Louisiana Real Estate Salesperson License requirements

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

1. 1

   Complete 90 LREC hours including the 30-hour Louisiana-law / agency / civil-law block

   Take Real Estate 101 or an equivalent course. No substitution is allowed; a Texas or Mississippi 90-hour course will not count toward the 30-hour block. Distance courses must be ARELLO- and LREC-approved, and a course exam is required.

2. 2

   File Initial Salesperson Application Part-A with LREC; wait for the Pearson authorization email

   Mail it or drop it off at 9071 Interline Avenue. Do not book with Pearson first. Any out-of-state course review ([email protected]) must be complete before you file.

3. 3

   Sit Pearson: combo 135 scored / 240 min at $81, scaled 70 each portion

   If you take the portions separately: national 80 items/150 min, state 55 items/90 min. Civil law and agency make up most of the 55-item state exam. Do not retake a portion you have passed.

4. 4

   IdentoGO / LSP-FBI ($60.75 Livescan) and E&O

   Your license is issued only after both are complete and you have a sponsoring broker. Fingerprint results are valid for one year. For independent E&O, submit the named form plus your declarations page.

5. 5

   Calendar the 45-hour post-license (180 days) and December 31 CE

   Complete 12 hours by December 31, including the 2026 mandatory topic, Transparency, Technology, and Trust. Post-license hours may count for 8 of the 12 CE hours, but never for the mandatory topic. Renew on time between August 1 and September 30.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

The LREC salesperson page does not require Louisiana residency. You must be 18 and have a high school diploma or GED. Nonresidents follow the same 90-hour path, including the 30-hour block, unless they qualify under the LREC checklist for applicants previously or currently licensed in another state (reciprocity). Partial credit for out-of-state courses requires Education Division approval before you file Part A, and the 30-hour Louisiana-law / agency / civil-law block is never substituted. Reciprocity is handled through LREC's own application, not through third-party reciprocity charts.

Qualifying education

The LREC Pre-licensing Education for Salespeople page requires 90 hours. Chapter 53 §5331 names the course: Real Estate 101, a 90-hour salesperson course covering principles and practices, Louisiana real estate license law, commission rules and regulations, law of agency (Title 9), and civil law as it pertains to real estate. Distance learning must be Internet-based through an LREC state-certified school that is ARELLO-approved for delivery and Commission-approved for content. You must pass a final examination on the course content to receive the certificate. Send college transcripts to [email protected] before you file; review takes up to 30 days. Out-of-state courses may earn partial credit, but there is no substitution for the 30-hour Louisiana-law / agency / civil-law block. You must apply to LREC before Pearson will issue an ATT. This requirement differs from Texas (180 hours), Mississippi (60 hours), and generic 90-hour courses.

Education or filing deadline

Your Pearson authorization lasts one year from LREC approval, with unlimited attempts. Passing scores are good for one year. LREC Education must review any out-of-state course credit before you file. New licensees must also complete a one-time 45-hour post-license course, with an exam, within 180 days of the initial license date (LREC post-licensing page and §1437(4)(b)).

Character review

LREC reviews character after your IdentoGO results are received. Under La. R.S. 37:1437, convictions for forgery, embezzlement, obtaining money under false pretenses, larceny, extortion, conspiracy to defraud, theft, or a felony the Commission finds directly related to real estate activity, as well as a false statement of material fact on the application, may each be grounds to refuse a license. Disclose everything; failing to disclose is a separate ground for denial. Completing the 30-hour civil-law block is an education requirement and does not affect the character review.

Background process

Complete the fingerprint-based criminal history review through the link on lrec.gov (IdentoGO / LSP + FBI). Passing the Pearson exam does not replace this step. Results are valid for one year.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for a salesperson license. A sponsoring broker and E&O are required for an active license to be issued, but not to take the Pearson exam. To become a broker later, you need four years actively licensed in any jurisdiction, with two of the four immediately preceding your application, plus an additional 150 hours.

Broker affiliation

According to the LREC salesperson page, you must be supervised by a licensed real estate broker and provide proof of errors and omissions insurance before your license is issued. A salesperson may practice only under that broker. If you do not yet have a broker or E&O, you can request that your license be issued in inactive status (Request to Issue License in the Inactive Status). Property management for multiple owners requires a broker license (FAQ). An associate broker is a separate LREC status: a broker license held under another broker.

