Minnesota 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 three years in five or file the named waiver

   The certification must be ≤90 days old, and inactive months do not count. If your license history is complicated, sort this out before paying for the 30-hour course.

2. 2

   Complete the 30-hour Minnesota broker course

   Apply within 12 months of the course. Courses I/II/III do not count.

3. 3

   Take the PSI broker exam: 75/60 at 75%

   Combo $68. Out-of-state brokers take the state portion only.

4. 4

   PULSE Dual Application, trust-account notice, $180 + surcharge

   The primary broker files for themselves and the company. Non-primary brokers are filed by the primary. $30 of the $180 goes to the recovery fund.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

You need three years of actual licensed salesperson experience in Minnesota or a state with comparable requirements within the previous five years, excluding inactive time, or a named waiver. The experience certification must be ≤90 days old. The military waiver uses a separate Commerce form.

Qualifying education

A separate Commerce-approved 30-hour broker course. Salesperson Courses I/II/III do not substitute. Confirm providers on PULSE under Broker Course. Apply within 12 months of completing the course or retake it.

Education or filing deadline

Broker course: 12 months to apply. Broker exam: one year to apply unless you remain continuously active as a Minnesota salesperson licensee.

Character review

The same charging-document plus sentencing-order standard applies. A broker Dual Application also collects BCA information for officers and owners.

Background process

BCA documentation is submitted on the PULSE Dual Application or the primary-broker filing.

Experience

three years of actual licensed real estate salesperson experience within the previous five years (inactive months excluded), in Minnesota or a comparable-requirement state — or a named waiver (RE degree; practicing attorney whose practice involves real-estate law; public officer whose duties involve real estate; qualified military member/veteran/spouse)

Broker affiliation

A primary broker is the responsible person for a Minnesota real estate company and must be an elected officer (for an entity) or the individual proprietor. Non-primary brokers work under a primary broker. You cannot act for more than one Minnesota broker at a time unless Commerce grants an additional broker’s license for a legitimate business purpose (typically 20% ownership in each company, or shared ownership plus officer status).

PSI after the 30-hour broker course (and experience or waiver) is documented · Fee: $68

The same $68/$45 fees apply, you keep credit for a passed portion, and fees are valid for one year. Bring broker-course and experience documents to every attempt.

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

Initial broker: $180 + technology surcharge, including $30 for the fund. Company initial: $180, including $30 for the fund. Broker renewal: $120 + surcharge, including $20 for the fund; company renewal: $120, including $20 for the fund. Additional-broker licenses and 45-day temporary permits use separate Commerce forms, and the fee table does not list separate fees for them.

• !

  Counting inactive months toward three years in five

  Per the Guide, any periods when your license was inactive do not count toward the experience requirement.

• !

  Using Courses I/II/III as the broker 30

  The broker course is a separate 30-hour Commerce-approved course. Apply within 12 months of completing it or retake it.

• !

  Skipping the trust-account notice

  Every broker applicant files a notice (institution, numbers, effective date) or the notarized waiver if nobody will receive trust funds.

• !

  Expecting a 45-day temporary permit after missing CE

  Per the Guide, a broker's failure to complete CE by the renewal deadline does not qualify. Temporary permits are for death, incapacity, or loss of license.

• !

  Claiming a waiver that is not on the form

  The non-military waiver form lists the qualifying categories. If you do not meet one, you do not qualify. Do not submit an unofficial transcript or a license-lookup printout as proof of three years in five.

• !

  Studying for the salesperson 80/50 instead of the broker exam

  The broker general portion is 75 items carrying 80 points, and the state portion is 60 items. The cut is 75% of points.

Out-of-state brokers who have taken a broker exam take only the Minnesota state portion. You still must document three years in five unless a named waiver applies. A salesperson license in another state does not qualify for a broker waiver.

Minnesota 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.

Do the salesperson 90 hours count as the broker 30?

No. According to the Guide, you must successfully complete the 30-hour broker course before applying, and you must apply within 12 months of completing the course or retake it. Courses I/II/III are salesperson education.

How much experience?

According to the Guide, a minimum of three years of active licensed real estate salesperson experience within the five years prior to application for the broker's examination, obtained in Minnesota or another state with comparable requirements; inactive periods do not count. Alternatively, you may qualify for a named waiver: a real estate degree (with a certified transcript listing the degree), a practicing attorney whose practice involves real estate law, a public officer whose duties involve real estate, or a qualified military member/veteran/spouse. No other waivers are available.

Is the broker exam the same 80/50?

No. Per the PSI table, the broker general portion is 75 items (80 points) / 2.5 hours, the state portion is 60 / 1.5 hours, and combined is 135 items (140 points) / 4 hours. The passing standard is still 75 percent. Some general broker items are scored up to two points, so the cut is 75% of 80 points (60 points), not 56 of 75 items.

What is a Dual Application?

According to the Guide, if you will be an individual proprietor or a primary broker, you submit the company and yourself together on PULSE (Organization → Real Estate Company or Real Estate Indv Proprietor, then Submit New Primary Broker License Application). Non-primary brokers are filed by the primary, the same way salespersons are.

What does the initial broker license cost?

According to the Guide, the initial real estate broker license totals $180 plus the current technology surcharge, including $30 for the recovery fund. The company initial license is $180, including $30 for the fund. The Commerce fee table breaks this down as broker initial $150 + recovery fund $30 + technology surcharge, which matches the Guide's $180.

Trust-account notice?

Every broker applicant files a trust-account notice (institution, numbers, effective date) or Commerce's notarized Trust Account Notice Waiver if nobody at the company will receive trust funds. Skipping it stalls the Dual Application.