Oregon real estate licensing
Oregon Principal Broker License requirements
A practical, source-checked guide to qualifying, passing the exam, applying, and keeping this license active.
By Gabriel Giner, Editor · Verified · RE License Guide Editorial Desk
- Required education
- 40-hour Brokerage Administration and Sales Supervision (BASS: 15 brokerage-business/supervision + 25 principles review); out-of-state applicants also complete the 150-hour seven-course broker study
- Exam fee
- $75
- Published fees
- $300
- Typical timeline
- Three years of active licensed time is the long pole
What to know first
An Oregon principal broker license is not a weekend add-on to the entry broker 150. The live Principal Broker Licensing page (fetched 2026-09-02) wants age 18, high school / GED / international equivalent, and three years of active real estate license experience. Current Oregon brokers: apply for a principal broker license and pay the $300 nonrefundable application fee in the existing eLicense account (User ID is the license number — do not register a new account); complete the 40-hour Brokerage Administration and Sales Supervision (BASS) course from a certified continuing education provider; give the provider your license number and full name; the BASS provider makes you eligible to sit; then PSI. Out-of-state applicants: register in eLicense, apply and pay $300, upload a certified license history from the state where the active experience was obtained, complete the 150-hour broker pre-license course of study AND the 40-hour BASS, then PSI and fingerprints.
OAR 863-022-0025 names BASS: 40 clock-hours allocated 15 hours brokerage business, supervision and legal requirements (supervising licensees, independent contractors and employees, financial records, property management) plus 25 hours review of real estate principles and practices (Law, Oregon Practice, Finance, Contracts, Agency Law, Property Management, Real Estate Brokerage). Pass a final at 75%. BASS is eligible for CE credit. A Washington designated-broker course and an Idaho Brokerage Management 28 will not post as BASS.
PSI bulletin 3376: Principal Broker National 75 items (80 points; some items scored up to two points), 150 minutes; Principal Broker State 50 items (50 points), 90 minutes; 75% on each; $75; 12-month split. Do not sit the entry-broker 80-item national paper as a principal-broker candidate. After passing, work under an existing registered business name (managing principal broker adds the license in eLicense, even if you currently work there) or register your own business name and become the managing principal broker. Existing Oregon licensees do not reprint; out-of-state applicants fingerprint at PSI. Scores good one year. One license at a time — the principal-broker hanging replaces the broker hanging.
Your path to the license
Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.
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Document three years of active real estate license experience
Out-of-state: certified history uploaded with the $300 eLicense application. Current Oregon brokers: use the existing account (license number as User ID).
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40-hour BASS (15+25) at 75%; out-of-state applicants also complete the 150-hour seven-course study
Certified CE provider notifies PSI. Entry-broker 150 is not BASS.
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PSI $75 principal-broker paper: 75 items/80 points/150 min + 50/90 min at 75%
Do not sit the entry-broker 80-item national paper. Scores good one year. Out-of-state applicants fingerprint at PSI.
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Join an existing registered business name or register your own (managing principal broker)
eLicense add even if you already work there. One license at a time. First active principal-broker renewal: Fair Housing + LARRC + Principal Broker Advanced Practices (OAR 863-022-0021 assessment).
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
- Live Principal Broker page: three years of active real estate license experience. Out-of-state: upload a certified license history from the state where that experience was obtained, then take the 150 plus BASS. Current Oregon brokers use the existing eLicense account (license number as User ID).
- Qualifying education
- Live Principal Broker page and OAR 863-022-0025 (fetched 2026-09-02). BASS is 40 clock-hours from a certified continuing education provider, 75% course final, eligible for CE credit. 15 hours brokerage business, supervision and legal requirements; 25 hours review of the seven broker topics. Current Oregon brokers: BASS only. Out-of-state: 150-hour broker course of study plus BASS. The provider notifies PSI when you are eligible. Entry-broker 150 is not BASS.
- Education or filing deadline
- PSI scores good one year. Confirm any BASS-to-exam clock on the live application rather than inventing one the Principal Broker page did not print.
