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RE License Guide

North Dakota real estate licensing

North Dakota Real Estate Salesperson License requirements

A practical, source-checked guide to qualifying, passing the exam, applying, and keeping this license active.

Gabriel Giner

By Gabriel Giner, Editor  ·  Verified  ·  RE License Guide Editorial Desk

Source checked 7 official references Next review 2026-12-01
Required education
90-hour NDREC-certified salesperson prelicensure course (residents)
Exam fee
$134
Published fees
$150
Typical timeline
90-hour course plus PSI plus a 1–2 week fingerprint cycle
01

What to know first

North Dakota still issues a salesperson license, and it still wants ninety hours. That is the tell against South Dakota’s 116-hour broker-associate entry and against Minnesota’s lighter neighbor-blog hour counts. The North Dakota Real Estate Commission will only take the application online at services.realestatend.org — paper is not accepted. Residents upload a 90-hour NDREC-certified salesperson prelicensure certificate and must apply for the license within two years of finishing that course. You can sit PSI anytime; NDREC no longer issues test codes.

PSI’s North Dakota bulletin (test-takers.psiexams.com/ndre, dated 10/1/2025) is the exam bible: $134 whether you sit one portion or both, forfeited if you do not test within one year of PSI receiving the fee. Salesperson National is 100 items (100 points), passing score 70, 150 minutes. Salesperson State is 40 items (40 points), passing score 30, 90 minutes. Fail one, retake only that portion, still $134. Upload the first score report into Online Services after the first sitting; keep both passing reports to request issuance. Unlimited retakes inside twelve months. Experimental items 5–10, unscored, count against the clock.

Money on the how-to-apply page: $150 nonrefundable application to NDREC, a credit-history fee NDREC runs itself ($13 on the costs list; the payment paragraph also prints $11.25 / $161.25 total — confirm the live cart), $40 fingerprint analysis payable to the North Dakota Attorney General (mailed with the cards to NDREC, never to the AG), and a $20 one-time Education, Research and Recovery Fund payment when you request issuance. Active licenses need errors-and-omissions insurance; NDREC’s negotiated Rice group rate is printed at $187 per calendar year. Fingerprints: two cards, Fingerprint Verification Form, Criminal History Record Check Request, $40 check to the AG, mailed in a large envelope to 1120 College Dr Ste 204 — one Forever stamp is not enough, and tampering with the seal denies the packet.

Reciprocity is a three-state list, not a vibe: Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, and only if you are licensed and live primarily in that state. Reciprocal applicants skip the 90 hours and both PSI papers. Nonresident nonreciprocal applicants sit only the North Dakota state paper. Everyone still fingerprints, still pays the $20 fund, still hangs under a designated broker, still carries E&O to go active. South Dakota will not issue you an original salesperson license. Montana is 70 hours and Pearson. Minnesota is the named reciprocal neighbor — and you still have to actually live there.

02

Your path to the license

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

  1. 90-hour NDREC-certified salesperson course (residents)

    Apply for the license within 2 years of the certificate. Reciprocal GA/IA/MN skip this if they live there.

  2. Online application $150 + credit-history fee; mail fingerprint packet + $40 to AG via NDREC

    Do not mail cards to the Attorney General. Paper applications are not accepted.

  3. PSI $134 — National 100/70 (150 min) and State 40/30 (90 min)

    No test code. Upload the first score report. Nonresident nonreciprocal: state only.

  4. Request to Issue: $20 Recovery Fund, E&O, designated-broker signature

    Inactive is allowed; active needs the hang and insurance.

