Nursing home administrator license requirements in Kentucky.

Board

Kentucky Board of Licensure for Long-Term Care Administrators Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Education floor

A bachelor's degree A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university is required for every applicant (201 KAR 6:020, Section 2(1)); Kentucky has no lower-degree or experience-only substitute for the degree itself. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Administrator-in-Training hours

0 to 1,000 hours depending on your degree or experience

• 1,000 hours: A supervised internship of at least 1,000 hours completed as part of a degree in long-term care administration or a related field (201 KAR 6:020, Section 2(3)(b)).
• 1,000 hours: In place of an internship, six months of continuous management experience in a long-term care facility (or, if part-time, at least 1,000 hours within a 24-month period) covering personnel management, budget preparation, fiscal management, public relations, and regulatory compliance (201 KAR 6:020, Section 2(3)(c)).
• 0 hours: A bachelor's or master's degree from a NAB-accredited academic program awarded within two years of the application date satisfies this requirement outright, with no separate internship or experience hours (201 KAR 6:020, Section 2(3)(a)).

Board source · checked 2026-07-29

National NAB exams

Required (CORE of Knowledge + Nursing Home Administrator) A passing NAB examination score (from up to two years before or one year after the application date) is required, unless the applicant already holds NAB Health Services Executive (HSE) qualification. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Separate state exam

Not required 201 KAR 6:020, Section 1 designates the NAB examination as the board-approved examination; Kentucky's own licensure checklist references only submitting the NAB score report, with no separate Kentucky law exam. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Initial license fee

$250 $250 total for initial licensure: a $100 application review fee plus a $150 licensure fee (201 KAR 6:061, Sections 1-2). A temporary emergency permit is $175 ($100 + $75). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Renewal fee

$125 $125 biennial renewal fee (201 KAR 6:061, Section 4). Late renewal is $200; reinstatement of an expired license is $300. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Continuing education

30 hours per biennial cycle A minimum of 30 continuing education hours (60-minute clock hours) must be accrued during each two-year renewal period, with no more than 15 hours credited in a single calendar day (201 KAR 6:070, Section 2). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Reciprocity / endorsement

endorsement available Kentucky issues a license by endorsement for $400 ($100 application review fee plus $300 endorsement fee), requiring an endorsement form from each state in which the applicant holds or has held a long-term care administrator license, official transcripts, two professional references, and proof of ACHCA certification or NAB HSE qualification where applicable. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Statutes and rules: KRS Chapter 216A; 201 KAR Chapter 6 (Board of Licensure for Long-Term Care Administrators). Figures change on the board's own schedule. Confirm against the board before you apply or pay.

1. Get your checklist. The requirements wizard resolves Kentucky's requirements for your exact degree.
2. Plan your hours. The AIT-hours tracker turns Kentucky's hour target into a finish date.
3. Moving here from another state? The reciprocity checker reads Kentucky's endorsement rule.