How To Renew Your Real Estate License In California

You took the required real estate courses, passed the license exam, and have been working as a real estate agent in California for several years. Congratulations! Now, in order to keep your real estate license active, you’ll have to renew it periodically.

Step 1: Take Required Continuing Education (CE)

Before you reach the expiration date on your license, you’ll need to complete 45 hours of continuing education courses. These must be approved by the California Department of Real Estate (DRE). Which courses you have to take depends on the type of license you have and whether you’re renewing for the first time.

Real Estate Salespersons Renewing for the First Time

The 45 hours of continuing education for salespersons renewing their licenses for the first time must include:

• Four three-hour courses in agency, ethics, risk management, and trust fund handling

• One three-hour course, which includes an interactive component, in fair housing

• At least 18 hours of consumer protection courses

• One two-hour course in implicit bias training

• Additional courses needed to bring your CE course hour total to 45 hours

  • These remaining courses should be related to consumer service and/or consumer protection

Real Estate Brokers and Officers Renewing for the First Time

The 45 hours of continuing education for brokers renewing their licenses for the first time must include:

• Five three-hour courses in agency, ethics, risk management, trust fund handling, and management and supervision

• One three-hour course, which includes an interactive component, in fair housing

• At least 18 hours of consumer protection courses

• One two-hour course in implicit bias training

• Additional courses needed to bring your CE course hour total to 45 hours

  • These remaining courses should be related to consumer service and/or consumer protection

Real Estate Salespersons, Brokers, and all Other Licensees Seeking a Second or Subsequent Renewal

All real estate licensees must take 45 CE hours for second and subsequent renewals. The courses must include:

• Coursework that covers seven mandatory subjects. These are agency, ethics, fair housing, implicit bias training, management and supervision, risk management, and trust fund handling.

  • You can complete a single nine-hour survey course covering all seven of the mandatory subjects. Or, you can choose instead to take individual courses in the seven subjects.

• At least 18 hours of consumer protection courses

• Additional courses needed to bring your CE course hour total to 45 hours

  • These remaining courses should be related to consumer service and/or consumer protection

Step 2: Submit the Renewal Application

After you’ve completed the continuing education courses, you can submit a renewal application. You can fill out paper forms and mail them in, but the quickest and easiest way to submit is online through the eLicensing system. You’ll be asked for some basic information as well as the course numbers and completion dates of your continuing education courses.

If you prefer to file your application by mail or in person, print and fill out the Continuing Education Course Verification Form (RE 251) form. Also, print and fill out the application form that corresponds to your role:

• Salesperson Renewal Application (RE 209)

• Broker Renewal Application (RE 208)

• Corporation Officer Renewal Application (RE 207)

Step 3: Pay the Renewal Fee

As of June 2024, the on-time renewal fees for real estate salespersons are $350. For brokers and officers, on-time fees are $450.

Did you forget to renew on time? The late renewal fees jump up to $525 for salespersons and $675 for brokers and officers. You also won’t be able to do anything that requires an active real estate license until you complete your renewal.

Play it safe. Take your continuing education well in advance, and renew early to keep your transactions on track.

How Long Is the Real Estate License Good For?

You have to renew your license every four years. The deadline to renew is the expiration date listed on your license.

You can submit your application for renewal as early as 90 days before the expiration date up to just before midnight on the expiration date. For an online application, the submission time is when the application is complete. For a mailed-in application, the submission time is the time of the postmark. As long as your application is on time, you can keep on operating under your existing license even after the expiration date.

If you don’t renew your application on time, you can still renew it for up to two years after the expiration date. However, you won’t be able to conduct any activities that require a California real estate license until you renew it.