Colorado real estate licensing
Colorado Associate Broker License (entry-level — no salesperson license) requirements
A practical, source-checked guide to qualifying, passing the exam, applying, and keeping this license active.
By Gabriel Giner, Editor · Verified · RE License Guide Editorial Desk
- Required education
- 168 hours (named Colorado courses)
- Exam fee
- $49
- Published fees
- $83
- Typical timeline
- 168 hours plus PSI seating plus CABS results
What to know first
Colorado abolished the salesperson license. The Division of Real Estate inside DORA licenses brokers, and almost everyone starts as an associate broker employed by an employing broker. Searching dre.colorado.gov for a salesperson form is wasted time. Qualifying education is 168 hours of named Colorado courses, not a generic 60-hour class: Real Estate Law and Practice 48, Colorado Contracts and Regulations 48, Closings 24, Trust Accounts and Record Keeping 8, Current Legal Issues 8, Practical Applications 32 — or a college degree with a major in real estate under C.R.S. § 12-10-203. Those course names are the exam. A Texas promulgated-contracts certificate or a California Practice course will not map onto Colorado Contracts 48.
PSI — not Pearson VUE — is the exam vendor. The Candidate Information Bulletin at test-takers.psiexams.com/core (updated 10/1/2023, still the live bulletin PSI serves) scores two separately passed portions: National 80 questions, 60 correct to pass, 120 minutes; Colorado State 74 questions, 53 correct to pass, 110 minutes. That is a raw-count cut, not a 70-percent slogan. PSI's fee table in that bulletin is $49 first attempt and $48 retake. The Division's Broker Applications, Documents and Fees page still lists a broker examination fee of $44.95 alongside the $83 application and $252 base-rate renewal. Pay the cart you are actually on; do not freeze a blog that picked one of those two numbers and ignored the other. Commission Rule 2.2.D is the trap that schools skip: if you sit PSI before the 168 hours are finished, the score does not count and you retake. You must apply to the Division within one year of passing the entire examination.
Fingerprints are a CBI and FBI criminal-history check through the Colorado Applicant Background Services (CABS) program — Colorado Fingerprinting or IdentoGO with the Division's current service code, not a TREC packet and not California Live Scan RE 237. Do not print more than two to three weeks before you file; if the application arrives more than 60 days after the Division receives the record, you reprint. Individual errors-and-omissions insurance is how Colorado actually lets people practice (Commission Rule 3.9). SB 21-077 removed lawful-presence verification for DORA credentials; an ITIN can satisfy the identification field the Division currently prints.
Independent broker is two years of active associate-broker experience on top of the same 168 hours. Employing broker adds a 24-hour Brokerage Administration course and two years of active broker experience. The Division's published trap: experience as a salesperson in another state does not count toward the independent or employing upgrades. An Arizona salesperson's three years are not Colorado associate-broker years. Renewal is a three-year cycle with 24 hours of CE — three different 4-hour Annual Commission Update courses plus 12 electives — and the $252 base rate. The salesperson slug on this site is a routing convenience. Colorado will not print that title.
Your path to the license
Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.
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Complete the 168 named hours (or a real-estate major)
Law and Practice 48, Colorado Contracts 48, Closings 24, Trust Accounts 8, Current Legal Issues 8, Practical Applications 32. Get REC-33. Do not sit PSI first — Rule 2.2.D voids a premature score.
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Sit PSI national 80/60 and state 74/53
120 + 110 minutes. $49 first / $48 retake on the live PSI bulletin. Division fee table still lists $44.95 — pay the cart in front of you.
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CABS fingerprints (CBI + FBI)
2–3 weeks before filing, not months before. 60-day freshness against the application date.
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File the $83 broker application within one year of passing both portions
Individual E&O. Hang with an employing broker to practice as an associate.
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Calendar the three-year CE cycle
24 hours: three different 4-hour Annual Commission Update courses plus 12 electives. $252 base renewal. December 31 expiration culture on current Division notices.
Education and eligibility
- Minimum age
- 18 years old
- Identification
- The source materials do not mark an SSN as required. An ITIN is accepted.
- Residency and identification
- Colorado residency is not independently required. SB 21-077 removed lawful-presence verification for DORA credentials; an SSN or ITIN can satisfy the identification field the Division currently prints. Confirm the live application.
