Real estate license · by state
Real estate license requirements by state
Real estate license requirements come from each state's licensing authority or its statute. We publish a state only after reading its official requirements.
Quick answer
Each state sets its own real estate license rules. Of the 21 states verified so far: pre-licensing education runs from 60 hours (Maryland and Virginia) to 168 hours (Colorado), and the official sources we read for California and Tennessee do not state a single total. A state licensing exam is required in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. To hold an active license, a sponsoring or supervising broker is required in California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington. Fingerprints or a criminal record check is required in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Post-licensing or first-renewal education is required in Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia and Washington. The table shows each state's minimum age, pre-licensing education and license term.
By state
DataReal estate license requirements by state
| State | Minimum age | Pre-licensing education | License term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | At least 18 before you receive a license. | A commissioner-approved salesperson course of at least 90 classroom hours (or the equivalent) at a certified real estate school, with an in-person proctored course exam; completed within ten years before you apply. Out-of-state licensees may be excused from all but the 27-hour Arizona-specific course. | Not stated |
| California | 18 or older to be issued a license. | Three college-level courses: Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice and one course from the DRE's approved list; each DRE-approved course is at least 45 hours. | Four years. |
| Colorado | Not stated | 168 hours of qualifying education: Real Estate Law and Practice (48 hours), Colorado Contracts and Regulations (48), Trust Accounts and Recordkeeping (8), Current Legal Issues (8), Real Estate Closings (24) and Practical Applications (32); a degree with a real estate major can substitute. | Your first license expires on December 31 of the year it is issued; after that, licenses run on a three-year cycle. |
| Florida | At least 18, with a high school diploma or its equivalent. | Course I, the Commission-prescribed sales associate course: 63 hours of 50 minutes each, including the end-of-course exam, which you pass with 70% or higher. | Two years: licenses renew every biennium. |
| Georgia | At least 18, and a high school graduate or holder of a certificate of equivalency. | The 75-hour Salesperson Prelicense Course at a Commission-approved school (qualifying college coursework or 75 hours approved in another state can substitute). | Four-year renewal periods. |
| Illinois | At least 18, with a high school diploma or its equivalent (GED). | 75 class hours at an IDFPR-approved school: Broker Pre-License Topics (60 hours) and Applied Real Estate Principles, interactive (15 hours); valid for two years after completion. | Licenses renew by April 30 of the renewal year (the 2026 deadline was April 30, 2026); a license first issued on or after November 1, 2025 expires on 4/30/2028. |
| Louisiana | At least 18, with a high school diploma or equivalency certificate (GED). | 90 hours of LREC-approved real estate education, including a 30-hour portion on Louisiana license law, Commission rules, agency and civil law that cannot be substituted. | Not stated |
| Maryland | Not stated | The 60-hour pre-licensing course with an approved education provider. | Not stated |
| Missouri | At least 18. | 72 hours in all: the 48-hour pre-exam salesperson course (finished on or before the exam date) and the 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice course (MREP), taken after the 48-hour course and before you apply. | Licenses run in renewal periods; the current one is 2026-2028, with salesperson licenses renewed by September 30, 2026. |
| Nevada | Not stated | 120 hours in all: Real Estate Principles (45 hours), Real Estate Law including 18 hours of Nevada law (45), contracts (15) and agency (15); college credits can substitute. | The original license is valid for one year, ending on the last day of the month in which you got it. |
| New Jersey | 18 or older, with a high school education or equivalency. | A 75-hour prelicensure course at a licensed school. | Two years. |
| New York | 18 or older. | 77 hours of approved qualifying education. | Two years. |
| North Carolina | At least 18. | The 75-hour North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course, with a mandatory end-of-course exam, from a Commission-certified provider. | One year: every license expires on June 30 unless renewed. |
| Ohio | At least 18; a high school diploma or its equivalent is also required if you were born after 1950. | Four courses, 100 hours in all: Real Estate Principles and Practices (40 hours), Ohio Real Estate Law (40), Real Estate Appraisal (10) and Real Estate Finance (10), from a postsecondary institution that awards at least an associate degree. | Your first renewal is due on your first birthday after licensure; the next one is due three years after that. |
