Real estate license requirements by state

Entry-level requirements in every state, side by side

The first license costs more time in some states than others. Required pre-license education runs from 40 hours in Alaska to 180 hours in Texas; the median across jurisdictions that print a clean total is 77 hours. Fees vary just as widely, and so does who writes the exam. Sort the table to find the shortest path, then open the guide for the sequence and deadlines that apply.

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. Select a column heading to sort.

Quickest, longest, cheapest, and most expensive

Rankings use only the hour totals and commission fees printed in each guide. Lower hours do not always mean a faster license: some short-course states add post-license education within the first year, and fingerprint or application backlogs can matter more than classroom time.

Who writes the exam

Most commissions contract the exam to a testing company and publish a candidate handbook with the question count, time limit, and passing standard. Two jurisdictions write and seat their own. Knowing the vendor tells you which handbook to read and where retakes are scheduled.

PSI · 26 jurisdictions

Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington

Pearson VUE · 23 jurisdictions

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

California DRE · 1 jurisdiction

California

New York DOS · 1 jurisdiction

New York

Not every state calls it a salesperson license

16 of 51 jurisdictions use a different name for the first credential. Use the title the commission uses when you search for schools and fill out forms, or you may end up with the wrong application.

• Colorado — Associate Broker
• Florida — Sales Associate
• Illinois — Broker
• Indiana — Broker
• Kentucky — Sales Associate
• Maine — Sales Agent
• New Mexico — Associate Broker
• North Carolina — Provisional Broker
• Oklahoma — Provisional Sales Associate
• Oregon — Broker
• South Carolina — Associate
• South Dakota — Broker Associate
• Tennessee — Affiliate Broker
• Texas — Sales Agent
• Utah — Sales Agent
• Washington — Broker

Broker licenses compared

Broker requirements add experience on top of education, and the experience rules rarely travel between states. Hours here are broker-level coursework only; most states also require years of licensed practice, shown in each guide.

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. Select a column heading to sort.