- Qualifying education
- Live DRE Broker Qualifying Education page (dre.colorado.gov/division-programs/real-estate-broker/education/broker-qualifying-education, fetched 2026-09-02): a minimum of 168 hours of qualifying education through a nationally accredited community college or university OR a school approved by the Colorado Department of Private and Occupational Schools (DPOS). Named mandatory courses required by the Colorado Real Estate Commission: Real Estate Law and Practice (48 Hours); Colorado Contracts and Regulations (48 Hours); Trust Accounts and Record-Keeping (8 Hours); Current Legal Issues (8 Hours); Real Estate Closings (24 Hours); Practical Applications (32 Hours). Live application-instruction page: complete 168 course work and obtain proof of completion (REC-33 certificate(s)) from the course provider, or hold a degree with a major course of study in real estate (original transcripts). PSI Rule 2.2.D restated in the bulletin: if you complete the exam before completing pre-license education, the exam will not be counted and you retake; certificates must display a completion date on or before the exam date. A Texas promulgated-contracts certificate or a Kansas 30+30 is not this 168.
- Education or filing deadline
- Apply within one year of passing both PSI portions. A passing score on either portion ages out at one year.
- Character review
- The Commission may require proof of truthfulness, honesty, and good moral character. A no-cost Preliminary Advisory Opinion (PAO) is available before you spend 168 hours if you have convictions or pending charges. Non-disclosure is independently disqualifying.
- Background process
- CBI and FBI fingerprints through CABS. New broker applications depend on receipt of those results. A PAO is not a substitute for the CABS print on the actual license file.
- Experience
- No licensed experience is required for associate broker. Independent broker later wants two years of active Colorado associate-broker experience. Employing broker wants two years of active Colorado broker experience plus 24-hour Brokerage Administration. Out-of-state salesperson years do not count toward either upgrade.
- Broker affiliation
- An associate broker works under an employing broker. Colorado does not issue a salesperson license. Independent-broker status (two years of active Colorado associate-broker experience) is what lets you practice without an employing broker; employing-broker status is what lets you supervise others.
Documents to prepare
- REC-33 (or real-estate-major transcripts) covering the 168 named hours
- PSI national and state passing scores (apply within one year of the entire exam)
- CABS fingerprint results
- Individual E&O proof
- Employing-broker affiliation to practice as an associate
The licensing exam
PSI Colorado broker examination (CIB at test-takers.psiexams.com/core). National: 80 scored items, 60 correct, 120 minutes. State: 74 scored items, 53 correct, 110 minutes. 5–10 experimental items may be administered and are not scored but consume time. Both portions must be passed; a passing score on either part is good one year. Reciprocal-licensure and CE-exam candidates sit the state portion only (same 74/53/110) and must book the Reciprocal License or Continuing Education product — not the ordinary Broker State sitting — or the credit will not post. PSI bulletin fees: $49 first, $48 retake, forfeited if unused within one year of payment. State outline weights Colorado forms and contracts (23), brokerage relationships including designated broker and transaction-brokerage (11), activities of licensees (11), closing and settlement (10), licensing requirements including E&O (5), record keeping and trust accounts (5), additional topics including water rights and the Colorado Fair Housing Act (7), and Commission powers (2). National outline (broker percentages): contracts 19, agency 13, practice of real estate 12, property ownership 10, financing 9, valuation 8, disclosures 7, title transfer 6, math 6, land-use controls 5, property management 5.
PSI Services LLC, under contract to the Colorado Division of Real Estate (test-takers.psiexams.com/core) · Fee: $49
| Part | Questions | Minutes | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker National | 80 | 120 | 80 items; 60 correct (raw cut printed on the live PSI Examination Summary Table, Updated 10/1/2023, bulletin 649); 120 minutes. Combo with state is two separately timed portions, not a single 190-minute blob. $49 first attempt / $48 retake on the bulletin (forfeited if unused after 1 year of payment). 5–10 experimental items may be administered and are not scored but count against time. National broker outline: contracts 19%, agency 13%, practice 12%, ownership 10%, financing 9%, valuation 8%, disclosures 7%, title transfer 6%, math 6%, land-use 5%, property management 5% (BROKER ONLY supervisory items). |
| Broker Colorado State | 74 | 110 | 74 items; 53 correct / 110 minutes on the live PSI table. 53 of 74 is 71.6% — this hub does not round it to 70%. Score-reporting block reprints National 60 / State 53. Outline item bands: Colorado Forms and Contracts 23; Activities of Licensees 11; Brokerage Relationships (designated broker, transaction-brokerage) 11; Closing and Settlement 10; Additional Topics (water rights, Colorado Fair Housing Act, Foreclosure Protection Act) 7; Licensing Requirements including E&O 5; Record Keeping and Trust Accounts 5; Commission powers 2. Reciprocal Licensure and Continuing Education candidates sit the same 74/53/110 but MUST book the Reciprocal License or Continuing Education product — not ordinary Broker State — or the credit will not post. |
PSI CIB: $49 first sitting, $48 retake. Failed portion may be retaken as soon as the next available day after scores process; you cannot rebook the same day. Each portion is good one year. After a year, both portions again. Rule 2.2.D still requires the 168 hours to be finished on or before the exam date that will count.
