Obtaining a California Real Estate Broker License is crucial if you’re looking to advance your real estate career. Despite the streamlined online application process, many aspiring real estate brokers find the requirements and procedures complex and challenging.
This How to Get a Broker License in California article will guide you through each step of the process, ensuring you have a clear understanding of what it takes to achieve this license and elevate your real estate career as quickly as possible.
Recommended: Interested in getting started? We recommend The CE Shop’s online pre licensing education packages due to their high-quality study resources, money-back-guarantee, and flexible pricing.
The CE Shop
In order to get your California real estate broker license and take your career to the next level, there are several key steps you’ll need to complete. These include:
In the sections below, we’ve explored each of these steps in more detail.
Note: If you’re just starting out, you’ll need to check out our California Real Estate License guide instead.
Before proceeding with the application process for your California broker license, you’ll need to first make sure that you meet the general prerequisites outlined under the Cal. Code Regs., Title 10, Article 4:
In addition to the general eligibility requirements outlined above, you’ll also be expected to have obtained at least two years of experience (out of the immediately preceding five-year period) as a full-time, licensed salesperson per Cal. Code Regs., Title 10, § 2724.
Importantly, for the purposes of the above requirement, “full-time salesperson activity” is classified as a minimum of 40 hours a week spent working on activities that require a real estate license to be performed. You’ll need to fill out Form RE 226 with your qualifying experience and submit it alongside your application to take the California Broker Exam (see Step 3).
Alternatively, the DRE allows applicants to satisfy this requirement with either of the following in lieu of the above experience:
Note: You can read about the education and equivalent activities you may use in lieu of experience to satisfy this requirement on the DRE website.
Beyond the general requirements mentioned earlier, you must also fulfill specific educational prerequisites to be able to apply for a California real estate broker license.
In particular, this will involve completing a minimum of eight mandatory college-level courses, including:
It’s worth noting that if you complete both Real Estate Economics and Accounting, you’ll only be required to finish two elective courses.
On top of the educational requirements listed above, as per the legal revisions that took effect Jan. 1, 2024, you must complete a Real Estate Practice course containing modules on:
Even though completing a course is mandatory, it would be a mistake to think of it as just “checking a box”. This is because your pre-licensing education is what will prepare you to both pass your exam and become a licensed broker.
For this reason, we always encourage our readers to invest in high-quality and reliable courses, as their study materials (like real estate practice tests and flashcards) can be invaluable during the exam prep stage.
Recommended Course
Interested in getting started? We recommend The CE Shop’s online pre licensing education packages due to their high-quality study resources, money-back-guarantee, and flexible pricing.
The CE Shop
Note: If you’re a member of the California State Bar, you won’t have to meet these educational requirements as long as you can prove your ability to actively practice law in the state.
The DRE administers this multiple-choice exam in an electronic format at the state’s five exam centers, including:
Before taking this exam, you’ll need to obtain authorization from the DRE to take it and pay a $150 examination fee. We normally recommend applying online because it’s much quicker and more convenient, but you also may use Form RE 400B to apply by mail if you prefer.
This typically takes between two and four weeks to be processed, after which you should receive a notification from the DRE by email that you’re eligible to take the exam. You can ensure you’re eligible in advance by confirming you have everything on the Exam/License Application Checklist ready.
Once approved, you’ll need to make an online reservation using the DRE’s eLicensing system. Note that you’ll need to create an account for this service if this is your first time using it, after which you’ll be shown step-by-step instructions on how to complete your reservation.
Keep in mind that you’ll be required to pay a $150 fee at the time of reservation because you can’t pay this at the exam center. This fee remains the same whether you’re taking this exam for the first time or retaking it.
In order to pass, you’ll need to obtain a score of at least 75% overall. You’ll find out how you performed on this exam immediately after finishing when you receive your official Exam Result Notice. This’ll only contain an exact score if you failed; otherwise it’ll just show that you passed the exam.
Note: While you’re also able to use Form RE 436 to apply for this exam and your license at the same time ($600 fee), we don’t recommend this because it requires you to distract yourself with the fingerprinting process during your exam preparation.
Once you successfully pass the California broker licensing exam, the next step involves completing a background check.
This process begins by having your fingerprints taken at your nearest Live Scan service provider. After your fingerprints have been processed, you must send a copy of the completed Live Scan Service Request (Form RE 237) to the DRE when you submit your application (see Step 5).