Pearson VUE, after LREC authorization. Handbook #091900 (July 2024; rev 01/2026). https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/la/realestate.html (877) 619-2096. PSI does not administer this exam, and walk-ins are not accepted. · Fee: $81

Your authorization lasts one year, with unlimited attempts. The combined exam costs $81 the first time and $96 for a repeat. Retaking a single portion costs $42 (national) or $39 (state). Once you pass a portion, do not retake it during the authorization year; take only the failed portion. If the authorization year ends with only one portion passed, file again with LREC for a new authorization for the remaining portion; the passed portion stays valid for one year from the date you passed it. Reserve at least 24 hours ahead. Payment is not accepted at the test center, and walk-ins are not accepted.

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

La. R.S. 37:1443 (LREC License Law page): salesperson initial license $45; active salesperson renewal $35; processing fee $25; transfer $35. Pearson Handbook 091900: combined exam $81 first attempt / $96 repeat; national $42; state $39. LREC FAQ: IdentoGO Livescan $60.75 (out-of-state office $95.74; mailed cards $55.75). According to the FAQ, the actual renewal total is more than the $35 statutory fee: Sales Renewal plus third-party E&O processing = $77; Sales Renewal plus LREC group E&O = $219. Late renewal: $50 from October 1–November 15; $200 for active licenses from November 16–December 31 (§1443 and the Renewal Season page). The application and initialLicense amounts here are the same $45 statutory fee, not two separate charges; Pearson and IdentoGO fees are extra. Check your Part-A invoice for the exact amount; the statute does not list a $90 bundle, despite some school flyers.

• !

  Substituting a generic 90 for the 30-hour Louisiana-law / agency / civil-law block

  Per the pre-licensing education page and Handbook 091900, no substitution is allowed. Have [email protected] review out-of-state hours before you file Part A, not after you fail the state exam.

• !

  Booking Pearson before LREC authorization

  You cannot get a seat without an ATT, and walk-ins are not accepted. The $81 fee is not refundable.

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  Studying a 40-question PSI state outline, or treating scaled 70 as Iowa's 56/28

  The Louisiana state exam has 55 scored items, with 13–15 each on civil law and agency. The passing score is scaled, not a raw 70 percent.

• !

  Skipping E&O because a neighboring state treats it as optional NAR

  Under the LREC salesperson page and §1466, you must show proof of E&O before your license is issued. If you do not have E&O, your license can be issued as inactive.

• !

  Retaking a portion you already passed

  The handbook prohibits this during the authorization year. Take only the failed portion. Passing scores are valid for one year.

• !

  Treating IdentoGO as optional, or using prints from another agency

  Required under Act 553 (see the LREC fingerprint page). Livescan costs $60.75, and results are valid for one year. Louisiana salespersons upgrading to broker must be fingerprinted again.

• !

  Calendar May 31 or a biennial CE cycle

  Louisiana renews every year. Renew on time between August 1 and September 30, and complete CE by December 31, including the 2026 mandatory topic. Licenses expire December 31. In 2026, brokers take a second mandatory course.

• !

  Banking the 45-hour post-license as the 4-hour mandatory CE topic

  In the year you complete it, post-license may cover eight of the twelve CE hours, but it shall not satisfy the mandatory topic. It is due within 180 days and includes a course exam.

• !

  Calling PSI, or taking a Mississippi PSI exam, for a Louisiana score

  Louisiana real estate exams are given by Pearson under Handbook 091900, after LREC authorization. Mississippi PSI scores will not transfer to MyLREC.

• !

  Reading community property, redhibition, or lesion beyond moiety as extra-credit trivia

  These topics make up 13–15 scored civil-law items. Louisiana is a civil-law property state, so common-law 90-hour courses leave you unprepared for this section.

Per Handbook 091900, LREC may accept another state's exam in place of the National portion if you passed an equivalent license examination within five years of your Louisiana application date and your other license has not expired. You must still take the State portion. Partial education credit is possible, but the 30-hour Louisiana-law / agency / civil-law block is never waived. Reciprocal applicants use the Obtain-a-License / Previously-Currently-Licensed checklist on lrec.gov. Approval of out-of-state coursework must be complete before you file Part A.

