Montana Pharmacist license renewal and CE requirements
Montana pharmacists must complete 1.5 CEUs, which is 15 contact hours, every year to renew their license with the Montana Board of Pharmacy (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division).
Pharmacist licenses renew every year on a fiscal year schedule. The board's renewal period runs May 2 through June 30, and a licensee who misses it can still renew online late for 45 days, until August 14. The active renewal fee is $65 with a $65 late fee. Continuing education must be earned in the twelve months before June 30 in order to renew.
Summary
Montana pharmacists must complete 1.5 CEUs, which is 15 contact hours, every year to renew their license with the Montana Board of Pharmacy (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division). Pharmacist licenses renew every year on a fiscal year schedule. The board's renewal period runs May 2 through June 30, and a licensee who misses it can still renew online late for 45 days, until August 14. The active renewal fee is $65 with a $65 late fee. Continuing education must be earned in the twelve months before June 30 in order to renew. Montana also mandates specific subjects. Current basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification: required every renewal cycle (Immunization-certified pharmacists who administer vaccines). Up to 1.5 excess CEUs carry over to the next cycle and the first renewal is exempt.
Montana Pharmacist renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 06/30 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 1.5 CEUs |
| Live or interactive minimum | 0.5 CEUs |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Yes, up to 1.5 CEUs |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
Montana counts CEUs and defines ten hours of approved continuing education credit as one CEU (ARM 24.174.2104(1)). The requirement is conditional: 1.5 CEU (15 clock hours) for each fiscal year if the pharmacist takes at least 0.5 CEU (5 hours) in an approved group program, or 2.0 CEU (20 clock hours) for the year if the pharmacist does not. The live_or_interactive_minimum of 0.5 is therefore in CEU, matching the record's unit, and equals 5 contact hours. Carryover is capped at an additional 1.5 CEU (15 hours) applied to the following licensing year, and the board's FAQ states that once approved a course may not be used more than once to satisfy the requirement. A pharmacist applying as a new graduate for a first license renewal is exempt. There is no cap on home study or online hours as such, but no more than 1.0 CEU (10 hours) of the requirement may come from non-ACPE programs. Pharmacists residing in another state must still meet Montana's continuing education requirement. This is the pharmacist requirement only: Montana pharmacy technicians hold no board continuing education requirement and instead maintain their national certification, whose continuing education is set by the certifying agency.
Required CE topics for Montana pharmacists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certificationNot a continuing education subject mandate. An immunization-certified pharmacist provides the immunization certificate and current basic CPR certification to the board for the initial endorsement on the license and keeps documentation of the endorsement and current CPR certification on file at the practice site. The vaccine administration rule attaches no continuing education hour requirement. | Not stated | Every renewal | Immunization-certified pharmacists who administer vaccines | ARM 24.174.503(3) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Programs sponsored by providers approved by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) automatically qualify, as do programs approved for continuing medical education by a state board of medical examiners or its equivalent or by an accredited CME provider. Non-ACPE programs may be credited up to a maximum of 1.0 CEU (10 hours) if they protect the health, safety and welfare of the public, relate directly to the scope of pharmacy practice, run at least 30 minutes, are delivered by someone competent in the subject, state educational objectives with an evaluation mechanism, and come with program materials or an agenda and a certificate of completion showing the date, CEU hours, provider name and presenter name. At renewal the licensee affirms an understanding of the recurring duty to comply. Pharmacists selected for audit must demonstrate the education meets these standards and submit non-ACPE program materials or an agenda and the certificate of completion on a board form. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Montana RPh/PharmD need to renew?
