Maryland 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

   Hold an active real estate license for three consecutive years immediately prior, with no inactive / late-renewal / suspension break

   MD license history valid 90 days. Live FAQ 13 is stricter than a casual "three years sometime."

2. 2

   Complete the 135-hour broker prelicensing course; apply online at PSI and upload the certificate

   Allow up to one week for PSI processing. Pass both portions within 1 year of course completion.

3. 3

   PSI $44 broker paper: 75 items/80 points/90 min pass 56 + 40/30 min pass 28

   Do not sit the salesperson 80/30 paper. Cut is 56 of 80 points, not 53 of 75 items.

4. 4

   Contact MREC for broker-apply instructions; credit report; $211 original including $20 GF (associate broker $143 under a broker)

   1.5-hour Required Supervision Course within 90 days of assuming a supervisory role. Subsequent CE is the broker 15-hour grid including Supervision I 1.5 and 2.5 electives. Renewal $191 plus a credit report not older than six months.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Live FAQ 13: three consecutive years of active licensure immediately prior, with no breaks (inactive, late-renewal reinstatement, or suspension). PSI bulletin: MD license history certifying active, regular, and lawful practice for at least 3 immediately preceding years; history valid 90 days. Out-of-state broker reciprocity is the PA/OK path or Out of State License Recognition (FAQ 9), not a waiver of the 135 unless MREC says so on that live product.

Qualifying education

Live FAQ 13 + PSI bulletin 529 (fetched 2026-09-02): broker pre-licensing program is 135 hours; pass both portions within 1 year of course completion; upload verification when you apply online at PSI. The salesperson 60 is not this 135. Associate broker uses the same 135. Out-of-state recognition is a live MREC product, not a substitute you invent at PSI.

Education or filing deadline

Pass both portions within 1 year of course completion. License history document valid 90 days. Apply per Commission instructions after you pass; scores expire if you do not apply within one year of passing (live exam page). Credit report freshness: live renew page six months (broker renewal); bulletin says current / public-records search for original — follow the stricter live instruction you are filing under.

Character review

Same good-character prerequisite plus the credit-report public-records search. FAQ 19 True Test copies if a conviction exists. Manual application if criminal or prior discipline.

Background process

Credit report (current; live renew page not older than six months) plus self-disclosure. No fingerprint dollar on the live pages.

Experience

Live FAQ 13: active real estate license for at least three consecutive years immediately prior to applying; no breaks such as inactive status, reinstatements due to late renewal, or suspensions. PSI bulletin: active, regular, and lawful practice; MD license history valid 90 days.

Broker affiliation

A broker operates the Maryland brokerage (place of business, trust monies, supervision). Associate broker hangs under that broker and still needs the broker's registration number for active status. Branch-office manager under 17-318: broker commitment letter; may not transfer to another branch without first contacting MREC. 1.5-hour Required Supervision Course within 90 days of assuming a supervisory role. Individual can hold additional broker / additional associate-broker / additional salesperson products on the live forms list — confirm live rather than stacking hangings as a plan.

PSI bulletin 529. Broker apply-online at PSI first (upload 135-hour proof); then $44. Do not sit the salesperson 80/30 paper. · Fee: $44

Same $44 per registration and 1-year course-completion clock as salesperson. Retake only the failed portion inside that deadline. National cut is 56 of 80 points. Combo OnVUE/in-person rules follow the bulletin; cancel 2 days ahead.

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

Live Forms and Fees: Broker Original (includes $20 GF) $211; Renewal $191. Associate broker original $143 / renewal $123. Application and initialLicense are the same live original row, not stacked. PSI $44. Credit-report cost is a third-party pull this hub does not freeze. Branch office $5 original / $5 renewal. Confirm live fees page.

• !

  Counting an inactive year or a late-renewal reinstatement toward the three consecutive active years

  Live FAQ 13 names those breaks. The clock is consecutive and immediately prior.

• !

  Sitting the salesperson 80-item national / 30-item state paper

  Broker national is 75 items carrying 80 points. State is 40. Cut is 56 of 80 points and 28 of 40.

• !

  Treating 56 of 75 items as the national cut

  56 of 80 points. Two-point items. Combo is 115 items carrying 120 points.

• !

  Waiting for the salesperson self-serve email instead of contacting MREC after you pass

  FAQ 13. Credit report. $211. Associate broker is the $143 under-a-broker path.

• !

  Skipping the 1.5-hour Required Supervision Course after you start supervising

  90 days. Live CE reminders. Broker CE grid also wants Supervision I 1.5 each cycle.

• !

  Renewing on the salesperson elective grid (4 electives, no Supervision I)

  Broker electives shrink to 2.5 to make room for Supervision I 1.5. Credit report ≤ 6 months on broker renewal.

Other original states: Out of State License Recognition. Three consecutive Maryland-active years is the in-state upgrade path; do not count a Pennsylvania inactive year toward FAQ 13.

How much experience, and do inactive years count?

Live FAQ 13: three consecutive years immediately prior, active. No breaks — inactive status, reinstatements due to late renewal, or suspensions kill the clock. PSI bulletin wants a MD license history (90-day life) certifying active, regular, and lawful practice.

What education?

135-hour broker prelicensing from an approved provider. Pass both PSI portions within 1 year of course completion. The salesperson 60 is not this 135. Associate broker uses the same 135.

Is the national paper still 80 items?

No. Broker national is 75 items carrying 80 points in 90 minutes. Cut is 56 of 80 points, not 53 of 75 items and not 56 of 75. State is 40 items / 30 minutes, pass 28.

Do I apply the same way as a salesperson after I pass?

No. FAQ 13: contact the Commission for instructions on how to apply for your broker license. Salesperson self-serve email is not that path. Credit report required. $211 original including $20 GF.

Associate broker vs broker?

Same 135 hours, same 3-year clock, same PSI broker paper. Associate broker hangs under a Maryland broker (original $143 including $20 GF). Broker runs the shop (original $211). Additional-license forms exist on the live forms list.

What CE do brokers take?

Live CE page broker/branch-office-manager/team-leader residential grid totals 15: Legislative A 3, Fair Housing C 2, Ethics D 3, Agency H 3, Supervision I 1.5, electives 2.5. 90 days to take the 1.5-hour Required Supervision Course after assuming the role if not already done. Same 30-day-before-renewal rule. Credit report ≤ 6 months on broker renewal.