Louisiana vs neighboring states

Hours are the pre-license total printed in each guide; states that count credits or named courses show “See guide.” Published state fees add the application, exam, initial-license, and fingerprint amounts the guide can cite — tuition is not included.

How many prelicense hours, and can I substitute a generic 90?

You need ninety hours of LREC-approved education (LREC salesperson page and pre-licensing education page). There is no substitution for the 30-hour portion covering Louisiana Real Estate License Law, Commission Rules/Regulations, Law of Agency, and Civil Law pertaining to real estate. A Texas or Mississippi 90-hour course will not count toward that 30.

What is the named salesperson course?

Chapter 53 §5331: Real Estate 101, a 90-hour salesperson course covering principles and practices, Louisiana license law, Commission rules, agency, and civil law pertaining to real estate. Distance courses must be Internet-based, ARELLO-approved for delivery, and Commission-approved for content. A course final exam is required.

Do I book Pearson before LREC?

No. Per Handbook 091900, you complete your education, file with LREC, and wait for the authorization email from Pearson. Walk-ins are not accepted. If you book before receiving your ATT, you will lose the fee.

What is the sitting?

Sales combined exam LARESCO1: 135 scored + 10–15 pretest items in 240 minutes, $81 first attempt / $96 repeat. Separately: national 80 scored items / 150 minutes / $42; state 55 scored items / 90 minutes / $39. You need a scaled 70 on each portion. Numeric scores are reported only to candidates who fail. Civil law (13–15 items) and agency (13–15 items) make up most of the 55-item state exam.

Is the cut a raw 70 percent (56 of 80)?

No. It is a scaled 70 on each portion (on a 0–100 scale). The handbook explains that the scaled score is neither the number nor the percentage of questions answered correctly. Brokers need a scaled 75.

Is E&O optional?

No. Under the LREC salesperson page and La. R.S. 37:1466, you must show proof of E&O before an active license is issued. Per the FAQ, you can use the LREC group policy or submit the Independent E&O Coverage form plus a declarations page. Inactive licensees do not need to prove E&O to renew inactive.

How much is IdentoGO?

According to the LREC FAQ: Livescan $60.75; out-of-state IdentoGO office $95.74; mailed cards $55.75. Results are valid for one year. Current licensees do not need new fingerprints to renew, but those upgrading to broker do.

What does the original license cost?

Under §1443, the salesperson initial license is $45. The Pearson combined exam is $81 for the first attempt, and IdentoGO Livescan is $60.75. E&O is billed separately. The statute does not list a $90 bundle, despite some school flyers; check your Part-A invoice for the exact amount.

When do I renew, and what CE applies?

Every year. Renew on time between August 1 and September 30; licenses expire December 31 (Renewal Season page and §1442). Complete 12 hours of CE by December 31, including the mandatory topic. For 2026, that is Transparency, Technology, and Trust for all active licensees; brokers and associate brokers also take Broker Leadership & Compliance. You may renew before finishing CE, but missing the December 31 CE deadline is a violation and results in a fine. In your first year, you still need the 12 hours plus the 45-hour post-license course within 180 days.

What is post-license versus CE?

According to the post-licensing page, post-license is a one-time 45-hour requirement with an exam on the course content, due within 180 days of the initial license date. CE is the annual 12 hours. In the year you complete it, post-license may satisfy part of the 12 hours (eight hours under the statute) but shall not satisfy the mandatory topic. Moving to inactive status within 180 days pauses the post-license requirement until you return to active.

I am licensed in Texas. Is that automatic?

No. Partial education credit requires an Education Division review before you file, and the 30-hour civil-law block is never waived. You may be able to skip the national portion if you passed an equivalent exam within five years and your license has not expired, but you must still take the 55-item Louisiana state exam. Reciprocity follows LREC's own checklist, not a NAR agreement.

Can prelicense be online?

Yes, if it meets the conditions on the LREC pre-licensing education page: Internet-based, offered by an LREC state-certified school, ARELLO-approved for delivery, Commission-approved for content, and including a course final. Correspondence courses that do not meet these conditions will not count.