North Dakota Massage License: Cost & Requirements (2026)

Last updated: August 24, 2026

North Dakota does not sell you an establishment license — it just inspects every place massage is practiced. The statute defines a massage establishment as any place of business in which massage is practiced, and directs the board to periodically inspect all of them, entering at any time the doors are open. The therapist license itself asks for 750 instructional hours, a jurisprudence exam you must pass at 80 percent, and $150 to apply. And it has one genuinely rare feature: your continuing education load shrinks as you get more experienced.

What North Dakota Actually Requires

• 750 instructional hours — either from a massage therapy education program accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the US Department of Education, or from a program meeting the board’s own standards under NDAC article 49-02.
• Pass a board-approved examination: the MBLEx, the NCETM, or the NCETMB. The score must come to the board directly from the administering organization.
• Pass a North Dakota jurisprudence examination on the laws applicable to massage therapy here, with a score of 80 percent or higher. This is separate from your national exam and specific to this state.
• A statewide and nationwide criminal history record check. All costs are yours.
• A passport-size photograph, and proof of identity including documentation of any name you have previously used.
• Verification of your license from every state you are or have been licensed in, sent by that state to the board.
• An original transcript and affidavit sent directly from your school, plus a copy of your signed diploma and an Affidavit of Compliance.

One power worth knowing about up front: if the board reasonably believes an applicant or licensee has a physical or behavioral health condition jeopardizing the health of clients, it may require a behavioral health assessment, or both a physical and behavioral assessment. You pay for it, you may choose your own licensed provider, and you sign releases so the board receives the result. Refusing an examination without good cause is itself grounds for discipline.

Allow time. The board advises that an application can take up to three months after all paperwork is received. If you file on paper rather than online, note that personal checks are not accepted — it must be a money order or cashier’s check.

What It Costs

Item	Cost	Notes
Initial license	$150	Set by statute at $150 or a lesser amount the board establishes
Biennial renewal	$200	Due by February 28 of your renewal year
Late renewal penalty	$50	On top of the $200
Reciprocity application	$150	No examination required — see below
Criminal history record check	Your cost	Statewide and nationwide; paid to the vendor
National examination	Varies	MBLEx, NCETM or NCETMB
Massage school (750 hrs)	Tuition varies widely	The dominant cost
North Dakota LLC	$135	Registration under NDCC ch. 10-32.1
North Dakota annual report	$50	Filing deadline November 15

At $200 every two years, North Dakota’s renewal is toward the top of the range for this profession — Iowa charges $60 and New Hampshire $121 for the same two years. Set against that, the continuing education requirement can end up far cheaper than most states’ if you have been practicing a long time.

Continuing Education That Shrinks With Experience

Most states set one continuing education number and apply it to everyone. North Dakota tiers it by how long you have been practicing:

Situation	Hours every two years
Standard requirement	24 — of which 12 must be classroom, hands-on
First renewal after becoming licensed in North Dakota	24, including a minimum of 3 hours of ethics
In good standing and actively practicing for the 15 years immediately preceding renewal	6
In good standing and actively practicing for the 25 years immediately preceding renewal	3
During your initial licensure period	None reported

The rules around those hours: no more than 50 percent may be earned by remote means, and remote education must be board-approved for content and suitability. Hours must be earned in the two years before renewal and cannot be carried over into the next period. College credits count only if the instruction is directly related to massage therapy and board-approved. The board may grant an individual waiver based on health issues or other good cause.

And the scheduling quirk that catches people: your renewal year is set by your license number, not by when you were licensed. Odd-numbered licenses report continuing education and pay by February 28 of each odd-numbered year; even-numbered licenses do so in even-numbered years. Check your number, not your calendar memory.

Before You Open a Practice: Premises, Background Checks and Out-of-State Licenses

Does North Dakota license massage establishments?

There is no separate establishment license to apply for or pay for — but every place massage is practiced is regulated and inspected. This is an unusual arrangement, and it is easy to misread as “no requirements.”

