Massage License Requirements in North Dakota
Verified against North Dakota Board of Massage Therapy · 2026-07-24
Compiled and verified against primary state-board sources by GetMassageLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
North Dakota requires a state-issued massage therapy license from the North Dakota Board of Massage Therapy before anyone may practice massage therapy for compensation. Applicants must complete 750 hours of education from an accredited or board-approved program and pass a national licensing exam (the MBLEx or an accepted NCBTMB certification exam). Continuing education requirements phase in gradually, escalating only after a licensee's second renewal and easing for therapists with 15+ years of active practice.
North Dakota Massage License Requirements
| Licensing Authority | North Dakota Board of Massage Therapy (NDBMT) |
| Title | Licensed Massage Therapist |
| Training Hours | 750 hours — Program accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or a program that meets board standards under North Dakota Administrative Code article 49-02 |
| Exam | MBLEx (Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination) (Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB)) Alternatives accepted: NCBTM — National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage; NCBTMB — National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork |
| Renewal Period | 2 years |
Fee Breakdown
| Initial License Fee | $150 |
Recommended MBLEx exam prep
Formal prep pays for itself against a $265 retake. These are the resources we point candidates to for the MBLEx (Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination).
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Mometrix · SponsoredMBLEx Secrets Study GuideFull-length practice tests and step-by-step review for the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination.See the study guide →
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24 hours every 2 years, including 3 ethics hours.
CE requirements are tiered by years licensed. For licensees in their first 14 years: no CE is required at the first renewal; starting at the second renewal, 24 hours are required every 2 years, including a minimum of 3 hours of ethics education (ethics becomes optional at subsequent renewals for this tier). Of the 24 hours, at least 12 must be classroom/hands-on and no more than 12 may be remote/online. Licensees active 15–24 years need only 6 hours per 2 years (3 hands-on minimum); licensees active 25+ years need only 3 hours per 2 years (1.5 hands-on minimum). The figures recorded here (24 hours / 3 ethics hours) reflect the standard second-renewal-onward tier for licensees under 15 years, which is the most broadly applicable case.
Licensure by Endorsement
Applicants must have actively practiced massage therapy for at least 2 of the last 3 years in another jurisdiction and provide license verification sent directly from the other state's board. The same education, exam, and documentation requirements as initial licensure otherwise apply.
Sources
Data last verified: 2026-07-24 | Source: ND Board of Massage Therapy — Requirements for Licensure