- Character review
- Same ORS 696.022 trustworthy-and-competent review. Out-of-state applicants complete the full background-check disclosure grid.
- Background process
- Existing Oregon licensees: Agency clearance on the file, no new PSI prints (bulletin). Unlicensed / out-of-state: PSI digital fingerprints.
- Experience
- Three years of active real estate license experience (live Principal Broker page). Out-of-state: certified license history from the state where the experience was obtained.
- Broker affiliation
- A principal broker may conduct professional real estate activity individually or with other licensees, and may supervise brokers, property managers, other principal brokers, and timeshare sales agents if they are the managing principal broker for the registered business name or authorized under a written supervisory agreement with the managing principal broker (live Principal Broker page). Registering your own business name makes you the managing principal broker. Adding a principal-broker license into an existing business is an eLicense step the current managing principal broker must take even if you already work there. One license at a time.
Documents to prepare
- eLicense principal-broker application + $300 (existing account if already an Oregon broker)
- 40-hour BASS at 75% (plus 150-hour seven-course study if not already an Oregon broker)
- Certified license history (out-of-state)
- PSI principal-broker 75 items/80 points/150 min + 50/90 min at 75%
- Registered business name or managing-principal-broker eLicense add
- Fingerprints if unlicensed in Oregon
The licensing exam
PSI principal-broker paper, $75, 75% each section. National: 75 items carrying 80 points (some two-point items) / 150 minutes — 60 of 80 points, not 57 of 75. State: 50 items / 90 minutes. 12-month split. National principal-broker weights: ownership 10%, land use 5%, valuation 8%, financing 9%, contracts 19%, agency 13%, disclosures 7%, property management 5% (heavier than the entry-broker 3%), transfer 6%, practice 12% including broker supervisory responsibilities, calculations 6%. State principal-broker outline keeps Oregon statutes, client funds, disclosed limited agency, and shifts Regulation of Broker Activities toward principal-broker supervision, registered business names, and document-review clocks. Reactivation (if inactive more than two years) is a different 48-item / 120-minute paper, not this sitting.
PSI after the BASS provider (or school, for out-of-state) notifies eligibility. Sit the principal-broker series, not the entry-broker 80-item national paper. · Fee: $75
| Part | Questions | Minutes | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principal Broker National | 75 | 150 | 75 items / 80 points (some two-point); 150 minutes; 75% = 60 of 80 points, not 57 of 75. $75. Heavier property-management and supervisory buckets than the entry-broker paper |
| Principal Broker Oregon State | 50 | 90 | 50 items / 90 minutes / 75%. Supervision, registered business names, document-review clocks, client trust accounts, disclosed limited agency, Oregon statutes. 12-month split |
Same $75-per-attempt / 12-month split / one-year score-life rules as entry broker. Do not sit the broker 80-item national paper.
What to study
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Brokerage Administration and Sales Supervision (BASS, 40 hours, 15+25)
Certified CE provider
OAR 863-022-0025. 75% final. Not the entry-broker 150. Eligible for CE.
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PSI bulletin 3376 principal-broker table (75 items/80 points/150 min + 50/90 min)
PSI / Oregon REA
Do not sit the entry-broker 80-item national paper. Supervisory responsibilities are scored.
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Registered business name / managing principal broker responsibilities
Oregon REA eLicense guides
Issuance waits on the eLicense add or the business-name approval. One license at a time.
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 | $300 |
| Examination | $75 |
| Initial license | $300 |
| Renewal (every 2 years) | $300 |
| Fingerprints / background check | $61.25 |
Live Principal Broker page: $300 nonrefundable application fee. Same $300 / $150 renewal rows as broker (live renewal page). PSI $75. Fingerprints $61.25 on bulletin 3376 only if you are unlicensed in Oregon — existing Oregon licensees do not reprint. Application and initialLicense are the same $300, not stacked. Registered-business-name fees are a separate eLicense product this hub does not freeze from a school flyer.
| Commission | Oregon Real Estate Agency (503) 378-4170 ORS 696 (including 696.010 professional real estate activity, 696.022 trustworthy and competent, 696.375 Agency). OAR 863-014 (licensing) and 863-022 (education), including 863-022-0010 (150 clock-hours in seven named broker courses), 863-022-0020 / 0021 (Advanced Practices first active renewal), 863-022-0025 (40-hour BASS for principal broker). PSI Oregon Real Estate Agency Candidate Information Bulletin at test-takers.psiexams.com/orre (bulletin 3376, fetched 2026-09-02). Email orea.info@rea.oregon.gov. Hours 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday excluding holidays. |
|---|---|
| Pre-licensing | 40-hour Brokerage Administration and Sales Supervision (BASS: 15 brokerage-business/supervision + 25 principles review); out-of-state applicants also complete the 150-hour seven-course broker study Live Principal Broker page and OAR 863-022-0025 (fetched 2026-09-02). BASS is 40 clock-hours from a certified continuing education provider, 75% course final, eligible for CE credit. 15 hours brokerage business, supervision and legal requirements; 25 hours review of the seven broker topics. Current Oregon brokers: BASS only. Out-of-state: 150-hour broker course of study plus BASS. The provider notifies PSI when you are eligible. Entry-broker 150 is not BASS. PSI scores good one year. Confirm any BASS-to-exam clock on the live application rather than inventing one the Principal Broker page did not print. |
| Sponsoring broker | A principal broker may conduct professional real estate activity individually or with other licensees, and may supervise brokers, property managers, other principal brokers, and timeshare sales agents if they are the managing principal broker for the registered business name or authorized under a written supervisory agreement with the managing principal broker (live Principal Broker page). Registering your own business name makes you the managing principal broker. Adding a principal-broker license into an existing business is an eLicense step the current managing principal broker must take even if you already work there. One license at a time. |
| Fingerprints | Existing Oregon real estate licensees do not reprint (PSI bulletin). Out-of-state / unlicensed principal-broker applicants fingerprint at PSI ($61.25 on bulletin 3376). Clearance good one year. Live Principal Broker page: the Agency clears the background check before issuance. |
| CE / renewal | Same 30-hour machine as brokers, with Principal Broker Advanced Practices (OAR 863-022-0021) on first active principal-broker renewal instead of Broker Advanced Practices. HB 3137 Fair Housing 2 + LARRC 2/3 + AP 26/27 on or after January 1, 2026. Later renewals: Fair Housing + LARRC + electives to 30. Inactive: no CE at renewal. Inactive more than 2 years: reactivation exam plus the CE grid. Same $300+$150 / $150+$150 late windows and one-year lapse as brokers (live renewal page). |
| Recovery fund | Same as entry broker: no separately itemized recovery-fund dollar on the live pages. $300 application / $300 active renewal / $150 inactive. |
Mistakes that delay applicants
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Sitting the entry-broker 80-item national paper
Principal broker national is 75 items / 80 points. Cut is 60 of 80, not 57 of 75.
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Skipping BASS because you already took the 150
BASS is a different 40 hours (15+25). Out-of-state applicants take both.
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Registering a new eLicense account as a current Oregon broker
User ID is the license number. Do not create a second account.
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Supervising without being the managing principal broker or having a written supervisory agreement
Live Principal Broker page. Registering a business name is what makes you the managing principal broker.
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Expecting a Washington designated-broker course to swallow BASS
No named-partner reciprocity chart. Certified history + 150 + BASS + the Oregon principal-broker paper.
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Renewing on Broker Advanced Practices instead of Principal Broker Advanced Practices after the upgrade
OAR 863-022-0021 case-study assessment is a different product. Fair Housing 2 still applies on or after January 1, 2026.