What to study
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PSI Colorado Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin
PSI / Colorado Division of Real Estate
80/60/120 national, 74/53/110 state, $49/$48, Rule 2.2.D warning, designated-broker and Colorado-forms weight.
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Colorado Real Estate Manual
Colorado Division of Real Estate
The state-portion study object. Google the current download; PSI names it as the state reference.
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REC-33 and the 168-hour outlines
Colorado DRE / DPOS schools
Named courses, not a generic 168-hour blob from another state.
Application costs
These are commission or testing-vendor amounts we can cite. School tuition and optional preparation products are private-market prices.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application | $83 |
| Examination | $49 |
| Renewal (every 3 years) | $252 |
Division fee table (non-refundable): broker application $83, base-rate renewal $252, transfer/upgrade/activation $5, temporary broker $120, entity $120, reinstate 32 days–1 year $376.50, reinstate 1–3 years $501. PSI CIB: exam $49 first / $48 retake. Division page still lists exam $44.95 — confirm the live cart. CABS vendor fee is separate. School tuition is a private-market price.
| Commission | Colorado Division of Real Estate (303) 894-2166 C.R.S. Title 12, Article 10 (including §§ 12-10-203 qualifying education, 12-10-217 recovery fund); Commission Rules 2.1 (168 named hours), 2.2 (exam, Rule 2.2.D finish education before PSI), 2.5.C (employing broker), 3.9 (individual E&O), 4.2 (CE). Live DRE Broker Qualifying Education page, Broker Applications/Documents/Fees page, Broker Continuing Education page, and Broker License Application Requirements page fetched 2026-09-02. PSI Colorado Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin at test-takers.psiexams.com/core, Updated 10/1/2023, bulletin 649, fetched 2026-09-02. PSI (855) 744-0313. |
|---|---|
| Pre-licensing | 168 hours (named Colorado courses) Live DRE Broker Qualifying Education page (dre.colorado.gov/division-programs/real-estate-broker/education/broker-qualifying-education, fetched 2026-09-02): a minimum of 168 hours of qualifying education through a nationally accredited community college or university OR a school approved by the Colorado Department of Private and Occupational Schools (DPOS). Named mandatory courses required by the Colorado Real Estate Commission: Real Estate Law and Practice (48 Hours); Colorado Contracts and Regulations (48 Hours); Trust Accounts and Record-Keeping (8 Hours); Current Legal Issues (8 Hours); Real Estate Closings (24 Hours); Practical Applications (32 Hours). Live application-instruction page: complete 168 course work and obtain proof of completion (REC-33 certificate(s)) from the course provider, or hold a degree with a major course of study in real estate (original transcripts). PSI Rule 2.2.D restated in the bulletin: if you complete the exam before completing pre-license education, the exam will not be counted and you retake; certificates must display a completion date on or before the exam date. A Texas promulgated-contracts certificate or a Kansas 30+30 is not this 168. Apply within one year of passing both PSI portions. A passing score on either portion ages out at one year. |
| Sponsoring broker | An associate broker works under an employing broker. Colorado does not issue a salesperson license. Independent-broker status (two years of active Colorado associate-broker experience) is what lets you practice without an employing broker; employing-broker status is what lets you supervise others. |
| Fingerprints | CBI + FBI through CABS (Colorado Fingerprinting or IdentoGO using the Division service code currently published on dre.colorado.gov). Do not print more than 2–3 weeks before filing. If the application arrives more than 60 days after the Division receives the record, reprint. This is not TREC IdentoGO and not Live Scan RE 237. |
| CE / renewal | 24 hours per three-year cycle for active brokers: 12 hours from three different 4-hour Annual Commission Update courses (one per calendar year, with an exam) plus 12 Commission-approved electives. A fourth ACU in the same cycle can count as elective. Missed-year alternatives: 24-hour Broker Reactivation Course (once every other cycle), passing the PSI state portion as a CE exam, or 48 hours Colorado Contracts & Regulations plus 24 hours Closings (72 hours). CE must be done by December 31 of the expiration year; the 31-day fee grace does not extend CE. First-cycle new licensees follow the live Division notice for that issuance year. Reinstatement 32 days to one year: $376.50. More than one year but less than three: $501. After three years, start over. |
| Recovery fund | Colorado Real Estate Recovery Fund (C.R.S. Title 12, Article 10). It is a last-resort statutory fund after an uncollectible judgment against a licensee, not E&O and not a surety bond you shop. A paid claim can suspend the license until the Fund is reimbursed. Confirm live claim caps on the Division pages rather than freezing a secondary-source dollar figure. |
Mistakes that delay applicants
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Searching for a salesperson application
Colorado does not issue one. Live DRE pages license brokers. Entry is associate broker under an employing broker.