03

Education and eligibility

Minimum age
18 years old
Identification
A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.
Residency and identification
Residents: 90-hour NDREC-certified course and both PSI papers. Nonresident nonreciprocal: licensed and in good standing at salesperson level in the state of primary residence; sit only the ND state paper. Reciprocal: licensed and live primarily in Georgia, Iowa, or Minnesota. No license revoked in this or any state within 2 years. Apply within 2 years of the 90-hour course (residents).
Qualifying education
Live How to Apply salesperson tab (fetched 2026-09-02): resident applicant only — completed 90-hour, NDREC-certified salesperson prelicensure education course. Apply for licensure within 2 years of completing that course. Schools are certified by NDREC but priced independently. You can complete the course after applying and upload the certificate before issuance, but the license will not issue without it. NDCC 43-23-08(4): a salesperson applicant may take the licensing examination before fulfillment of the educational requirement; the Commission may not issue the license until the 90 hours are in. PSI bulletin: there are no eligibility requirements for the examination; salesperson applicants can test at any time and no longer need test codes. Reciprocal GA/IA/MN (licensed and living primarily there) skip the 90. A South Dakota 116-hour broker-associate certificate is not this 90.
Education or filing deadline
Apply for licensure within 2 years of completing an NDREC-certified prelicensure course. PSI fee is good for 1 year from PSI receiving it.
Character review
Credit history run by NDREC. Statewide and national criminal history via fingerprints (NDCC 12-60-24 and 43-23-08.4). Disclose convictions, bankruptcies, unpaid judgments, liens. Commission may review at a meeting. Non-disclosure is independently disqualifying.
Background process
Fingerprint cards to NDREC with $40 payable to the ND Attorney General. Credit history $13 (costs list) / $11.25 (payment paragraph) — confirm live cart. SSN required to run both.
Experience
No licensed experience for salesperson. Designated-broker hang required to go active. Broker upgrade is 2 years full-time salesperson (or substantially equivalent) plus a 60-hour broker prelicense course.
Broker affiliation
Active salesperson licenses require a designated broker and a firm. The Request to Issue Real Estate License must be signed by that ND-licensed broker. Inactive issuance is allowed; inactive licensees cannot conduct compensated North Dakota real estate business and can remain inactive indefinitely if they keep renewing annually.

Documents to prepare

  • 90-hour certificate (residents; ≤2 years)
  • PSI National 100/70 and State 40/30 (or state only / none on the reciprocal path)
  • Fingerprint packet + $40 to AG via NDREC
  • Credit history as billed
  • $150 application
  • $20 Recovery Fund at issuance
  • E&O and designated-broker signature to activate
04

The licensing exam

PSI North Dakota CIB dated 10/1/2025 (test-takers.psiexams.com/ndre; (855) 834-8747; also posted at realestatend.org/image/cache/NDREC_Candidate_Information_Bulletin.pdf), fetched 2026-09-02. $134 whether one portion or both; forfeited if unused after 1 year. Salesperson National: 100 items (100 points), passing score 70, 150 minutes. Salesperson State: 40 items (40 points), passing score 30, 90 minutes. Experimental 5–10 unscored, count against the clock. Fail one, retake only that portion, still $134. Unlimited inside 12 months. No NDREC test code. Upload the first score report to Online Services; keep both passing reports for issuance. The state outline (approved by NDREC; the bulletin does not print per-topic item counts, so this hub does not invent them): I Duties and Powers of the Commission; II Licensing Requirements (salesperson / broker / broker associate, reciprocity, CE, broker prelicensing, salesperson prelicensing); III Statutory Requirements Governing Activities (advertising, broker supervision, commissions, disclosure/conflict, offers, listings, branch office/license display broker-only, cooperative transactions, Code of Ethics, trust accounts broker-only, record keeping broker-only); IV Additional Topics (subdivided/out-of-state land sales, closing statements broker-only, Real Estate Education, Research, and Recovery Fund). Residents sit both; nonresident nonreciprocal sit state only; GA/IA/MN reciprocal sit neither.

PSI Services, $134 (test-takers.psiexams.com/ndre). Bulletin 10/1/2025. No NDREC test code. · Fee: $134

Part Questions Minutes Pass
Salesperson National 100 150 100 items / 100 points; passing 70; 150 minutes; $134 one portion or both
Salesperson State 40 90 40 items / 40 points; passing 30; 90 minutes; $134 one portion or both

Unlimited retakes inside 12 months of PSI receiving the fee. Fail one, retake only that portion, still $134. Cannot reschedule the same day. Upload the first score report to Online Services after the first sitting.