The FBI will then review your background and provide a report to the DRE, which will assess your eligibility for a career in the real estate field. If any issues arise during this review, the DRE may reach out to you to request further documentation.
Note: You’ll have to pay a $49 fee to the California Department of Justice — plus an additional fee to the Live Scan service provider — to submit your fingerprints to the DRE.
After passing this background check and ensuring that you satisfy all other licensing requirements, you’ll be ready to move on to submitting your license application.
The quickest and easiest way to submit your broker license application is through the DRE’s eLicensing system for a fee of $450. While completing this electronic application, you’ll also be prompted to upload all of the following documents:
If you’d prefer to file your application by mail, you’ll instead need to file a combined Exam/License application using Form RE 436 and send it — along with all of the documents listed above — to the following address:
Department of Real Estate
P.O. Box 137002
Sacramento, CA 95813-7002
If you decide to use this joint application form, however, you must complete the background check step before taking the licensing exam instead of after it.
If you’ve managed to get this far, congratulations!
If you completed the background check step after passing the broker licensing exam, you’ll just need to wait for the DRE to review and clear the report it’ll receive from the FBI. Once this happens, you should receive a notice that you’re able to download your new license from the DRE website.
If you instead completed the fingerprinting process before taking the exam, however, you’ll just need to wait for the DRE to process your joint Exam/License application. This typically takes around two to four weeks. Visit the DRE’s Current Processing Timeframes page for the most up-to-date estimation of how long application processing will take.
Be sure to take some time to celebrate your accomplishment. You’ve put in a lot of work and effort and deserve a celebration!
Note: If you’re not sure what’s happening with your license and it’s been longer than expected, contact the DRE by phone.
In order to keep your real estate broker license valid, you’ll need to renew it every four years. In California, you can either do this online through the DRE’s eLicensing system or by filing all of the following by mail:
But, you must first complete the required continuing education (CE) hours before you can submit a renewal application for your broker license.
For your first renewal as a real estate broker, this will involve completing 45 hours of post-licensing education broken down as follows:
For each subsequent renewal period, you must complete 45 hours of CE courses divided up as follows:
We always encourage our readers to think of the post licensing course they take as an investment in their future career — higher quality, more reliable course content is a central part of ensuring you continue to grow professionally.
Recommended: Interested in getting started? We recommend The CE Shop’s online post-licensing education packages due to their high-quality study resources, money-back guarantee, and flexible pricing.
The CE Shop
Mailing Address:
651 Bannon Street, Suite 500
Sacramento, CA 95811
Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm
Phone: (877) 373-4542
Generally, the process can take anywhere from several months to more than a year. This should be enough time to complete the required college-level courses at an accredited institution or private real estate school, gain the necessary real estate experience, and pass the broker licensing exam.
The total cost of obtaining a broker license typically ranges from several hundred dollars up to $1,000. Key expenses include a $450 application fee, a $150 exam fee, and a $49 fingerprinting fee. However, you’ll also need to budget for the costs associated with the required college-level courses, study materials, and even exam prep courses.
For more information, see our How to Become a Real Estate Broker guide.
Firstly, you must have a minimum of two years of full-time real estate experience as a licensed salesperson within the last five years (or its equivalent). Additionally, you must then complete the eight mandatory college-level real estate courses before passing the California broker licensing exam and completing a background check.
The California broker exam is widely considered to be challenging — even for those with experience in the real estate industry.
It covers a broad range of topics, including loan brokering and lending, advanced legal aspects of real estate, and finance. This means candidates must have a deep understanding of each area in order to achieve the minimum passing score of 75%.
Information on this page was researched and gathered from a multitude of sources and was most recently updated on August 16, 2024
Any Information on this site is not guaranteed or warranted to be correct, accurate, or up to date. StateRequirement and its members and affiliates are not responsible for any losses, monetary or otherwise. StateRequirement is not affiliated with any state, government, or licensing body. For more information, please contact your state's authority on insurance.
When readers purchase services discussed on our site, we often earn affiliate commissions that support our work. Learn More
Our goal at StateRequirement is to be the #1 professional licensing resource in the world. All of our information is gathered from deep research of trusted governmental, educational sources, and first-hand experience. Thank you for your support.
Stay Connected:
