Real estate license requirements by state
This is the page that decides everything else. Pre-licensing education runs from 40 hours to 180 depending on where you intend to work — a difference between a couple of weekends and most of a semester — and the exam, the fees and the renewal rules move with it.
What every state asks for
The shape is the same everywhere even though the numbers are not. You complete approved pre-licensing education, apply to the state and clear a background check, pass an exam with a national and a state portion, and then find a broker to hold your license. What varies is how much of each.
Usually 18, occasionally 19. There is no degree requirement anywhere in the United States — real estate is unusual that way, and the pre-licensing course is the education requirement.
Approval is state by state. A school that is approved in your neighbor's state may not be approved in yours, which is the single most common mistake when buying a course.
Fingerprinting is effectively universal. This is usually the slowest step in the whole process, so start it early rather than after you pass.
Two portions in most states, scored separately, with the result given at the test center the same day.
In most states an entry-level license is not active until a broker holds it.
How different the states really are
| State | Pre-licensing | Exam | To pass | Exam fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 180 hours | 125 items, 240 min | 56/85 national, 28/50 state | $58 |
| California | 135 hours | 150 questions, 3 hrs | 70% | $100 |
| Florida | 63 hours | 100 questions, 210 min | 75 points | See note below |
| Michigan | 40 hours | See state handbook | See state handbook | See state handbook |
Verified from each state’s licensing authority or candidate handbook, September 2026. Florida’s current exam fee is not published as a figure by either the state or the testing vendor.
Texas asks for four and a half times as much classroom time as Michigan for what is, in both cases, an entry-level license. That is the reason nearly every question about becoming an agent has to start with “which state”.
Watch the vocabulary
Four states do not use the word salesperson for the entry-level license. Colorado, Illinois and Washington call it a broker license — Colorado has no salesperson license at all — and North Carolina calls it a provisional broker. If you are licensing in one of those four, national advice about “upgrading to broker” may be describing the license you already hold.
Per-state pages
All fifty states are covered below, each researched against that state’s own real estate commission and testing vendor rather than aggregated from prep-site summaries. Where a specific fee or figure couldn’t be confirmed from an official source, the page says so directly instead of guessing.
Education, exam, fingerprinting and license fees, itemized.
→Which license you are actually applying for.
→What reciprocity gets you, and what it does not.
→Common questions
Can I take another state's course if mine is not offered online?
No. Pre-licensing education has to be approved by the state that will issue your license. Course approval is the thing to check before buying, and it is why the large national providers cover very different numbers of states — one covers 41, another only 17.
Do I need to live in the state where I get licensed?
Usually not, but it can change the route. Many states offer non-resident licensure, and in Florida’s mutual recognition route being a non-resident is actually a condition of eligibility rather than an obstacle.
Does a criminal record disqualify me?
Not automatically, but every state runs a background check and each sets its own rules on what is disqualifying. If this applies to you, ask the state commission before paying for a course, not after.