What to study

  • PSI North Dakota bulletin 10/1/2025

    PSI / NDREC

    $134. National 100/70. State 40/30. Recovery Fund is a scored state-outline topic (IV.C).

  • NDCC 43-23 and NDAC 70-02-01

    NDREC

    License law. Reciprocity. Fingerprints. Fund. Salesperson may sit before the 90; broker statute wants the 60 before the broker exam.

  • Live 2025–2026 CE grid (12 electives, no mandatory topics)

    NDREC Education page

    Nov. 16, 2025–Nov. 15, 2026. First-licensed-in-2026 salespersons exempt for first renewal. Miss Nov. 15, renew inactive.

  • Subdivided / out-of-state land sales registration

    NDCC / PSI state outline IV.A

    Scored additional topic. Not a Minnesota disclosure form.

05

Application costs

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

Fee Amount
Application$150
Examination$134
Initial license$20
Renewal (every year)$125
Fingerprints / background check$40

Live How to Apply: $150 nonrefundable application to NDREC. Credit-history fee $13 on the costs list / $11.25 in the payment paragraph making $161.25 combined — this hub does not invent which dollar is live; confirm the cart. PSI $134 one portion or both (CIB 10/1/2025). $40 fingerprint analysis payable to ND Attorney General, mailed with the cards to NDREC. $20 one-time Education, Research and Recovery Fund at Request to Issue (initialLicense in this object is that $20, not a second license fee). Reciprocal billed $181.25 including the $20. Rice E&O $187/calendar year as currently printed. Annual renewal $125 salesperson / $150 broker (SCRA paragraph + 2025 renewal memo). Late $100/month; cancel after January 15. Firm $200. Organization (personal corp/LLC payee) $200 one-time, not a firm license.

Commission

North Dakota Real Estate Commission

(701) 328-9749

NDCC 43-23 (especially 43-23-08, 43-23-08.1, 43-23-08.4) and 43-23.2 (Education, Research and Recovery Fund); NDAC 70-02-01
Pre-licensing

90-hour NDREC-certified salesperson prelicensure course (residents)

Live How to Apply salesperson tab (fetched 2026-09-02): resident applicant only — completed 90-hour, NDREC-certified salesperson prelicensure education course. Apply for licensure within 2 years of completing that course. Schools are certified by NDREC but priced independently. You can complete the course after applying and upload the certificate before issuance, but the license will not issue without it. NDCC 43-23-08(4): a salesperson applicant may take the licensing examination before fulfillment of the educational requirement; the Commission may not issue the license until the 90 hours are in. PSI bulletin: there are no eligibility requirements for the examination; salesperson applicants can test at any time and no longer need test codes. Reciprocal GA/IA/MN (licensed and living primarily there) skip the 90. A South Dakota 116-hour broker-associate certificate is not this 90.

Apply for licensure within 2 years of completing an NDREC-certified prelicensure course. PSI fee is good for 1 year from PSI receiving it.
Sponsoring broker

Active salesperson licenses require a designated broker and a firm. The Request to Issue Real Estate License must be signed by that ND-licensed broker. Inactive issuance is allowed; inactive licensees cannot conduct compensated North Dakota real estate business and can remain inactive indefinitely if they keep renewing annually.
Fingerprints

Two fingerprint cards sealed and initialed by the technician, Fingerprint Verification Form, Criminal History Record Check Request, $40 check or money order payable to the North Dakota Attorney General — all mailed to NDREC at 1120 College Dr Ste 204, Bismarck ND 58501-1225. Do not mail cards to the Attorney General. Do not fold or staple. Do not tamper with the seal. Cards are not sent for processing until NDREC has the license application. Results typically 1–2 weeks after weekly batching. Fingerprint kits are no longer mailed out; print the verification form from realestatend.org.
CE / renewal