• The definition is as wide as it sounds. NDCC 43-25-01 defines a “massage establishment” as any place of business in which massage is practiced. A single treatment room in a salon qualifies.
• You may not operate or conduct a massage establishment unless it meets the requirements adopted by the board (NDCC 43-25-03). The obligation is to meet standards, not to buy a permit.
• Inspection is mandatory and unannounced. The board shall periodically inspect, or cause to be inspected, all massage establishments — and the board and its agents may enter and inspect any massage establishment at any time during which it is open for the transaction of business. There is no notice requirement and no complaint trigger needed.
• You may not employ an unlicensed person to perform a massage.
• Titles are protected: you cannot use “massage therapist,” “L.M.T.” or “M.T.” without a license.
• Display your original license or renewal card at your place of practice.

If you work out-calls and have no premises, you are not outside the system: inspectors will instead verify that your equipment and supplies are in good working order and that you carry an adequate supply of clean linens, coverings and sheets. Keep the kit inspection-ready.

And tell the board when things move. You must notify the board within 60 days of any change to your name, mailing address, business address, the name of your places of business, or phone number. Failing to do so can itself bring disciplinary action — a cheap mistake to avoid.

Does North Dakota require a background check?

Yes. NDCC 43-25-08.1 requires every applicant to submit to a statewide and nationwide criminal history record check, conducted in the manner set by state law, and the board may also require an existing licensee to submit to one. All costs are the applicant’s or licensee’s responsibility. Reciprocity applicants are covered by the same requirement.

The conduct standards are more detailed than most states’, and several are worth reading before your first client. Grounds for discipline include:

• Failure to identify yourself before beginning the massage — a simple procedural step that is nonetheless enforceable.
• Engaging in sexual conduct or sexualizing behavior with a current client — expressly including where the client attempts to sexualize the relationship. The rule removes any argument that the client initiated it.
• Consuming alcohol while providing massage services, or with a client in a massage establishment.
• Intentionally viewing a completely or partially disrobed client, or disregarding proper draping procedures, where the viewing is not legitimately related to treatment under current practice standards.
• Having had a license revoked, suspended, restricted or refused by another state, territory or country.
• Failing to report to the board when you have direct knowledge of unprofessional, incompetent or illegal acts that appear to violate the chapter. North Dakota puts an affirmative reporting duty on you about other people’s conduct.
• Failing to apply massage based on current standards of practice.

Can you transfer an out-of-state massage license to North Dakota?

Yes — and this is one of the cleanest reciprocity provisions in the country, because it waives the examination. Under NDCC 43-25-18, an individual already licensed to practice massage in another city, county, state, territory or jurisdiction of the United States may be granted a North Dakota license for a $150 fee without being required to take an examination, on satisfactory evidence that:

• They are licensed in good standing in that other jurisdiction;
• They have actively practiced for at least two of the last three years;
• They graduated from a board-approved school of massage or massage therapy program — provable by diploma or credentials;
• They passed an examination acceptable to the board; and
• Their license elsewhere is not suspended, revoked or otherwise restricted for disciplinary purposes.

Note the breadth of that first phrase: it reaches city and county licenses, not just state ones — useful if you come from a state that leaves massage licensing to municipalities. You still complete the statewide and nationwide criminal history record check, and reciprocity applications must include information on the dates and locations of your prior massage therapy work experience.

If you are a new graduate, or have not practiced actively for two of the last three years, you apply for initial licensure instead — and take the exams.

The interstate compact is not an option here. As of August 2026 North Dakota has no Interstate Massage Compact legislation, and the compact is not yet issuing multistate licenses anywhere.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Check the program — accredited by a USDE-recognized agency, or meeting the board’s own NDAC article 49-02 standards, and totaling 750 instructional hours.
2. Pass the MBLEx, NCETM or NCETMB and have the score sent directly to the board.
3. Take the North Dakota jurisprudence exam and clear 80 percent.
4. Complete the statewide and nationwide criminal history record check.
5. Gather the paperwork: original transcript and affidavit direct from the school, signed diploma copy, Affidavit of Compliance, proof of identity including any aliases, passport-type photo, and license verifications from every state you have been licensed in.
6. Apply with the $150 fee — online, or by money order or cashier’s check on paper. Allow up to three months.
7. Get the premises inspection-ready before you open, or the kit if you work out-calls.
8. Note your license number when it arrives — odd or even decides your renewal year.

