How to become a vet tech in Montana

Last checked October 25, 2026 against the sources listed below. Information, not legal advice: confirm with the board before you apply or take on a task.

Montana vet techs hold the Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) credential, a state license issued by the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine. State law requires the license to practice as a veterinary technician, and only licensees may use the LVT title. You qualify through an AVMA-accredited program or 4,500 hours of supervised experience, then pass the VTNE and an open-book Montana jurisprudence exam with a score of at least 90%.

Montana vet tech credential at a glance

Item	Montana
Title	Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT)
Issued by	Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine, a state board in the Department of Labor and Industry
Type	State license
Required to work as a tech	Yes State law requires a license to practice as a veterinary technician. Unlicensed employees may do only tasks the board allows by rule, under a veterinarian's supervision.
Education	AVMA-accredited vet tech program, or 4,500 hours of on-the-job training under a veterinarian licensed and residing in Montana. A June 2026 proposed rule would change the second route's wording; adoption not confirmed.
Exams	VTNE, plus the board's open-book Montana jurisprudence exam. Passing score is 90% or higher. A fourth attempt needs written board approval.
Renewal and CE	Renews every year by November 1. 20 CE hours over the 24 months before each even-year renewal, with no more than 10 hours from non-interactive online courses.
Moving from another state	Montana law allows licensure by endorsement if you hold an active license in good standing from a state the board finds substantially equivalent. The board's list marks most states yes, some no. Ask the board which steps apply.

How to get your LVT in Montana

Meet one education route. Graduate from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program, or complete at least 4,500 hours of on-the-job training under a veterinarian licensed and residing in Montana. For the training route, each supervising veterinarian completes the board's Verification of Experience form, which goes to AAVSB to set your VTNE eligibility.
Pass the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE). AAVSB owns and runs the exam and sends your score to the state.
Apply online through the state licensing portal. The board does not offer a paper application.
Have your school or AAVSB send certified transcripts, and have AAVSB send your VTNE results. Request official verification from every state where you hold or ever held a professional license of any type.
Pay the application fee: $150, as listed by the board's LVT checklist as of October 2026.
Pass the board's open-book jurisprudence exam on Montana veterinary laws and rules with 90% or higher. Board staff grade it. After three failed attempts, you must ask the board in writing to retake it a fourth time.

What a credentialed tech can do, and what an assistant can do

A Montana LVT works under a veterinarian's written authorization and direction. Board rule ARM 24.225.602 sorts LVT tasks into three supervision levels: immediate, direct and indirect. State law lets unlicensed employees of a veterinarian do activities the board finds acceptable by rule, under supervision, but no board rule listing those employee tasks was found.

Task	Credentialed tech	Veterinary assistant
Induce general anesthesia	Yes, with conditions: under direct supervision.	Not addressed No board rule lists tasks for unlicensed staff.
Remove tartar and polish teeth	Yes, with conditions: under direct supervision.	Not addressed No board rule lists tasks for unlicensed staff.
Float equine teeth	Yes, with conditions: under immediate supervision. The rule says all other equine dental work must be done by a veterinarian.	Not addressed The rule lists floating only for LVTs and veterinarians.
Take radiographs and other imaging	Yes, with conditions: under indirect supervision.	Not addressed No board rule lists tasks for unlicensed staff.
Give controlled substances, including for euthanasia	Yes, with conditions: under indirect supervision, unless other law bars it. Euthanasia must follow current AVMA guidelines.	Not addressed No board rule lists tasks for unlicensed staff.
Suture an existing surgical skin incision	Yes, with conditions: under direct supervision.	Not addressed No board rule lists tasks for unlicensed staff.

Other LVT tasks in the rule include placing epidural and intraosseous catheters (immediate supervision), non-emergency intubation, regional anesthesia, and casts and splints (direct supervision), and urinary catheters, patient monitoring, and sedation maintenance and recovery (indirect supervision).

Veterinary assistants in Montana

Montana has no state credential for veterinary assistants. Board rules call them "support personnel": unlicensed people employed by a licensed veterinarian who assist in the practice of veterinary medicine. State law lets them do activities the board finds acceptable by rule, under the employing veterinarian's direct, immediate or indirect supervision, and give emergency care to that veterinarian's patients, but never surgery or diagnosis. Board rules make it unprofessional conduct for a veterinarian to fail to supervise support personnel adequately, and for an LVT to direct support personnel to do health care tasks the veterinarian has not ordered. The LVT task list is not an assistant task list.

Renewal and continuing education

LVT licenses renew every year by November 1. The board says renewal opens 60 days before expiration, and renewing after the expiration date adds a late fee equal to the renewal fee.

20 CE hours, earned in the 24 months before each renewal in an even-numbered year.
No more than 10 of the 20 hours from online courses. The board defines an online course as one taken at your convenience with no live interaction; a live interactive session counts as in person.
The board does not pre-approve courses or sponsors. Courses must relate to veterinary practice.
The rule says CE does not apply until your first full year of licensure, and lists 10 hours for someone licensed more than one year but less than two.
Keep CE records for one year after the reporting period. The board may audit up to half of renewed licensees.

Recent changes

On June 5, 2026, the board published a proposed rule (MAR Notice 2026-90) to reword the experience route. It would replace "on-the-job training under the supervision of a veterinarian licensed and residing in Montana" with "experience equivalent to that of a licensed veterinary technician," matching the statute. The hearing was held June 25, 2026. As of October 2026 no notice of adoption was found, so the current rule still uses the Montana supervision wording. Separately, the board's page notes 2025 laws, HB 227 and HB 276, that add a litigation fund fee for qualifying boards and set rules on mailing addresses and service of legal notices. No other LVT change was found for 2024 through 2026.

FAQ

Can I work as a vet tech in Montana without an LVT?

Not as a veterinary technician. State law requires a license to practice as one and bars anyone without an active license from using the LVT title. Unlicensed staff may do only what board rules allow, under a veterinarian's supervision.

Can work experience replace vet tech school?

Yes, with conditions. The current rule accepts 4,500 hours of on-the-job training under a veterinarian licensed and residing in Montana, and you still must pass the VTNE and the jurisprudence exam. A proposed rule from June 2026 would reword this route; check its status with the board.

I am a licensed tech in another state. How do I get licensed in Montana?

Montana law allows licensure by endorsement for an active license in good standing from a state the board finds substantially equivalent. The board's equivalency list marks most states yes and some, such as Florida, Minnesota and Wyoming, no. Military members, spouses and veterans have a separate route under state law.

Can a Montana LVT do equine dental work?

An LVT may float equine teeth under immediate supervision. The rule says all other equine dental work must be done by a licensed veterinarian.

Can I call myself a veterinary nurse in Montana?

No rule on that title was found. State law expressly protects only "licensed veterinary technician" and "LVT."

Sources

Rules change and boards apply them case by case. If your situation is unusual, ask the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine directly.

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