Ohio 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 100 hours (40+40+10+10) at a Division-approved school

   HB 238 cut the requirement from 120 to 100 hours on April 9, 2025. Attorneys skip the 40-hour law block; Ohio appraisers skip the 10-hour appraisal block.

2. 2

   Get an Ohio broker to sign the examination application

   File at lpi.elicense.ohio.gov with the $81 nonrefundable fee. Paper applications are not accepted. This happens before PSI, not after.

3. 3

   Fingerprints to BCI&I / FBI within 10 days of the application

   Use Webcheck®. The Division will not finish your eligibility review without them.

4. 4

   Sit PSI (80 national + 40 state) in one session

   $66 combined, scaled 70 on each portion, 180 minutes. Pass both portions within 12 months of the CIB label date.

5. 5

   Receive the license; calendar the 20-hour post-license

   Due within 12 months of issuance. If you miss it, the statute suspends and then revokes the license. Your first licensing year ends on your next birthday.

6. 6

   After the first birthday renewal, track 30-hour CE every three birthdays

   3 civil rights, 3 core law, 3 canons of ethics, plus electives (R.C. 4735.141).

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

U.S. citizen or legal alien (proof required). Ohio residency is not independently required. High school diploma or equivalent if born after 1950. Sponsorship by an Ohio broker is required to apply.

Qualifying education

According to the Division's salesperson requirements page and the Education Requirements table in the PSI bulletin: Real Estate Principles and Practices 40 hours; Ohio Real Estate Law, including instruction in civil rights, housing discrimination and desegregation problems 40 hours; Real Estate Appraisal 10 hours; Real Estate Finance 10 hours. The HB 238 FAQ sets the effective date as April 9, 2025, states that new 10-hour Appraisal and Finance courses taken before that date satisfy the requirement, and states that 20-hour Appraisal and Finance courses still count if completed within the 10 years immediately before the current salesperson-exam application. The 40-hour law course is not required of an applicant admitted to the practice of law before the Supreme Court of Ohio (PSI bulletin footnote). If you have not held a real estate license within the four years before your current application, the salesperson page requires you to complete those courses within the 10 years before your application, from a postsecondary institution that awards at least a two-year (associate) degree. After issuance, R.C. 4735.09(J) requires 20 hours of post-licensure instruction within 12 months. Failure suspends the license automatically; failure to cure within 12 months of suspension revokes it automatically. Post-license education is not CE.

Education or filing deadline

Courses must be completed within 10 years if you have not been licensed in the previous four years. PSI requires you to pass both portions within 12 months of the date on the label of the initial Candidate Information Bulletin.

Character review

Honest and truthful. Disqualifying offenses are determined under R.C. 9.79. A civil-rights adjudication relevant to purchasers or sellers of real estate is a two-year bar unless the superintendent disregards it on a preponderance showing. Failing to disclose is disqualifying on its own.

Background process

BCI&I plus FBI fingerprints within 10 days of the application, through Webcheck®. Fingerprints taken through Michigan's Live Scan or Kentucky's IdentoGO process will not be posted by the Division in Reynoldsburg.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. A broker recommendation is required to sit the exam.

Broker affiliation

The salesperson application must include the recommendation of the broker with whom the applicant is associated or intends to be associated. In Ohio you apply before you test: the broker signs before the superintendent admits the applicant to PSI. A salesperson practices only under that broker.

PSI Services LLC, under contract to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing · Fee: $66

Take both portions in the same session unless you already passed one. Pass both within 12 months of the initial CIB label date. If you fail a portion, submit a retake service request and fee to the Division, then pay PSI again ($46/$43/$66). There is no statutory attempt cap inside the window. After 12 months, start over with a new Sales Exam Application.

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

R.C. 4735.09 / O.A.C. 1301:5-1-05: initial application $81, nonrefundable. PSI July 1, 2026 bulletin: combined salesperson $66, national-only $46, state-only $43. The exam fee is paid to PSI; retakes also require a Division retake service request. The initial licensing year ends on the first birthday after issuance, followed by three-year birthday cycles. A Recovery Fund special assessment of up to $10/year of a licensing period applies if the fund is under $250,000 on July 1 (R.C. 4735.12). The Webcheck fee is set by the BCI vendor and is not listed here.

• !

  Booking the exam before the broker signs

  According to PSI's instructions, the Division determines eligibility first, then PSI mails the CIB. Paper applications are not accepted; apply at lpi.elicense.ohio.gov.

• !

  Following an outdated 120-hour guide

  The Division's salesperson page, the PSI table, and the HB 238 FAQ list 40+40+10+10 = 100 hours, effective April 9, 2025. Older 20-hour appraisal/finance courses still count if completed within 10 years.

• !

  Missing 20-hour post-license

  R.C. 4735.09(J) suspends, then revokes. It is not a late fee and it is not CE.

• !

  Assuming a retake cap, or splitting portions on the first sitting

  Take both portions in the same session unless you already passed one. Pass both within 12 months of the CIB label date. If you fail a portion, file a retake service request with the Division, then pay PSI again.