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Sitting PSI before the 168 hours are done
Rule 2.2.D as restated in the PSI bulletin throws the score out. Certificates must be dated on or before the exam date.
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Booking Pearson VUE
Colorado is PSI at test-takers.psiexams.com/core. A Pearson score is not a Colorado score.
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Importing out-of-state salesperson years
They do not count toward independent or employing. An Arizona salesperson's three years are not Colorado associate-broker years.
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Entity E&O without an individual policy
Rule 3.9 inactivates the responsible broker — and everyone hanging there — when the individual policy is missing.
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Trusting a $485 application blog
Live Fees page fetched 2026-09-02 lists Broker Application $83.
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Booking ordinary Broker State for CE or reciprocity
Continuing Education and Reciprocal Licensure are separate PSI products on the same 74/53/110 table. Wrong product, no credit.
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Treating 53 of 74 as a 70% slogan
The bulletin prints 53 correct. 53/74 is 71.6%. Do not invent 52 (70% of 74).
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Printing CABS months before the application
If the application arrives more than 60 days after the Division receives the record, reprint. Bulletin: fingerprints BEFORE the license application.
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Renaming this paper to Kansas or Utah
Kansas is PL-number + 30 Principles + 30 Practice. Utah is sales agent at 120. Colorado is 168 named hours and no salesperson title.
Reciprocity and recognition
| Partner / path | Accepted exam | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| No formal bilateral reciprocity is published for this credential. | ||
PSI offers a Reciprocal Licensure state-only sitting (74 questions, 53 correct, 110 minutes). That is not a waived exam and not an automatic salesperson conversion — Colorado has no salesperson title to convert. Confirm the live Division out-of-state / attorney path. Out-of-state salesperson years still do not count toward independent or employing upgrades.
Renewal and staying active
24 hours per three-year cycle for active brokers: 12 hours from three different 4-hour Annual Commission Update courses (one per calendar year, with an exam) plus 12 Commission-approved electives. A fourth ACU in the same cycle can count as elective. Missed-year alternatives: 24-hour Broker Reactivation Course (once every other cycle), passing the PSI state portion as a CE exam, or 48 hours Colorado Contracts & Regulations plus 24 hours Closings (72 hours). CE must be done by December 31 of the expiration year; the 31-day fee grace does not extend CE. First-cycle new licensees follow the live Division notice for that issuance year.
Late renewal: Reinstatement 32 days to one year: $376.50. More than one year but less than three: $501. After three years, start over.
Applicant checklist
- 168 named hours on REC-33 (or real-estate-major transcripts) finished before PSI
- PSI national 60/80 and state 53/74
- CABS fingerprints timed 2–3 weeks before filing
- $83 application within one year of passing both portions
- Individual E&O
- Employing-broker hang to practice
How Colorado is different
Arizona still issues a salesperson license after 90 in-classroom hours, Pearson, and a DPS Level 1 card, and refuses the word reciprocity. New Mexico uses associate broker / qualifying broker. Wyoming keeps salesperson. Utah uses sales agent at 120 hours. Kansas still splits Principles and Practice into two 30-hour blocks. Colorado is 168 named hours, PSI 80/74 with 60-and-53 raw cuts, $83 application, CABS fingerprints, mandatory individual E&O, and out-of-state salesperson years that do not count toward independent or employing.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Colorado issue a salesperson license?
