California Real Estate License Renewal and Continuing Education FAQs

Have questions about your California real estate license renewal & continuing education? Check Rockwell’s list of frequently asked questions (FAQ):

How often is a California real estate agent required to renew his or her license?
What if I miss the renewal deadline?
What are the requirements for on-time license renewal?
What are the requirements for late renewal?
What are the continuing education requirements for a real estate salesperson?
What are the continuing education requirements for a real estate broker?
Does continuing education course credit expire?
Can continuing education courses be used to fulfill the 18-month conditional license requirement?
Is anyone exempt from continuing education requirements?

Question: How often is a California real estate agent required to renew his or her license?

Answer: A California real estate salesperson or broker’s license must be renewed every four years, or it will expire. The license can be renewed as early as 90 days before its expiration date. (The expiration date is listed on the license.)

Question: What if I miss the renewal deadline?

Answer: If a real estate license is not renewed by the expiration date, the license expires and the agent is no longer authorized to engage in any activities for which a license is required. However, late renewal is allowed within two years of the expiration date. (Exception: Late renewal is not allowed for a conditional license that was suspended for failure to meet the 18-month conditional license requirements.)

Question: What are the requirements for on-time license renewal?

Answer: A real estate license can be renewed online, through the Department of Real Estate’s website, or by mail. To renew, the agent must submit:

a completed renewal application form (for a salesperson, DRE form RE 209; for a broker, RE 208);
a completed continuing education course verification form (DRE form RE 251);
the appropriate renewal fee; and
if paying by credit card, DRE form RE 909.

Note that course attendance certificates for continuing education courses should NOT be submitted with the renewal application.
If you are a resident alien with temporary status, you will have to submit proof of legal presence in the U.S. along with your license renewal application (see the DRE website for more information). This is generally not required as part of the license renewal process for U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens.
The renewal fee can be paid by check, cashier’s check, money order, or credit card. A check or money order should be made payable to the Department of Real Estate. As noted above, if you’re paying by credit card, DRE form RE 909 must be submitted with the other documents.

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Question: What are the requirements for late renewal?

Answer: Late renewal requires submission of all of the same documents as on-time renewal, but the fee for late renewal is higher than the regular renewal fee. If the completed documents and the late renewal fee are not received by the DRE within two years after the date the license expired, all license rights are lost. (To become licensed again, the former licensee would have to meet all of the requirements for an original license application, including passing the state licensing exam again.)

Question: What are the continuing education requirements for a real estate salesperson?

Answer: If you obtained your salesperson’s license before October 1, 2007, you must complete five separate three-hour DRE-approved continuing education courses in Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Fair Housing, and Risk Management before you renew your license for the first time.
If you obtained your salesperson's license after October 1, 2007, you must complete the following courses in order to renew your license for the first time:

Five separate three-hour DRE-approved continuing education courses in Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Fair Housing, and Risk Management;
A minimum of 18 clock hours of consumer protection courses; and
The remaining clock hours required to complete the 45 hours of continuing education may be either consumer service or consumer protection courses.

For each subsequent renewal, the agent is required to complete 45 clock hours of DRE-approved continuing education courses. These hours must include:

Either 12 hours of continuing education courses in the following subjects: (Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, and Fair Housing) OR one six-hour course that covers the four mandatory subjects (Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, and Fair Housing);
One three-hour course in Risk Management;
At least 18 clock hours of consumer protection courses; and
The remaining clock hours required to complete the 45 hours of continuing education may be related to either consumer service or consumer protection courses.

All courses used for license renewal must have been taken within the four-year period immediately preceding the effective date of renewal. (The effective date of renewal is ordinarily the day after the license expiration date.)

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Question: What are the continuing education requirements for a real estate broker?

Answer: Before renewing a broker’s license for the first time, the broker must complete 45 clock hours of DRE-approved continuing education courses. These hours must include:

four separate three-hour courses in Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, and Fair Housing;
a minimum of 18 hours of consumer protection courses; and
the remaining 15 hours in either consumer service or consumer protection courses.

For each subsequent renewal, a broker must meet the same continuing education requirements as a salesperson (see above). All courses used for license renewal must have been taken within the four-year period immediately preceding the effective date of renewal. (The effective date of renewal is ordinarily the day after the license expiration date.)

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Question: Does continuing education course credit expire?

Answer: Yes. Continuing education credit expires four years after the course was taken. If a license is renewed on time, the continuing education courses used for the renewal must have been taken within the four-year period immediately preceding the effective date of renewal. (The effective date of renewal is ordinarily the day after the license expiration date.) If a license is renewed late, the continuing education courses must have been taken within the four-year period immediately preceding the date the renewal application is received by the DRE.

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Question: Can continuing education courses be used to fulfill the 18-month conditional license requirement?

Answer: No. Agents who took only the Real Estate Principles course, then applied for and received their real estate licenses prior to October 1, 2007, were issued a conditional license. These conditional licenses will be suspended if these agents do not take two additional courses within 18 months of licensure. The two courses that a real estate salesperson must take (Real Estate Practice and an elective) must be approved by the DRE as “statutory courses,” not continuing education courses. Statutory courses are courses that the DRE has approved for fulfillment of original licensing requirements and exam qualification.
The distinction between statutory courses and continuing education courses can be confusing, because a statutory course may have the same subject matter as a continuing education course. For example, a course in Real Estate Appraisal might be either a statutory course (approved as an elective to fulfill the 18-month conditional license requirement) or a continuing education course (approved to fulfill the continuing education requirement for license renewal). When you’re registering for a course to fulfill the 18-month requirement, make sure it has been approved as a statutory course. When you’re registering for a course to fulfill the continuing education requirement, make sure it has been approved for continuing education credit. This should be clear from the registration materials; if it isn’t, ask the course provider.

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Question: Is anyone exempt from continuing education requirements?

Answer: A licensee 70 years old or older is not required to fulfill the continuing education requirements if he or she has been a real estate licensee in good standing for at least 30 years. The licensee must submit proof that he or she qualifies for this exemption to the DRE.

In Loving Memory of Dave Rockwell
1943 - 2009

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