AZ real estate licensing guide

Arizona

Arizona salesperson is an ADRE file — not a California DRE file — of 90 pre-licensing hours (live A.R.S. § 32-2124(B) fetched 2026-09-02: live classroom or certified distance, in-person proctored school exam, certificate within 10 years) plus a 6-hour Contract Writing course that includes drafting purchase contracts, listings and leases (A.R.S. § 32-2124(L); live salesperson page: within 2 years of application), then two Pearson papers at an Arizona test center, not PSI and not OnVUE: General 80 scored + 5 pretest / 150 minutes / $70 and State 60 scored + 5 pretest / 90 minutes / $60, 75% percent score on each, $75 combo when scheduled back to back (Pearson handbook February 2026; Pearson page updated 2026-07-30), a Level 1 Non-IVP DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card (live DPS fee $67.00; 6-year card), and an original ADRE cart of $50 + $10 Recovery Fund = $60. Apply within one year of passing; eligible status can sit indefinitely with CE, but you still need a broker hire-on to practice. Broker is a separate 90-hour broker course, BMC #1 #2 #3 (9 hours within 2 years), three years of actual licensed experience in the last five on LI-226, a single 180-scored-item / 315-minute / $125 Pearson paper at 75%, and $125 + $20 Recovery Fund = $145 original. Arizona does not offer reciprocity; Out-of-State License Recognition still sits the state paper (salesperson 60/90 min/$60 with residency or 27 hours; broker 110/165 min/$125 with residency). Colorado's 168-hour associate broker, Nevada's 120, and California's DRE 150 are neighbor comparisons — this paper cannot be renamed: the agency is ADRE, the vendor is Pearson, the salesperson exam is two papers after January 1, 2026, and BMC #1–#3 are named Arizona clinics.

Verified 2026-09-02

The Arizona Department of Real Estate sits at 100 N. 15th Ave., Suite 201, Phoenix, AZ 85007. Contact is the Message Center at azre.gov. Pearson seats the exam at (888) 405-5776 / pearsonvue.com/us/en/az/realestate.html under Candidate Handbook February 2026 (#090300), fetched 2026-09-02. DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card Section is (602) 223-2279 / psp.azdps.gov. Statute: A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 20 and A.A.C. R4-28. The agency acronym is ADRE. California is DRE. The vendor is Pearson. Colorado and Ohio sit PSI. Live Pearson page (updated 2026-07-30): Arizona Real Estate examinations are not available through OnVUE.

Live ADRE salesperson page and live A.R.S. § 32-2124(B) fetched 2026-09-02 are the hour bible: 90 hours (classroom or certified distance, in-person proctored school exam) within 10 years, plus 6-hour Contract Writing within 2 years. Pearson seats 80 general items in 150 minutes at $70 and 60 state items in 90 minutes at $60, 75% each, $75 combo back to back. DPS Level 1 Non-IVP card, currently $67.00 on the live DPS page. Original ADRE $60 including $10 Recovery Fund. Two-year license; 24-hour CE including Firewise, Deed Fraud, and Arizona Water (1 hour each as of January 1, 2025). Recovery Fund caps on the live page: $30,000 per transaction, $90,000 per licensee.

Broker is three years in five, 90 broker hours, BMC #1–#3, Pearson 180/315 min/$125 at 75%, original $145 including $20 Recovery Fund, 30-hour designated-broker CE. Out-of-state is recognition, not reciprocity. This paper cannot be renamed to another state: ADRE is not DRE, Pearson is not PSI, the salesperson exam is two papers, and BMC #1–#3 are Arizona clinics.

Licensing authority

Arizona Department of Real Estate

ADRE

A stand-alone Arizona agency that licenses real estate salespersons and brokers (and cemetery / membership-camping credentials this hub does not cover), contracts Pearson to seat exams at Arizona test centers only, will not issue without a Level 1 Non-IVP DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card, and administers the Real Estate Recovery Fund. Live salesperson page (fetched 2026-09-02): 90-hour Salesperson Pre-licensing Course Certificate within 10 years of application; 6-hour Contract Writing Course Certificate within 2 years; two Pearson score reports for an original (General and State-Specific); apply within one year of passing. Live broker page: 90-hour Broker Pre-licensing Course Certificate within 10 years; BMC #1, BMC #2 and BMC #3 totaling 9 hours within 2 years; three years of actual experience as a real estate licensee during the five years immediately preceding application; Pearson. Live Fees page: salesperson exam combined $75 / broker $125; original salesperson $50 + $10 Recovery Fund = $60; original broker $125 + $20 Recovery Fund = $145; timely renewal $60 / $120. Arizona does not print reciprocity; the inbound noun is Out-of-State License Recognition under A.R.S. § 32-4302.

A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 20 (including §§ 32-2108 / 32-2108.01 fingerprint clearance, 32-2124 qualifications — 90 hours or equivalent, 6-hour contract writing, three years in five for brokers, 27-hour Arizona-specific that cannot be waived, 32-2125.01 exam-to-application year, 32-2130 24/30-hour CE and 15-year inactive exam, 32-2131 reinstatement, 32-2132 fees, 32-2186 through 32-2193.02 Recovery Fund, 32-4302 out-of-state recognition / military-spouse exam waiver). A.A.C. R4-28-402 (CE categories). A.R.S. § 41-1080 legal presence; § 41-1758.03 / § 41-1758.07 fingerprint cards. Live ADRE Salesperson License, Broker License, Out-of-State License Recognition Salesperson, Out-of-State License Recognition Broker, How to Obtain a License, Fees, Education, Recovery Fund, and Licensing FAQ pages fetched 2026-09-02. Live A.R.S. §§ 32-2124 and 32-2130 fetched 2026-09-02. Pearson Arizona Real Estate Candidate Handbook February 2026 (#090300) and Content Outlines (#090301, 01/2026) at pearsonvue.com/us/en/az/realestate.html, fetched 2026-09-02 (Pearson page last updated 2026-07-30: Arizona Real Estate examinations are not available through OnVUE). Live AZDPS Fingerprint Clearance Card page fetched 2026-09-02 (DPS fee currently $67.00). ADRE is ADRE — California is DRE. Pearson is Pearson — Colorado and Ohio sit PSI. 100 N. 15th Ave., Suite 201, Phoenix, AZ 85007 Message Center at azre.gov; Pearson (888) 405-5776; DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card Section (602) 223-2279

Official commission site

License types in Arizona

Next steps

Budget

Verified state fees

Application, exam, and fingerprint fees we could confirm. School tuition is not estimated.

Mobility

Reciprocity, endorsement, recognition

Mutual recognition, endorsement, Act 41, and the states that waive nothing.

Testing

National vs state portions

Pearson VUE, PSI, DRE, and DOS — and what actually fails people.