• !

  Treating an Indiana broker license as an Ohio salesperson license

  Indiana abolished the salesperson title. Ohio still has one.

• !

  Assuming a 56/28 raw cut score

  The PSI table and the Division's page list 70%. They do not list 56 of 80 or 28 of 40 as official cut scores.

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  Mailing a paper application

  The bulletin states that paper applications are not accepted.

• !

  Letting fingerprints miss the 10-day window

  Per the bulletin, you have 10 days from submitting your application to the Division to get a BCI&I plus FBI background check.

• !

  Confusing Ohio's requirements with Kentucky's or Michigan's

  Kentucky uses the sales associate title, requires 96 hours, and requires FBI fingerprints before PSI. Michigan's statute sets 40 hours including 4 of civil rights. Ohio requires 40+40+10+10 hours, a broker signature before the exam, an $81 application, a first license year that ends on your birthday, and a 20-hour post-license course.

Any education or exam waivers Ohio offers are published by the Division; check there rather than relying on third-party reciprocity charts. An Indiana broker license is not an Ohio salesperson license — Indiana has no salesperson title.

Ohio 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.

Does Ohio issue a salesperson license?

Yes, according to the Division's salesperson requirements page. Neighboring Indiana does not issue that title, so Indiana's broker-entry terms do not apply in Ohio.

How many pre-licensing hours after HB 238?

The Division's salesperson requirements page, the PSI bulletin's Education Requirements table, and the HB 238 FAQ all list 40 Principles and Practices + 40 Ohio Real Estate Law (civil rights, housing discrimination, desegregation) + 10 Appraisal + 10 Finance = 100 hours, effective April 9, 2025. Older school guides that still say 120 hours are out of date.

Do old 20-hour appraisal/finance courses still count?

Yes, according to the HB 238 FAQ, if completed within the 10 years immediately before your current application for the salesperson exam. New 10-hour courses taken before April 9, 2025 also satisfy the requirement.

Can I book PSI before a broker signs?

No. According to PSI's instructions, you submit the License Exam Application at lpi.elicense.ohio.gov (paper applications are not accepted), Division staff process eligibility, and if you are approved, PSI mails you the Candidate Information Bulletin. R.C. 4735.09 requires the recommendation of the broker with whom the applicant is associated or intends to be associated.

Exam fee, items, time, cut?

Per the PSI table (7/1/2026): combined $66, national-only $46, state-only $43, not refundable or transferable. The salesperson national portion is 80 items (80 points) in 120 minutes at 70%; the state portion is 40 (40 points) in 60 minutes at 70%; together, 120 items in 180 minutes. The Division's page lists a passing score of 70. The bulletin does not publish a raw item cut score (70% of 80 is 56; 70% of 40 is 28), so those are not official cut scores.

What does the original application cost?

The Division's salesperson page lists the Salesperson Examination Application at $81.00, nonrefundable (R.C. 4735.09 / O.A.C. 1301:5-1-05). PSI charges a separate $66 (or $46/$43). The Webcheck® fee is set by the BCI vendor and is not listed on the Division or PSI pages.

Fingerprints?

According to the PSI bulletin, you submit one complete set of fingerprint impressions directly to the superintendent of BCI&I, FBI included, within 10 days of submitting your application to the Division. Ohio Webcheck® is the named channel.

What happens if I miss the 20-hour post-license?

R.C. 4735.09(J): the license suspends automatically. Failure to cure within 12 months of suspension revokes it automatically. It is not a late fee and it is not CE.

What CE applies after the first birthday?

The initial licensing year ends on the first birthday after issuance. After that, you need 30 hours on or before the birthday occurring every three years (R.C. 4735.141): at least 3 civil rights, 3 current state/federal legislation (core law), 3 canons of ethics, plus electives. Brokers and management-level licensees include a 3-hour principal-broker duties course inside the 30. A maximum of 10 extra hours may transfer, and you can earn a maximum of 8 hours credit in any one calendar day (O.A.C. 1301:5-7-02). Licensees 70 or older with an inactive license are exempt.

Retake rules?

Pass both portions within 12 months of the date on the label of the initial CIB. If you fail one or both, submit a retake application service request and fee to the Division, then pay PSI again. You must take both portions in the same session unless you previously passed a single portion. After 12 months, start over with a new Sales Exam Application. There is no statutory attempt cap inside the window.

Where is the Division and who seats the exam?

6606 Tussing Rd, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. (614) 466-4100. com.ohio.gov/divisions-and-programs/real-estate-and-professional-licensing. PSI: (855) 834-8749, test-takers.psiexams.com/ohre. The bulletin also offers a remote online proctored option.

What Ohio-specific topics are scored?

Ohio Fair Housing, the Canon of Ethics, the Recovery Fund (4 State Governance items), Broker Lien Law (broker-only), ancillary trustee (broker-only), and the 20-hour post-license suspend-then-revoke rule. This exam is not interchangeable with Indiana's 90-hour broker-entry license or Kentucky's 96-hour sales associate license.