District of Columbia Real Estate Broker License requirements

Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.

1. 1

   Document two consecutive years as an active salesperson immediately preceding

   Out-of-state: those two years in your jurisdiction. A 60-hour salesperson certificate is not this step.

2. 2

   Complete the 135-hour DCREC broker prelicense

   Approved-list title: Principles and Practices of Real Estate for Brokers — 135 Hours. Endorsement adds 3-hour Fair Housing and 3-hour Property Management.

3. 3

   Pass PSI broker papers at 75 percent ($79)

   National 75 items/80 points in 120 minutes; DC 40 items in 90 minutes. Endorsement sits DC only. File within six months.

4. 4

   File $65 + $170 + $60 Fund and choose associate-broker hang or independent broker

   Firm/organization registration is extra if you will qualify a company. Advertising must carry the brokerage name.

5. 5

   Renew by February 28 of odd years with 15 all-mandatory CE hours

   Includes 3-hour Broker Supervision. No electives on the 2023–2025 map. Do not use the salesperson August 31 cliff.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.

Residency and identification

Two consecutive years as an active licensed salesperson immediately preceding the application (PSI bulletin and DLCP). Out-of-state applicants need those two years in their own jurisdiction. Reciprocity is the Virginia / Maryland-broker track. Endorsement: meet or exceed 135 hours elsewhere plus 3-hour Fair Housing and 3-hour Property Management.

Qualifying education

135-hour DCREC-approved broker prelicense (17 DCMR 2601.3; approved-course list title: Principles and Practices of Real Estate for Brokers — 135 Hours). This is not the 60-hour salesperson course and is not 60 plus a 75-hour add-on you invent. Endorsement: meet or exceed 135 hours in the other jurisdiction, then 3-hour DCREC Fair Housing and 3-hour DCREC Property Management. Property Management CE certificates appear on several DLCP broker tracks.

Education or filing deadline

Apply within six months of passing. Certification letters 90 days. PSI fee valid one year from payment.

Character review

Same Chapter 26 review as salespersons. 90-day sealed certification if licensed elsewhere. 17 DCMR 2609 advertising rules put the brokerage name on every associate-broker and salesperson ad.

Background process

Same DLCP all-applicant packet: 2x2 photo, unexpired government ID, debit/credit card. PSI two-ID rule at the site.

Experience

Two consecutive years of active salesperson experience immediately preceding the date of application (PSI bulletin; DLCP). Out-of-state: two years as a licensed salesperson in that jurisdiction. 17 DCMR 2601.7 also allows equivalent experience acceptable to the Commission as an alternative in the regulation; the live bulletin still leads with the two-year salesperson path.

Broker affiliation

Independent / real estate broker is the firm-qualifying seat (organization registration, good standing, trade name). Associate broker is $170 on the same fee line and hangs under a broker — 17 DCMR 2609.5–2609.6 put the brokerage name and main telephone on every ad. Firm license is a separate filing. A salesperson cannot sponsor anyone.

PSI Services (test-takers.psiexams.com/dcre). Bulletin updated 6/3/2026. Request a Broker exam. $79 one portion or both. · Fee: $79

Same six-month failed-portion fuse and six-month license-filing fuse as salespersons. $79 per sitting, one portion or both. Cancel two calendar days out. Associate-broker and independent-broker applicants sit the same broker papers; the hang versus firm-qualifying seat is a licensing choice after you pass, not a different exam.

These are commission or testing-vendor amounts we can cite. School tuition and optional preparation products are private-market prices.

Broker and associate broker $170 (up to two years). Reinstatement/inactive $210. Same $60 Fund. Expire February 28 of odd years. Firm/organization is a separate registration. PSI $79.

• !

  Filing broker on a 60-hour salesperson certificate

  135 hours. Two consecutive years immediately preceding. Different exam (75 items/80 points plus 40-item DC paper). Different expiration.

• !

  Renewing a broker license on the salesperson August 31 cliff

  Brokers expire February 28 of odd years. The 3-hour Broker Supervision module is not optional and is not on the salesperson map.

• !

  Treating associate broker as a salesperson upgrade without the broker exam

  Associate broker sits the broker papers, pays $170, and hangs under a broker. It is not a second salesperson license. Advertising still carries the brokerage name (17 DCMR 2609.5–2609.6).

• !

  Skipping the 90-day sealed certification on a Maryland or Virginia broker file

  Reciprocity still wants the original letter with seal, 3-hour Fair Housing, and the DC paper. A pocket card from DPOR or MREC is not the letter.

Endorsement for every other jurisdiction: meet or exceed 135 hours, two years immediately preceding, 3-hour Fair Housing, 3-hour Property Management, DC broker paper at 75 percent, 90-day sealed certification. A salesperson license from another state is not a DC broker license.

Does the 60-hour salesperson course count as DC broker education?

No. Broker prelicense is 135 hours (17 DCMR 2601.3) plus two consecutive years as an active salesperson immediately preceding the application. Associate broker is the same broker exam, then a $170 hang under another broker.

What is the DC broker exam split?

PSI bulletin 6/3/2026: Broker General 75 items scoring 80 points in 120 minutes; Broker State 40 items in 90 minutes; $79 one portion or both. Cut at least 75 percent (17 DCMR 2601.4). Endorsement sits the DC paper only.

When does a DC broker license expire?

February 28 of odd years. Salespersons expire August 31 of odd years. Broker CE on the 2023–2025 map is 15 hours, all mandatory, including 3-hour Broker Supervision and no electives.

What is the difference between associate broker and real estate broker in DC?

Same $170 license fee, same broker exam. Associate broker hangs under a broker; independent / real estate broker is the firm-qualifying seat. 17 DCMR 2609 requires the brokerage name on associate-broker advertising. Firm registration is a separate filing.

Can a Maryland or Virginia broker skip the 135-hour course?

Reciprocity (named MD/VA track) still requires 3-hour DCREC Fair Housing, a 90-day sealed certification letter, two years, and the DC broker paper. Endorsement for other states must meet or exceed the 135 hours. A salesperson license from another state is not this file.