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RE License Guide

Titles

Real estate license types

The title on the wall license is not the same in every state. Texas issues a sales agent license, Florida a sales associate license, and Illinois’s first license is already called broker. Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington have no salesperson license at all. REALTOR® is not a license type.

Entry-level licenses

The first license you can hold. 35 of 51 jurisdictions call it a salesperson license; the rest use one of the titles below. Every entry license requires working under a broker.

Salesperson · 35 jurisdictions

The most common entry title. A salesperson must work under a supervising broker and cannot run an independent brokerage.

Broker · 4 jurisdictions

In these states the first license is already called broker. It still requires affiliation with a supervising or managing broker to practice.

Sales Agent · 3 jurisdictions

Same role as a salesperson under a different statutory name. Use this title when searching for courses and forms in these states.

Associate Broker · 2 jurisdictions

Entry-level title in states that eliminated the salesperson license. The holder works under an employing or qualifying broker.

Sales Associate · 2 jurisdictions

Florida and Kentucky title for the entry license. Florida also requires a 45-hour post-license course before the first renewal.

Affiliate Broker · 1 jurisdiction

Tennessee’s entry title. Affiliate brokers must be affiliated with a principal broker.

Associate · 1 jurisdiction

South Carolina’s entry title. Associates practice under a broker-in-charge.

Broker Associate · 1 jurisdiction

South Dakota’s entry title. A broker associate works under a responsible broker.

Provisional Broker · 1 jurisdiction

North Carolina issues no salesperson license. New licensees are provisional brokers until they finish 90 hours of postlicensing education.

Provisional Sales Associate · 1 jurisdiction

Oklahoma issues the first license as provisional until post-license education is complete.

Broker-level licenses

The license that lets you supervise other licensees or run a brokerage. Most states require two to five years of licensed experience plus additional coursework and a separate exam.

Broker · 42 jurisdictions

Managing Broker · 3 jurisdictions

Associate Broker · 1 jurisdiction

Broker / Associate Broker · 1 jurisdiction

Independent / Employing Broker · 1 jurisdiction

Principal Broker · 1 jurisdiction

Qualifying Broker · 1 jurisdiction

Responsible Broker · 1 jurisdiction

How the career ladder works

Most states have two levels. You start with an entry license that only lets you practice under a supervising broker, and after a set period of licensed experience you can take more coursework and a broker exam. A few states add a third step: Illinois has a managing broker, Washington a managing broker, and Colorado separates associate, independent, and employing brokers.

The names can mislead. An Illinois “broker” and a Tennessee “affiliate broker” are both entry-level licenses with roughly the same authority as a salesperson elsewhere. When you compare states or apply for reciprocity, match the role rather than the title — the destination commission will look at what your license allows, not what it is called.

Read salesperson vs broker vs REALTOR® for a deeper explanation, or compare broker requirements by state.