- No. Live DRE pages license brokers only. The first credential is associate broker under an employing broker. Searching dre.colorado.gov for a salesperson form is wasted time. The salesperson slug on this site is a routing convenience.
- How many pre-license hours, and are they named?
- Live Qualifying Education page fetched 2026-09-02: a minimum of 168 hours. Named: Real Estate Law and Practice 48, Colorado Contracts and Regulations 48, Trust Accounts and Record-Keeping 8, Current Legal Issues 8, Real Estate Closings 24, Practical Applications 32. Verified from that live page, not a school blog. Or a degree with a major in real estate (REC-33 vs official transcripts).
- Who administers the exam, and what is the cut?
- PSI (test-takers.psiexams.com/core; (855) 744-0313; CIB Updated 10/1/2023, bulletin 649). National 80 questions, 60 correct, 120 minutes. State 74 questions, 53 correct, 110 minutes. Those are raw-count cuts printed on the Examination Summary Table, not a 70-percent slogan. Pearson VUE is the wrong vendor.
- Is the exam fee $44.95 or $49?
- Live DRE Fees page (fetched 2026-09-02): Broker Examination Fee $44.95. Live PSI bulletin: Examination Fee First time $49.00 / Retake $48.00, not refundable or transferable, forfeited if unused within 1 year of payment. This hub will not merge those two carts — pay the vendor in front of you.
- Can I sit PSI before the 168 hours are done?
- No. Commission Rule 2.2.D as restated in the PSI bulletin: if you complete the exam before completing pre-license education, the exam will not be counted and you retake. Certificates must display a completion date on or before the exam date.
- What does the original hanging cost at the Division?
- Live Fees page: Broker Application $83, non-refundable. Base Rate Renewal $252 on a three-year cycle. Transfer/Upgrade/Activation $5. Temporary Broker $120. Entity $120. Reinstate 32 days–1 year $376.50; 1–3 years $501. CABS fingerprint vendor fee is separate. Individual E&O is a private-market invoice (Rule 3.9).
- Do my Arizona salesperson years count toward independent broker?
- No. The Division does not count out-of-state salesperson experience toward independent or employing upgrades. You generally spend two years as a Colorado associate broker first.
- What CE is named?
- Live Broker Continuing Education page fetched 2026-09-02: all active brokers complete 24 hours per three-year cycle. Twelve (12) of the 24 hours must be three (3) different versions of the four-hour (4) Annual Commission Update Course, plus 12 electives. Missed-year alternatives: 24-hour Broker Reactivation Course (once every other cycle), passing the Colorado state portion as a CE exam (book the Continuing Education product), or 48 hours Colorado Contracts & Regulations plus 24 hours Closings (72 hours).
- Fingerprints?
- CBI + FBI through CABS (Colorado Fingerprinting or IdentoGO using the Division service code currently published on dre.colorado.gov). Bulletin: submit fingerprints BEFORE the license application. Do not print more than 2–3 weeks before filing; if the application arrives more than 60 days after the Division receives the record, reprint. No CABS dollar is printed on the live Fees page this hub fetched — do not invent one.
- E&O?
- Individual errors-and-omissions insurance is required for an active license (Commission Rule 3.9). Entity E&O is not a substitute for the individual policy of the responsible broker. Missing individual coverage inactivates the responsible broker — and everyone hanging there.
- Where is the Division and who seats the exam?
- 1560 Broadway, Suite 925, Denver, CO 80202. (303) 894-2166. Fax (303) 894-2683. dre.colorado.gov. PSI (855) 744-0313, test-takers.psiexams.com/core. Age 18 to apply; the bulletin prints no age restriction on sitting the exam.
- What is scored Colorado, not NAR trivia?
- Colorado Contracts to Buy and Sell, designated broker, transaction-brokerage, water-rights disclosure, Colorado Fair Housing Act, Foreclosure Protection Act, and individual E&O. This paper cannot be renamed to Kansas's 30+30 or Utah's 120-hour sales agent.
Primary Sources
Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.
- Colorado DRE — Broker License Application Requirements
- Colorado DRE — Broker Qualifying Education (168 named hours)
- Colorado DRE — Broker Applications, Documents and Fees
- PSI — Colorado Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin
- Colorado DRE — Broker Continuing Education (24 hours / 3 ACU)
- Colorado DRE — CABS fingerprint instructions
- C.R.S. Title 12, Article 10
Verified 2026-09-02 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-01