How Do I Renew My Broker License?

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Your real estate broker license is valid for one to four years, depending on your state. For you to renew it for another term, you will be required to complete continuing education and pay the renewal fee. Every state has set its own requirements and is subject to change, so it is important to always check with your state board. 

Continuing education is an essential part of professional development and keeping real estate agents up-to-date on current laws and regulations. It usually does not take very long to complete, and most people can complete them with relative ease. 

CE Requirements by State

California

If you live in California, your license is good for 4 years, and it needs to be renewed before the expiration date that’s on your license. The California Department of Real Estate will mail you a reminder about 60 days before you’re up for your renewal.

For first time and subsequent renewals, all real estate brokers must complete 45 clock hours of approved continuing education.

It must consist of one 8-hour survey course covering the six mandatory subjects (Ethics, Agency, Fair Housing, Trust Fund Handling, Risk Management, and Management and Supervision), or licensees can choose to take each of the mandatory subjects separately.

It must also have a minimum of 18 clock hours of consumer protection topics and the remaining clock hours may be elective courses related to either consumer service or consumer protection

If you don’t renew your license on time, you can renew your license within 2 years from your license expiring however you cannot perform any activities that are related to real estate until your license is reactivated.

Colorado

Licensees in Colorado have a 3-year license cycle. All active real estate brokers need to complete 24 hours of continuing education.

If you were just issued your broker license, your initial license would expire at midnight on December 31st of the year it was issued during this initial license. The newly licensed broker will not have to do any continuing education. However, after that initial licensing period passes, the active licensee well then start their three-year license cycle and have to complete 24 hours of continuing education during that cycle.

Your continuing education requirements during the three-year cycle must include the following:

  • 12 of the 24 hours must be comprised of three different versions of the for our Annual Commission Update Course
  • The remaining twelve hours can be any combination elective hours approved by the state

Make sure that you keep copies of your certificates for at least four years. You will need to be able to provide proof of completion if the commission asks you for it.

Florida

Once you are issued your broker license, your first time renewing will require you to complete 60 hours of post-license education consisting of a 30-hour broker investment and a 30-hour broker management course along with your renewal fee.

 If you don’t comply with these initial renewal requirements by the expiration date on your license, your license will be changed to “Null and void” status.

Following your first renewal and for all subsequent renewals, you’ll be required to complete 14 hours of continuing education and pay the renewal fees to keep the license current.

If you fail to comply, then your license will change to an “Involuntarily Inactive” status.

If your license becomes an “Involuntarily Inactive” for 12 months or less, you can easily reactivate it by completing the required at 14 hours of continuing education and paying a late fee. However, if your license has been in “Involuntarily Inactive” for between 12 months and 24 months, you’ll have to reactivate it by completing 28 hours of reactivation education as well as pay a late fee

Georgia

Anyone who has an active real estate license number that is over 100,000 will be required to complete a total of 36 hours of CE during your 4-year cycle. This must include 3 hours of License Law. 

If you have completed an approved course for CE and you want to retake the same course within your 4-year cycle, you must wait at least one full year after the initial completion date to retake the course. otherwise, it will not count for continuing education credit. 

If your license number is less than 100,000, you do not have to turn in any CE for your renewal. 

Illinois

All Managing Brokers in the state of Illinois are required to renew their license every 2 years on odd-numbered years (e.g. 2021, 2023, 2025). 

Because of the recent changes in continuing education requirements, the DRE will allow brokers renewing in 2020 to submit either of the following:

  • 4-hour Core CE course and 8 hours of education in Elective topics
  • 6-hour Core (Core A and Core B) and 6 hours of education in Elective topics

The broker renewal fee is $150. There is an additional $50 penalty fee if you do not renew on time. 

New York

Real estate brokers must successfully complete 22.5 hours of CE courses. This must include at least 3 hours of instruction related to Fair Housing and/or Discrimination in the Sal, or Rental of Real Property, or an Interest in Real Property, and at least 1 hour of coursework that involves the Law of Agency. 

You will be sent a postcard and an email as a courtesy reminder about 3 months prior to your expiration date. 

You can complete your CE at any time during your renewal cycle. However, you are eligible to turn in the certificates 3 months before your renewal date.

If you are an associate broker, you are required to provide evidence of a sponsoring broker.

Missouri

The Missouri Real Estate Commission requires that active brokers complete a minimum of 12 hours of real estate instruction during their 2-year license cycle, which ends every June 30 on even-numbered years (e.g. June 30, 2020 to June 30, 2022).

At least 3 hours of the 12 total hours must be instruction that has been approved as Core credit. 

Beginning with the 2020 to 2022 renewal cycle, brokers will have to also complete a 3-hour core course in Real Estate Ethics. The remaining 9 hours of required CE can be in either core or elective topics that have been approved by MREC. 

Pennsylvania

The real estate broker license expires on May 31 of every even-numbered year. Licensees are required to complete 14 hours of approved continuing education. 

The Commission will mail a renewal notice to the address of the most recent employer on file.  

Virginia

The Code of Virginia requires that all brokers complete 24 hours of approved CE courses to renew their license every 2 years. 

This must include the following courses:

  • Six (6) hours in Broker Management
  • Two (2) hours in Broker Supervision
  • Three (3) hours in Ethics & Standards of Conduct;
  • Two (2) hours in Fair Housing
  • One (1) hour in Legal Updates and Emerging Trends
  • One (1) hour in Real Estate Agency
  • One (1) hour in Real Estate Contracts
  • Eight (8) hours in Real Estate related subjects (elective courses)

Texas

Texas real estate brokers must renew their license every 2 years by completing 18 hours of continuing education and paying the license renewal fee. 

These 18 hours of CE must include:

  • 4 hours of TREC Legal Update I
  • 4 hours of TREC Legal Update II
  • 10 hours of elective courses

If you have sponsored one or more sales agents, served as the designated broker for a business entity broker that sponsors sales agents, or have been made a supervisor of other license holders, you will need to take the 6 hour Broker Responsibility course.

A renewal notice is mail out to the licensee approximately 90 days before the renewal date. You will not be able to turn in your certificates until you receive this notice. 

For late renewals up to 6 months past the expiration date, you can still renew your license by completing the required continuing education and paying a late fee. 

If you are late on your renewal by 6 months or longer, you will have to apply for a reinstatement of your license.

If it has been over 2 years since your license expiration date, you must retake the state exam. 

Washington

The Managing Broker license expires every 2 years. 

You must certify that you have completed 30 hours of CE during your renewal cycle consisting of:

  • 3-hour Core Course
  • 27 hours of approved elective topics

If you took more than 30 hours of CE during a renewal cycle, you can carry-over up to 15 hours of unused CE credit that was completed within 48 months of your renewal date. 

  • At least 15 hours out of the 30 total hours must have been completed within 24 months of your renewal date. 
  • If you are a newly licensed Managing Broker, the CE hours must start after the date you were issued your license