Staying Licensed

Licenses are issued biennially and expire if the renewal fee has not been paid and continuing education has not been submitted by the renewal date. Renewal is $200, due February 28 of your renewal year, plus a $50 late penalty if you miss it.

Practicing on an expired license is unauthorized practice — a violation of NDCC 43-25-03 and separate grounds for discipline. Do not treat the late fee as buying you a grace period to keep working.

An expired license can be renewed within two years of expiring, on paying the applicable fees and submitting proof of continuing education. The fee will not be prorated for the period you were expired, so a long gap costs full price for time you could not work.

At renewal you attest to your continuing education and may be asked for proof: date, format of instruction, time and location, the course name, the instructors, and the provider. Keep those records as you go rather than reconstructing them in February.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does North Dakota inspect massage businesses?

Yes, and more broadly than any other state we have researched for this guide. North Dakota defines a massage establishment as any place of business in which massage is practiced, and NDCC 43-25-05.1 directs that the board shall periodically inspect, or cause to be inspected, all massage establishments. The board and its agents may enter and inspect any massage establishment at any time during which it is open for business. There is no separate establishment license to buy, but there is no opting out of the inspection regime either, and you may not operate an establishment unless it meets the requirements the board adopts.

How many continuing education hours does North Dakota require?

It depends on how long you have been practicing, which is unusual. The standard is 24 hours every two years, of which 12 must be classroom, hands-on hours. If you are in good standing and have been actively practicing for the 15 years immediately preceding renewal, it drops to 6 hours. At 25 years it drops to 3 hours. At your first renewal after becoming licensed in North Dakota, at least 3 of the 24 hours must be ethics. No more than half your hours may be earned remotely, and hours cannot be carried into the next two-year period.

How much does a North Dakota massage license cost?

$150 for the initial license and $200 to renew every two years, with a $50 late penalty on top of the renewal fee if you miss the date. Reciprocity applicants also pay $150. You pay separately for the statewide and nationwide criminal history record check, which is your responsibility, and for the national examination.

Can you transfer an out-of-state massage license to North Dakota?

Yes, and North Dakota’s reciprocity route waives the examination entirely. Under NDCC 43-25-18, someone already licensed in another city, county, state, territory or United States jurisdiction may be licensed for a $150 fee without taking an exam, on showing they are licensed in good standing, actively practiced for at least two of the last three years, graduated from a board-approved massage school, passed an examination acceptable to the board, and hold a license that is not suspended, revoked or otherwise restricted for disciplinary reasons. You still submit to a statewide and nationwide criminal history record check.

When does a North Dakota massage license renew?

Biennially, and your license number decides which year. Licensees with odd-numbered licenses report continuing education and pay the renewal fee on or before February 28 of each odd-numbered year; even-numbered licenses do the same in even-numbered years. You are not required to report continuing education during your initial licensure period. If a license does expire, it can be renewed within two years of expiring on paying the fees and submitting continuing education proof — but the fee is not prorated for the time you were expired.

Forming the company, taxes, insurance, and hiring are covered in our full guide to starting a business in North Dakota.

Sources

Source	What It Covers
North Dakota Board of Massage Therapy	The licensing authority, application portal, continuing education guidelines and board contact
NDBMT — Requirements for Licensure	The 750 instructional hours and the board’s published hour breakdown, the accepted examinations, the documents required for initial licensure and reciprocity, the up-to-three-month review time, and the no-personal-checks rule
NDCC Chapter 43-25 — Massage Therapists	The definition of a massage establishment, the prohibitions and title protection at 43-25-03, the mandatory inspection power at 43-25-05.1, the $150 fee at 43-25-08, the criminal history check at 43-25-08.1, display and the tiered continuing education at 43-25-09, and reciprocity without examination at 43-25-18
NDAC Chapter 49-01-02 — Licensure and Fees	The $150 license and $200 renewal fees with the $50 late penalty, the application contents including the 80 percent jurisprudence examination and health assessment power, the two-year window to renew an expired license, the 60-day change notification duty, and the grounds for discipline
North Dakota Secretary of State — Limited Liability Company	The $135 registration fee, the $50 annual report fee and its November 15 filing deadline