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ommunity Association Managers are required by law to obtain a license in order to practice in the management capacity. Years after manager licensing became law in Illinois, there is still much confusion on who needs to be licensed, who is grandfathered, what designations are considered part of your licensing requirements and where to go to get the license. This article is intended to help clarify some of the confusion.

First, Manager Licensing:

What is required according to Illinois law? Anyone managing an association for remuneration must be licensed in the State of Illinois.

There are criteria that detail “managing” listed on the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR) website at www.idfpr.com.

How do I become licensed? There is a pre-licensing education requirement of 20-hours. The CAI

M-100 Essentials of Community Association Management course is the only 20-hour course currently approved by the State of Illinois. The M-100 course is offered online or in the classroom. After completing the prerequisite education hours, you must successfully pass one of the state-approved licensing examinations. Once you pass the exam, you must complete an application with the state, pay a fee, submit proof of education and examination, and send it to the state.

Who was grandfathered? Prior to October 2012, there was an opportunity for managers who had

practiced community association management for at least 5-years, or who had earned certain certifications, to bypass the education and testing requirement and just submit the license application and payment to the state. If you are a manger who would have fit those requirements and did not submit your application to the state for the October 2012 deadline, you would have to fulfill all educational and testing requirements as a new manager would.

Now that you know the basics about licensing, let’s discuss the CMCA Certification.

Community Associations (CMCA®) certification is administered by Community Association Managers International Certification Board (CAMICB). It is the only internationally accredited certification program in the field. There are currently 14,500 CMCAs. To obtain a CMCA certification, you must successfully complete the CAI M-100 Essentials of Community Association

The Certified Manager of

Management course or have at least five years’ experience as a community association manager. You must then submit an application and successfully pass the CMCA examination. CAI-Illinois offers an optional CMCA Review course quarterly to help you prepare for the exam. This exam is the same exam that fulfills the state licensing requirement; in essence, killing two birds with one stone.

Any Illinois licensed manager who took the CMCA exam to obtain the license will also by default have the CMCA certification initially. However, even though the CMCA test satisfied the CMCA certification requirement AND the State of Illinois licensing requirement, these are two completely separate certifications/licenses. Additionally, CAI membership is separate from those two. Renewal/ recertification must be done for all three to remain current. Renewal of one is not renewal of another.

What memberships are required? There are no memberships required for State of Illinois manager

licensing. Since the CAI M-100 course is currently the only 20-hour course approved by the state for pre-licensing education, you would benefit from becoming a member of CAI as there is a discount on educational sessions for CAI members. Membership nearly pays for itself with just one class. Additionally, you do not need to be a member of CAI or any other organization to earn a CMCA certification. However, like with licensing, membership in CAI gives you a discount off the required course work.

Does my CAI membership cover my

CMCA certification? No. CAI membership is separate. Renewals are separate. To maintain your CAI membership AND maintain your CMCA certification, you will need to renew each of them separately. The state of Illinois manager license is a third renewal and is separate from CAI membership and CMCA certification.

Where do I start? The best place to start is the CAI Illinois website at www.cai-illinois.org. Just click on

“Manager Licensing.” There is a wealth of information there to guide you through the process of obtaining a CMCA certification and a State of Illinois Manager License, as well as other designations to further your knowledge and advance your career. Additionally, CAI offers a

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