Live NDREC Education page (fetched 2026-09-02), CE cycle Nov. 16, 2025 through Nov. 15, 2026 (NDAC 70-02-04): there are NO mandatory topic hours or courses for this CE cycle. Brokers, broker associates, and salespersons complete a total of 12 hours of elective topics. Salespersons first licensed in 2026 are exempt from CE for their first renewal (70-02-04-15). Brokers newly licensed after Nov. 15, 2026 who passed the broker exam this cycle are exempt this cycle. No grace period. No limit on hours in one day. If CE is not done by Nov. 15, renew inactive for 2027 then transfer to active after CE is complete. Nonresident/reciprocal licensees meet CE in their state of residence only (70-02-04-04). Licensees continuously licensed since Jan. 1, 1969 are exempt (43-23-08.2(3)). Live How to Apply SCRA paragraph still prints $125 salesperson / $150 broker annual renewal; 2025 renewal memo matches those dollars plus $100/month late. Confirm the live cart. Rice E&O $187/calendar year as currently printed. Inactive still renews annually with no time cap if renewed.
Recovery fund

Real Estate Education, Research and Recovery Fund, NDCC 43-23.2. One-time $20 paid to NDREC when you submit the Request to Issue, unless you have already paid into the fund. Reciprocal applicants are billed $181.25 up front including that $20; original applicants pay it at issuance. It is not E&O.
06

Mistakes that delay applicants

  • Mailing fingerprint cards to the Attorney General

    Mail the sealed packet to NDREC. The $40 check is payable to the AG; the envelope is not.

  • Claiming Minnesota reciprocity while living in Fargo, ND

    You must be licensed AND live primarily in GA, IA, or MN. A Minnesota pocket card plus a North Dakota address is the nonresident nonreciprocal path — sit the state paper.

  • Letting the 90-hour certificate age past two years

    NDREC: apply for licensure within 2 years of the certified course.

  • Paying PSI $131 because a blog said so

    Live bulletin is $134, one portion or both.

  • Skipping the $20 fund because you bought E&O

    Different instruments. Fund is NDCC 43-23.2; E&O is required separately to go active.

  • Inventing per-topic item counts for the 40-item state paper

    The PSI bulletin prints the topics, not the item bands. This hub will not invent 8 advertising items.

  • Treating 2025–2026 CE as a mandatory-topic cycle

    Live Education page: NO mandatory topic hours this cycle. 12 hours of electives. Miss Nov. 15 and renew inactive.

07

Reciprocity and recognition

Partner / path Accepted exam Conditions
Georgia — Current license in good standing AND primary residence in Georgia. Skip 90 hours and both PSI papers. Still fingerprints, credit, $20 fund, E&O, designated-broker hang.
Iowa — Current license in good standing AND primary residence in Iowa. Same skip. Still the rest of the file.
Minnesota — Current license in good standing AND primary residence in Minnesota. Same skip. A Minnesota license without Minnesota residence is not this path.

NDREC: if you are licensed in Minnesota, Iowa, or Georgia, the nonresident license is reciprocal — only those three, and only if you live primarily there. Nonresident nonreciprocal sits the state paper only. Certificates of licensure from every state, less than three months old on older guidelines; a pocket card is not a COL. Military SCRA portability is a separate five-criteria waiver (orders, good standing, 2-year recent use).

08

Renewal and staying active

Live NDREC Education page (fetched 2026-09-02), CE cycle Nov. 16, 2025 through Nov. 15, 2026 (NDAC 70-02-04): there are NO mandatory topic hours or courses for this CE cycle. Brokers, broker associates, and salespersons complete a total of 12 hours of elective topics. Salespersons first licensed in 2026 are exempt from CE for their first renewal (70-02-04-15). Brokers newly licensed after Nov. 15, 2026 who passed the broker exam this cycle are exempt this cycle. No grace period. No limit on hours in one day. If CE is not done by Nov. 15, renew inactive for 2027 then transfer to active after CE is complete. Nonresident/reciprocal licensees meet CE in their state of residence only (70-02-04-04). Licensees continuously licensed since Jan. 1, 1969 are exempt (43-23-08.2(3)). Live How to Apply SCRA paragraph still prints $125 salesperson / $150 broker annual renewal; 2025 renewal memo matches those dollars plus $100/month late. Confirm the live cart. Rice E&O $187/calendar year as currently printed. Inactive still renews annually with no time cap if renewed.

