California Real Estate License State Requirements

Getting Your Real Estate License In California is Not Difficult… But there is a procedure you must follow as directed by the California Division of Real Estate. Your studies will begin with the California Principles course, as available online here at RealEstateExpress.com. But we recommend that you review all the requirements first. The following information is provided by the CA DRE and is taken from their legal publications posted online. To visit the CA DRE site directly, go to the California Department of Real Estate.

Note: If you are interested in becoming a Real Estate Appraiser, visit our Real Estate Appraisal License page for more information.

Minimum Requirements to Apply for the California Salesperson Exam and License
To obtain a real estate salesperson license, you must first qualify for and pass a written examination. Those who pass the examination are provided a license application which must be submitted to and approved by the DRE.

Age: You must be 18 years of age or older to be licensed.
Residence:Proof of Legal Presence in the United States is required. If you are not a California resident, see Out-of-State Applicants.

Honesty: Applicants must be honest and truthful. Conviction of a crime may result in the denial of a license. Failure to disclose any criminal violation or disciplinary action in an applicant's entire history may also result in the denial of a license. For further information, see Help Avoid Denial of Your License Application and Application Eligibility Information (RE 222).

Experience: None required.

Education: Successful completion of the following college-level courses is required to become a real estate salesperson:

Important Law Change Effective 10/1/07: Beginning October 1, 2007, 135-hours of courses are required to sit for the state license exam; 45-hour Principles course, 45-hour Practice course and one other 45-hour course such as Finance. Conditional licenses will no longer be issued.

Real Estate Principles (must be completed, have passed the state license exam and applied for a license by 9/30/07 to receive conditional license); and
Real Estate Practice (must be completed prior to applying for a license or within 18 months of license issuance); and
One course from the following list (must be completed prior to applying for a license or within 18 months of license issuance):

• Real Estate Appraisal
• Property Management
• Real Estate Finance
• Real Estate Economics
• Legal Aspects of Real Estate
• Real Estate Office Administration
• General Accounting
• Business Law
• Escrows
• Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending
• Computer Applications in Real Estate
• Common Interest Developments

Also, applicants who submit evidence of having completed the eight statutory college-level courses required for the broker examination and license are eligible to take the salesperson examination without submitting further evidence of experience or education.

Courses must be three semester-units or four quarter-units at the college level.

Courses must be completed at an institution of higher learning accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or by a comparable regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, or by a private real estate school which has had its courses approved by the California Real Estate Commissioner.

Copies of official transcripts are generally acceptable evidence of completed courses. Transcripts of equivalent courses submitted as substitutes for the college-level courses listed above must be supported by an official course or catalog description in order to be evaluated for equivalency.

When you apply for the California examination:

• If you have completed all three courses, submit transcripts showing completion of the three courses with your examination application.
• If you have completed California Real Estate Principles only, submit transcripts showing completion with your examination application.
• If you have not completed California Real Estate Principles, you must certify under penalty of perjury that you are currently enrolled in an acceptable Real Estate Principles course by signing the examination application.

After you pass the examination and apply for your license:

• If you have completed all three courses, submit transcripts showing completion of the three courses with your license application if you have not already done so.
• If you have completed Real Estate Principles only, submit transcripts showing completion with your license application if you have not already done so. Transcripts showing completion of the other two courses must be submitted within 18 months of the date the license is issued and an additional fee for processing a conditional license will apply. See License Fees and Additional Requirements for Salespersons Issued a Conditional License for further information.

Additional Requirements for California Salespersons Issued Conditional Licenses
Conditional salesperson licenses are issued to individuals who completed Real Estate Principles only. Effective 10-1-07, California eliminated conditional licensing. Anyone that finished their Principles course prior to that date has 18 months from the date of that course completion, with the latest possible date being March 30, 2009 (if you were licensed on 9/30/07). Within 18 months of the license issuance date, salespersons issued conditional licenses must submit evidence (transcripts) to the DRE indicating successful completion of the other two required statutory/pre-license courses which include Real Estate Practice* and one course from the following list:

• Real Estate Appraisal
• Property Management
• Real Estate Finance
• Real Estate Economics
• Legal Aspects of Real Estate
• Real Estate Office Administration
• General Accounting
• Business Law
• Escrows
• Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending
• Computer Applications in Real Estate
• Common Interest Developments

*NOTE: If your original license was issued prior to July 1, 2003, successful completion of any two courses in this list will also satisfy your conditional license education requirement

These courses must be completed through a regionally accredited college or university or through a private course sponsor who offers DRE-approved courses. Official transcripts, copies of transcripts, or a certification with a school seal confirming successful completion of required courses are generally acceptable methods of providing evidence of providing evidence of completed courses. Evidence of successful course completion should be submitted to the DRE using the Statutory Course Transcript Transmittal (RE 221) form. Send the form and evidence to:

Department of Real Estate Examinations
P.O. Box 187003
Sacramento, CA 95818-7001

Allow at least six weeks from the date your transcripts are mailed to the DRE to receive the non-conditional license certificate that is issued if the transcripts for the two additional courses are acceptable. Failure to submit transcripts of the two additional required courses within the initial 18-month license period will result in the automatic suspension of the conditional license. The suspension shall be effective 18 months after issuance, and shall not be lifted until evidence of course completion has been submitted and DRE has mailed notification that the suspension has been lifted. If the transcripts for the two additional courses are not submitted within four years of the license issuance date, the license will not be renewed and it will be necessary to re-qualify through the examination process if you wish to be licensed as a salesperson again.

Minimum Requirements to Apply for the California Broker Exam and License
To obtain a real estate broker license, you must first qualify for and pass a written examination. Those who pass the examination are provided a license application which must be submitted to and approved by the DRE. For complete statutory requirements and qualification patterns, see Instructions to License Applicants.

Age: To apply for a license, you must be 18 years of age or older.
Residence: License applicants must provide Proof of Legal Presence in the U.S. If not a California resident, see Out-of-State Applicants.
Honesty: License applicants must be honest and truthful. Conviction of a crime may result in the denial of a license. Failure to disclose any criminal violation or disciplinary action in an applicant's entire history may also result in the denial of a license. For further information, see Help Avoid Denial of Your License Application and Application Eligibility Information (RE 222). Experience: A minimum of two years full-time licensed salesperson experience within the last five years or the equivalent is required. For further information, see Documenting Experience Requirements for the Broker Examination.
Education: Applicants for a real estate broker license examination must have successfully completed the following eight statutorily required college-level courses:

• Real Estate Practice
• Legal Aspects of Real Estate
• Real Estate Finance
• Real Estate Appraisal
• Real Estate Economics or Accounting
• And three* courses from the following group:

• Real Estate Principles
• Business Law
• Property Management
• Escrows
• Real Estate Office Administration
• Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending
• Advanced Legal Aspects of Real Estate
• Advanced Real Estate Finance
• Advanced Real Estate Appraisal
• Computer Applications in Real Estate
• Common Interest Developments

* If both Real Estate Economics and Accounting are taken, only two courses from the above group are required.

Continuing education offerings do not satisfy the college-level course requirements for this examination.

Each college-level course must be a minimum of three semester-units or four quarter-units. The courses must be completed prior to being scheduled for an examination. Copies of official transcripts are generally acceptable evidence of completed courses. Transcripts of other courses, submitted as an equivalent course of study in lieu of the statutory courses, must be accompanied by an official course or catalog description in order to be evaluated.

Broker qualification courses must be completed at an institution of higher learning accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or by a comparable regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, or by a private real estate school which has had its courses approved by the California Real Estate Commissioner.

Courses completed through foreign institutions of higher learning must be evaluated by a foreign credentials evaluation service approved by the Department of Real Estate. See Examination Applicant Foreign Education Information (RE 223).

NOTE: Applicants who have completed the eight college-level courses statutorily required for the broker examination and license are eligible to take the salesperson examination without providing further evidence of education or experience.

Please be sure you understand the requirements before taking the pre-license education and licensing examination. If you have any questions, please contact the Commission office at (916) 227-0931 or visit their website - California Department of Real Estate.