Reciprocity and recognition
| Partner / path | Accepted exam | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| No formal bilateral reciprocity is published for this credential. | ||
No named-partner chart on the live Principal Broker page. Out-of-state path is certified history + 150 + BASS + principal-broker exam + fingerprints, not a salesperson-certificate swap. BASS is not waived because another state issued a designated-broker title.
Renewal and staying active
Same 30-hour machine as brokers, with Principal Broker Advanced Practices (OAR 863-022-0021) on first active principal-broker renewal instead of Broker Advanced Practices. HB 3137 Fair Housing 2 + LARRC 2/3 + AP 26/27 on or after January 1, 2026. Later renewals: Fair Housing + LARRC + electives to 30. Inactive: no CE at renewal. Inactive more than 2 years: reactivation exam plus the CE grid.
Late renewal: Same $300+$150 / $150+$150 late windows and one-year lapse as brokers (live renewal page).
Managing principal broker responsibilities attach to the registered business name. Written supervisory agreements are required to supervise if you are not the managing principal broker.
Applicant checklist
- Three years active licensed experience (certified history if out of state)
- eLicense principal-broker application + $300 (existing account if already an Oregon broker)
- 40-hour BASS at 75% (+ 150-hour seven-course study if not already an Oregon broker)
- PSI $75 principal-broker paper: 75 items/80 points/150 min + 50/90 min at 75%
- Registered business name or managing-principal-broker eLicense add; fingerprints if unlicensed in Oregon
- First active principal-broker renewal: Fair Housing + LARRC + Principal Broker Advanced Practices
How Oregon is different
Washington designated broker and Idaho designated broker (BCOO / Brokerage Management 28) are different named-hour grids. Oregon principal broker is three years active plus 40-hour BASS (15+25) at a 75% course final, then PSI 75 items/80 points/150 min + 50/90 min at 75%. Out-of-state applicants also take the 150.
Frequently asked questions
- How much experience?
- Live Principal Broker page: three years of active real estate license experience. Out-of-state: certified license history from that state.
- What is BASS?
- Brokerage Administration and Sales Supervision, 40 hours under OAR 863-022-0025: 15 hours brokerage business/supervision/legal plus 25 hours review of the seven broker topics. 75% course final. Certified CE provider. Eligible for CE credit. Entry-broker 150 is not BASS.
- Do out-of-state principal-broker applicants skip the 150?
- No. Live Principal Broker page: 150-hour broker pre-license course of study AND the 40-hour BASS, then the principal-broker exam and fingerprints.
- Is the national paper still 80 items?
- No. Principal broker national is 75 items carrying 80 points (some two-point) in 150 minutes. Cut is 75% = 60 of 80 points. Do not sit the entry-broker 80-item paper.
- Do I fingerprint again?
- Existing Oregon licensees: no (PSI bulletin). Out-of-state / unlicensed: yes, $61.25 on bulletin 3376. Clearance good one year.
- Can I keep the broker hanging and add principal broker?
- No. One license at a time. The principal-broker hanging replaces the broker hanging.
- What CE do principal brokers take on first active renewal?
- Fair Housing 2 + LARRC 2/3 + Principal Broker Advanced Practices 26/27 (HB 3137 as of January 1, 2026), with the OAR 863-022-0021 case-study assessment (authorized principal broker, associated brokers, harm to a client, buyer/seller conflict; identify risks, office policies, supervision/training, communication/conflict resolution, standard of care). Later renewals: Fair Housing + LARRC + electives to 30.
Primary Sources
Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.
- Oregon REA Principal Broker Licensing (3 years active; 40-hour BASS; $300; out-of-state also takes the 150)
- OAR 863-022-0025 (BASS 40 hours: 15 supervision + 25 principles review; 75% final; CE-eligible)
- Oregon REA Offer Principal Broker Pre-License Education (BASS from a certified CE provider; provider notifies PSI)
- PSI bulletin 3376 (principal broker 75 items/80 points/150 min + 50/90 min; 75%; $75)
- HB 3137 / Principal Broker Advanced Practices assessment (OAR 863-022-0021)
Verified 2026-09-02 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-01