How to start an ABA practice in North Dakota

North Dakota requires a Licensed Behavior Analyst; Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst from North Dakota Board of Integrative Health Care to operate an ABA practice. Fee: $550.

License required

Yes

License

Licensed Behavior Analyst; Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst

Issuing agency

North Dakota Board of Integrative Health Care

Fee

$550

Fee details

$50 application fee + $500 initial license fee, prorated quarterly over the two-year cycle. Temporary license $100, credited toward the initial license fee.

Renewal

Every 2 years · Renew by November 15 of every odd year: $100; late filing $75. Licenses issued after July 1 of an odd year roll over for two more years without a renewal fee.

Professional license

board: North Dakota Board of Integrative Health Care (oversight moved from the Board of Psychologist Examiners in 2019); statute: NDCC ch. 43-64; NDAC ch. 112-05-01; behavior analyst: License requires passing the BCBA exam and current BACB certification.; assistant behavior analyst: Separate license: bachelor's in a BACB-approved program, the BCaBA exam, and supervision by a ND-licensed behavior analyst.; technician: No technician license or registration was found in NDAC 112-05-01. Its exemptions cover supervised students and fellows, unlicensed people gaining supervised BACB experience, and psychologists and their supervisees.

Regulation

NDCC ch. 43-64; NDAC 112-05-01 (fees at 112-05-01-13)

1. Pass the BACB exam (BCBA, or BCaBA for assistants) and hold current BACB certification
2. Submit the application with proof of certification sent directly from the BACB, the $50 application fee and the initial license fee
3. Assistants: show supervision by a North Dakota licensed behavior analyst that meets BACB requirements
4. Renew by November 15 of odd years, certifying continuing education

Program

North Dakota Medicaid (ND Health and Human Services, Medical Services Division), including Medicaid Expansion

Enrollment portal

ND Health Enterprise MMIS Web Portal

Fiscal agent

Noridian Healthcare Solutions (provider enrollment contractor for every provider type except Qualified Service Providers)

Application fee

Under the federal rule (42 CFR 455.460), institutional providers pay the CMS application fee when they first enroll, re-enroll or revalidate. The fee is $750 for calendar year 2026. Individual physicians and non-physician practitioners do not pay it. A fee already paid to Medicare or to another state's Medicaid program counts. ND HHS's enrollment page does not list a separate state fee.

Fingerprinting

Under federal rules (42 CFR 455.434 and 455.450), the state places provider types in 'limited', 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels. High-risk providers, and anyone who owns 5% or more of one, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check. ND HHS's enrollment page does not list high-risk provider types. It does collect ownership and controlling-interest conviction information on form SFN 1168.

Site visit

Under federal rule (42 CFR 455.432), the state must visit moderate- and high-risk providers before and after enrollment. Every enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections. ND HHS's enrollment page does not describe a separate state site visit process.

Revalidation

All provider records revalidate at least every five years; DME suppliers every three years. ND HHS posts a list of providers with upcoming or past-due revalidations. If the group or individual is actively enrolled in Medicare, ND Medicaid relies on Medicare's screening to speed things up. If not, the provider repeats the application-requirement and Noridian-submission steps.

Full North Dakota Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

No

Agency

North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (facility licensing; bed moratorium)

Moratoria

Nursing facility beds may not be added to the state's licensed bed capacity between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2029, except when a facility reverts basic care beds to nursing beds or relicenses beds delicensed after July 31, 2011. Licensed bed capacity may be transferred between entities, and a facility may reconfigure its nursing bed capacity no more than twice in 12 months (NDCC 23-16-01.1).

North Dakota certificate of need details →

State minimum wage

$7.25 an hour

Effective

2009-07-24

Scheduled increases

No scheduled change found in the official sources reviewed.

HCBS 80/20 rule

Federal baseline: 42 CFR 441.302(k) requires the state to show that each provider spends at least 80% of Medicaid payments for homemaker, home health aide and personal care services under 1915(c) waivers on direct care worker pay and benefits. Compliance starts 2030-07-09 (for managed care, the first rating period starting on or after that date); annual payment-adequacy reporting under 441.311(e) starts 2028-07-09. A state may set a lower share for state-defined small providers and exempt providers facing hardship, each only through a public notice-and-comment process. The eCFR text has not changed since 2024-07-09. No state-published 80/20 implementation step (small-provider criteria, hardship exemption or reporting guidance) was found for this state in the official sources reviewed.

Applied behavior analysis organizations — active organization NPIs (NPPES)

14 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

104,194 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All North Dakota ABA Medicaid rates, ranked →

• ND Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Birth through Twenty Waiver (1915(c))
• ND Children's Hospice Waiver (1915(c))
• ND Medicaid Waiver for Home and Community Based Services (1915(c))
• ND Medicaid Waiver for Medically Fragile Children (1915(c))
• ND Traditional IID/DD Home and Community Based Services Waiver (1915(c))

North Dakota waivers and waiting lists →