- Montana pharmacists must complete 1.5 CEUs, which is 15 contact hours, every year to renew their license with the Montana Board of Pharmacy (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division). Montana counts CEUs and defines ten hours of approved continuing education credit as one CEU (ARM 24.174.2104(1)). The requirement is conditional: 1.5 CEU (15 clock hours) for each fiscal year if the pharmacist takes at least 0.5 CEU (5 hours) in an approved group program, or 2.0 CEU (20 clock hours) for the year if the pharmacist does not. The live_or_interactive_minimum of 0.5 is therefore in CEU, matching the record's unit, and equals 5 contact hours. Carryover is capped at an additional 1.5 CEU (15 hours) applied to the following licensing year, and the board's FAQ states that once approved a course may not be used more than once to satisfy the requirement. A pharmacist applying as a new graduate for a first license renewal is exempt. There is no cap on home study or online hours as such, but no more than 1.0 CEU (10 hours) of the requirement may come from non-ACPE programs. Pharmacists residing in another state must still meet Montana's continuing education requirement. This is the pharmacist requirement only: Montana pharmacy technicians hold no board continuing education requirement and instead maintain their national certification, whose continuing education is set by the certifying agency.
- How often does a Montana RPh/PharmD license need to be renewed?
- Pharmacist licenses in Montana renew every year. Pharmacist licenses renew every year on a fiscal year schedule. The board's renewal period runs May 2 through June 30, and a licensee who misses it can still renew online late for 45 days, until August 14. The active renewal fee is $65 with a $65 late fee. Continuing education must be earned in the twelve months before June 30 in order to renew.
- What specific CE topics are required for Montana pharmacists?
- Current basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification: required every renewal cycle (Immunization-certified pharmacists who administer vaccines). Citations: current basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification (ARM 24.174.503(3)).
- Do Montana pharmacists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates and the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation. Programs sponsored by providers approved by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) automatically qualify, as do programs approved for continuing medical education by a state board of medical examiners or its equivalent or by an accredited CME provider. Non-ACPE programs may be credited up to a maximum of 1.0 CEU (10 hours) if they protect the health, safety and welfare of the public, relate directly to the scope of pharmacy practice, run at least 30 minutes, are delivered by someone competent in the subject, state educational objectives with an evaluation mechanism, and come with program materials or an agenda and a certificate of completion showing the date, CEU hours, provider name and presenter name. At renewal the licensee affirms an understanding of the recurring duty to comply. Pharmacists selected for audit must demonstrate the education meets these standards and submit non-ACPE program materials or an agenda and the certificate of completion on a board form.
- Is the first Montana RPh/PharmD renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Montana does not require continuing education for a RPh/PharmD's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 11, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- ARM 24.174.2104, Registered Pharmacist Continuing Education, Requirements, Administrative Rules of MontanaStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- ARM 24.174.2106, Registered Pharmacist Continuing Education, Approved Programs, Administrative Rules of MontanaStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- Pharmacist license information, Montana Board of PharmacyState board page, accessed September 11, 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions, Montana Board of PharmacyState board page, accessed September 11, 2026
- ARM 24.174.503, Administration of Vaccines by Pharmacists, Interns, and Pharmacy Technicians (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 11, 2026
Montana pharmacy continuing education is in force. Montana repealed the continuing education rule for nursing, but that repeal does not reach pharmacy: ARM 24.174.2104 was last amended effective September 21, 2024 and still requires annual CEUs, and the board's own pharmacist page and FAQ restate it. The rule text was read on rules.mt.gov, the official administrative rules site, through a browser because the site is a JavaScript application that returns no text to a plain HTTP client. The CEU figures, the clock hour conversion, the 5 hour group minimum, the 15 hour carryover and the new graduate exemption also appear on the board's own site, and the May 2 to June 30 renewal period and the August 14 late renewal cutoff come from the board's pharmacist license information page. The board does not state a record retention period, so retention_years is null. Neither the rules nor the board pages read here mention NABP CPE Monitor, so no CPE Monitor requirement is recorded. The topic key cpr_certification is not on the canonical list and was coined for this record; it is a certification to be kept current rather than continuing education hours, and it is scoped to immunization-certified pharmacists. Montana licenses a Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner as a layered credential, but the board's page for it reads Information coming soon and states no continuing education, so nothing is recorded for it. NAPLEX and MPJE appear as entry examinations and are not recorded as continuing education.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Montana Board of Pharmacy (Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.