Applicant checklist

  • Age 18; online application only
  • 90-hour NDREC course (residents; ≤2 years)
  • PSI $134 — 100/70 and 40/30
  • Fingerprint packet mailed to NDREC with $40 to AG
  • $20 Recovery Fund at issuance
  • E&O and designated-broker hang to activate
09

How North Dakota is different

South Dakota: no original salesperson license; 116-hour broker associate; PSI; 60-day file. Minnesota: named reciprocal partner if you live there — a Minnesota license without Minnesota residence is the nonresident nonreciprocal ND state paper. Montana: 70 hours, Pearson. Wyoming: named Salesperson I, II, Wyoming Law, Pearson. Iowa: the other named reciprocal partner, and Iowa is also a reciprocal destination for ND licensees. North Dakota: 90 hours, PSI $134, raw cuts 70/30, $20 one-time recovery fund, reciprocity only GA/IA/MN, CE this cycle 12 electives with no mandatory topics.

10

Frequently asked questions

How many pre-license hours?
Ninety hours, NDREC-certified, for resident original salesperson applicants. Live How to Apply, fetched 2026-09-02. Apply within 2 years of the course. Reciprocal GA/IA/MN (licensed and living primarily there) skip it. NDCC 43-23-08(4) lets a salesperson sit PSI before the 90 are done; the license will not issue without the certificate.
Exam fee, items, time, cut?
PSI CIB 10/1/2025: $134 one portion or both. National 100 items (100 points), passing 70, 150 minutes. State 40 items (40 points), passing 30, 90 minutes. Unlimited retakes inside 12 months. Experimental 5–10 unscored against the clock. The state outline does not print per-topic item counts — this hub does not invent them.
Application vs issuance dollars?
Live How to Apply: $150 application. Credit-history fee $13 on the costs list / $11.25 in the payment paragraph ($161.25 combined there) — confirm the live cart rather than picking a blog. $40 prints to AG via NDREC. $20 Recovery Fund at Request to Issue. Reciprocal $181.25 including the $20.
Reciprocity?
Only Georgia, Iowa, and Minnesota, and only if you are licensed and live primarily in that state. A Minnesota pocket card plus a Fargo address is the nonresident nonreciprocal path — sit the ND state paper. Military SCRA portability is a separate five-criteria waiver.
CE this cycle?
Live Education page, CE cycle Nov. 16, 2025–Nov. 15, 2026: 12 hours of elective topics. NO mandatory topic hours this cycle. First-licensed-in-2026 salespersons are exempt for first renewal. Miss Nov. 15 and renew inactive.
Fingerprints?
Two cards sealed by the technician, Fingerprint Verification Form, Criminal History Record Check Request, $40 check payable to the ND Attorney General — all mailed to NDREC at 1120 College Dr Ste 204. Do not mail cards to the AG. One Forever stamp is not enough. Tampering with the seal denies the packet.
Wholesaling?
Live How to Apply: if you enter into an agreement to make income or profit from the transfer of or equitable interest in residential real property, you require a license and written disclosure. NDCC 43-23-06.1, 43-23-07.
What is scored North Dakota, not South Dakota trivia?
Education, Research, and Recovery Fund; broker associate as a named license type; GA/IA/MN reciprocity only if you live there; subdivided/out-of-state land sales registration. South Dakota will not issue you an original salesperson license — that is not this 90-hour hanging.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

  1. NDREC How to Apply (90 hours, $150, $20 fund, GA/IA/MN reciprocity, $40 prints)
  2. NDREC Exam Information (PSI; no test code)
  3. PSI North Dakota bulletin 10/1/2025 ($134; National 100/70; State 40/30)
  4. PSI ND CIB PDF hosted by NDREC (10/1/2025; $134; 100/70 + 40/30)
  5. NDREC Education (2025–2026: 12 elective hours, no mandatory topics)
  6. NDCC 43-23 and 43-23.2
  7. NDREC 2025 renewal memo ($125 salesperson / $150 broker; $100/month late)

Verified 2026-09-02  ·  Next scheduled review 2026-12-01