North Dakota licenses occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants through the North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy Practice. Licenses are typically issued within a week once every document is in. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. OT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), AOTA, ACOTE, the OT Compact Commission or any state board; NBCOT, OTR and COTA are their marks, used here only to name the exam.
North Dakota at a glance
Occupational therapist (OT)
OT assistant (OTA)
Exam
NBCOT OTR exam (180 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
NBCOT COTA exam (190 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
Board fees
$110 (after 6/30 of an even year to 6/30 of an odd year, or from 1/1 of an even year); $35 from 7/1 to 12/31 of an odd year
$80, or $25 in that window
Law exam
Jurisprudence exam: 20 questions, open book, online or on paper
Same
Limited permit
Four months, graduates within the past four months, with a supervision form
Same
Background check
Check with the board
Same
OT Compact
Member, not accepting applications yet. North Dakota has enacted the OT Compact but has not opened privilege applications, so for now you need a full North Dakota license. (OT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
North Dakota, step by step
North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy Practice
Apply online (pay by card, upload documents) or on the notarized paper OT/OTA Application for License or Limited Permit with a check to NDBOTP. The fee depends on when in the two-year cycle you apply: $110 (OT) or $80 (OTA) most of the time, or $35 / $25 between July 1 and December 31 of an odd year.
Jurisprudence exam: required for every applicant; 20 open-book questions on North Dakota OT law and rules, online or on paper.
NBCOT: if you asked NBCOT to send your scores, tell the board you passed and it will pull them from NBCOT.
Limited permit (optional): only for people who graduated in the past four months (you must test within four months of finishing education and experience). Upload the Limited Permit Substantiation of Supervision form. It lasts four months and is not a license; convert it to a license after you pass.
Compact: North Dakota has enacted the OT Compact but is not accepting privilege applications yet.
Every state licenses occupational therapists and OT assistants on NBCOT certification: an ACOTE-accredited degree with its Level II fieldwork, then NBCOT's exam (the OTR exam for OTs, 180 questions in 4 hours; the COTA exam for OT assistants, 190 questions in 4 hours; 450 on a 300-600 scale passes; $540 to apply online). NBCOT certification is not a license: you apply to your state board separately, and NBCOT sends the board your score (the Score Transfer is free if you add it when you apply for the exam, $35 later). The full walk-through: How to get your OT license.