| Oklahoma | 18 or older. | 90 clock hours of basic real estate instruction in a Commission-approved course, valid for three years from completion. | Twelve months for the provisional license; other licenses are issued for 36 months. |
| Oregon | 18, with a high school diploma, GED or international equivalent. | 150 hours of broker pre-license education from an Agency-approved school, completed on or after January 1, 2013. | Your first license period runs 13 to 24 months (it ends in your birth month); later periods are 24 months. |
| South Carolina | At least 18, and a high school graduate or holder of a recognized certificate of equivalency. | 90 classroom hours within five years before you apply: 60 hours of real estate principles and practices and 30 hours of advanced principles; you may take the exam before finishing the 30 advanced hours. Certain law or real estate degrees can substitute. | Two years: licenses renew biennially, with the continuing education deadline. |
| Tennessee | Not stated | 60 hours of real estate principles/fundamentals before the exam, plus the 30-hour Course for New Affiliates before the license is issued; proof of high school graduation goes with the application. | Not stated |
| Virginia | At least 18, with a high school diploma or equivalent. | A principles of real estate course of at least 60 hours (or at least four semester hours of academic credit), passed before you sit for the exam. | Not stated |
| Washington | At least 18, with a high school diploma or equivalent. | 90 hours of approved real estate education: a 60-hour Real Estate Fundamentals course and a 30-hour Real Estate Practices course. | Two years, counted from the date your first license is issued. |
| Wisconsin | Not stated | The Board-approved 72-hour salesperson pre-license program, within 4 years before you apply (or 10 semester-hour credits in real estate or real estate-related law). | Not stated |
For the career itself (what agents do, the path and what they earn) see the national guide to becoming a real estate agent below. Licensing rules can change. Verify current requirements with the issuing agency.
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FAQ
Questions people ask
What are the real estate license requirements by state?
Each state sets its own real estate license rules. Of the 21 states verified so far: pre-licensing education runs from 60 hours (Maryland and Virginia) to 168 hours (Colorado), and the official sources we read for California and Tennessee do not state a single total. A state licensing exam is required in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. To hold an active license, a sponsoring or supervising broker is required in California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington. Fingerprints or a criminal record check is required in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Post-licensing or first-renewal education is required in Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia and Washington. The table shows each state's minimum age, pre-licensing education and license term.
Do all states require a real estate exam?
Of the 21 states verified so far, a state licensing exam is required in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Each state page shows what its licensing authority requires.
Method
How this page is built
Each state's requirements come from its real estate licensing authority or its statute and rules, read on the dates shown on each state page. The answer and table on this page are computed from the verified states only. Not legal advice; each authority's current instructions govern.
What this page can't tell you
Sources- Not legal advice.
- Licensing rules can change. Verify current requirements with the issuing agency.
- States not listed have not been verified yet; they are not shown as having no requirements.
- Arizona: sources listed on the state page.
- California: sources listed on the state page.
- Colorado: sources listed on the state page.
- Florida: sources listed on the state page.
- Georgia: sources listed on the state page.
- Illinois: sources listed on the state page.
- Louisiana: sources listed on the state page.
- Maryland: sources listed on the state page.
- Missouri: sources listed on the state page.
- Nevada: sources listed on the state page.
- New Jersey: sources listed on the state page.
- New York: sources listed on the state page.
- North Carolina: sources listed on the state page.
- Ohio: sources listed on the state page.
- Oklahoma: sources listed on the state page.
- Oregon: sources listed on the state page.
- South Carolina: sources listed on the state page.
- Tennessee: sources listed on the state page.
- Virginia: sources listed on the state page.
- Washington: sources listed on the state page.
- Wisconsin: sources listed on the state page.