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Montana · MT

Pool operator requirements in Montana

Quick answer

Does Montana require a certified pool operator?

Yes. Montana law requires every person operating a public swimming pool or bathing place to be certified, or become certified, by the National Swimming Pool Foundation (now PHTA) or an equivalent department-approved program within one year of their date of employment. The rule is Montana Code Annotated 50-53-106, enforced under Administrative Rules of Montana Title 37, Chapter 115.

Last reviewed 2026-07-28

Certified operator required?
Required statewide MCA 50-53-106 requires each person operating a public swimming pool or public bathing place to be certified, or become certified, by the National Swimming Pool Foundation (the body that historically administered the Certified Pool Operator credential, now part of PHTA) or an equivalent department-approved certification program, within 1 year after the operator's date of employment. DPHHS licenses public pools under ARM 37.115 and requires the certificate to be available for inspection.
Certifications accepted
CPO (PHTA), State-approved course Montana's statute names the National Swimming Pool Foundation program by history, which is now the PHTA Certified Pool Operator (CPO) credential, or an equivalent program DPHHS approves. DPHHS offers and references CPO courses directly through its swimming pools program page.
Governing agency
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), Food and Consumer Safety Section
Regulation citation
Montana Code Annotated 50-53-106 (Duties of pool operators); Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) 37.115, adopting Circular FCS 3-2022 (the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code 2021 and ANSI/APSP/ICC 7-2020), effective February 25, 2023
CDC Model Aquatic Health Code
Montana does not adopt the CDC Model Aquatic Health Code wholesale. ARM 37.115.106 instead incorporates by reference Circular FCS 3-2022, Montana's own standards document, which itself adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) 2021 and ANSI/APSP/ICC 7-2020 (suction entrapment avoidance) as the technical design and operation standard, effective February 25, 2023.
Renewal / operator presence
The statute sets a 1-year deadline from hire to become certified rather than a fixed renewal cycle of its own; whichever certifying body issues the credential (the CPO runs a 5-year national cycle) sets the recertification schedule DPHHS then relies on for continued licensure.

State-code numbers that differ from the national body of knowledge

Requirement Montana value Notes
Free chlorine residual 1 to 10 ppm (unsaturated) or 2 to 10 ppm (saturated); spas 3 to 10 ppm Montana water chemistry log, DPHHS Food and Consumer Safety Section, per Circular FCS 3-2022. Immediate closure required outside this range.
pH 7.2 to 7.8, close below 6.5 or above 8.0 DPHHS water chemistry log, Circular FCS 3-2022.
Total alkalinity 60 to 180 ppm DPHHS water chemistry log, Circular FCS 3-2022.
Combined chlorine Not to exceed 0.4 ppm DPHHS water chemistry log, Circular FCS 3-2022.
Cyanuric acid Not to exceed 50 ppm DPHHS water chemistry log, Circular FCS 3-2022.
Operator certification deadline Within 1 year of hire date MCA 50-53-106. A new operator may work up to a year before the certification requirement takes legal effect against them.

Montana is one of the more direct states in this matrix: its requirement is written into the state statute itself, not just an administrative rule, and it comes with a specific deadline.

Does Montana require a certified pool operator?

Yes. Montana Code Annotated 50-53-106 states that each person operating a public swimming pool or public bathing place must be certified, or become certified, by the National Swimming Pool Foundation or an equivalent department-approved certification program, within 1 year after the operator’s date of employment. The National Swimming Pool Foundation historically administered the Certified Pool Operator (CPO) credential and is now part of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), so in practice this statute is Montana’s CPO mandate, written directly into law rather than left to an administrative rule.

The one-year window is worth noting for anyone new to pool operations in Montana: the law does not require certification before you start the job, only that you hold or be actively pursuing it within a year of your hire date. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) can require the certificate to be produced for inspection as part of its pool-licensing authority.

Which certification counts

Montana’s statute points to the historical National Swimming Pool Foundation program, meaning the PHTA Certified Pool Operator (CPO), or an “equivalent” program the department approves. DPHHS’s own swimming pools program page references CPO courses directly. Compare the CPO with its main alternative in our CPO vs AFO guide, and see how to become a CPO for the course-and-exam path.

The governing law, in plain terms

  • Montana Code Annotated 50-53-106 sets the certification duty and the 1-year deadline; it is a statute, not just a regulation.
  • Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) 37.115 carries out the licensure and technical design and operation standards.
  • ARM 37.115.106 incorporates Circular FCS 3-2022, Montana’s own standards document, which in turn adopts the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code 2021 and ANSI/APSP/ICC 7-2020 (suction-entrapment avoidance), effective February 25, 2023.
  • The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Food and Consumer Safety Section, licenses public pools and administers both the certification duty and the technical code.

Montana uses its own adopted standards document rather than the CDC Model Aquatic Health Code, so the chemistry numbers your inspector enforces come from Circular FCS 3-2022 and DPHHS’s own water-chemistry log, not the MAHC.

How to comply in practice

  1. Confirm your hire date and the 1-year clock. A new operator has up to a year to become certified, not zero time.
  2. Choose an approved program. The CPO is the clearest fit for “National Swimming Pool Foundation or equivalent”; confirm any alternative with DPHHS before relying on it.
  3. Keep the certificate available for inspection, since DPHHS licensing checks for it.
  4. Hold the pool to Circular FCS 3-2022’s numbers, not a generic national chemistry chart, since Montana’s adopted standard has its own specific ranges.

Keep studying

The chemistry and math Montana enforces are the same core skills the national CPO exam tests. Drill them on the pool-math trainer, take the free practice test, or use the pool chemistry calculator for turnover and dosing. To compare Montana with other states as we verify them, use the state requirements matrix.

Frequently asked questions

Does Montana require a certified pool operator?
Yes. Montana Code Annotated 50-53-106 requires every person operating a public swimming pool or bathing place to be certified, or become certified, by the National Swimming Pool Foundation (now PHTA, the body behind the CPO) or an equivalent department-approved program, within 1 year of their hire date.
Which agency regulates public pools in Montana?
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), through its Food and Consumer Safety Section, licenses public pools and spas and administers the operator-certification requirement under Administrative Rules of Montana Title 37, Chapter 115.
How long does a new pool operator have to get certified in Montana?
One year from their date of employment, per Montana Code Annotated 50-53-106. The statute allows a new hire to begin work before certification, but requires them to be certified, or actively becoming certified, within that year.
What water-chemistry rule does Montana use for public pools?
Montana enforces its own standards document, Circular FCS 3-2022, adopted by Administrative Rules of Montana 37.115.106, which incorporates the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code 2021 and ANSI/APSP/ICC 7-2020 rather than the CDC Model Aquatic Health Code.

Primary sources

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