sets no limit on retakes.
20 hours every year for each active licensee (ARM 24.162.2105(1)), except in the year you are first licensed. Ask the board whether extra hours carry over.
Every year by 31 December. A license not renewed can be reactivated within 2 years with the late penalty, the renewal fee and the CE that has come due, after which it terminates and you reapply (MCA 37-1-141).
The board publishes no list, because it approves neither AIT programs nor preceptors. If you choose an AIT, you need a licensed active nursing home administrator to verify your hours. The Montana Health Care Association’s directory of skilled nursing facilities lists their administrators.
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