California Real Estate Sales Agent Licensing Requirements

Here are the California Real Estate Sales Agent Licensing Requirements. This information is directly from the California Department of Real estate http://www.dre.ca.gov/  The information contained below is designed to provide a summary of the minimum education, experience and examination requirements established by the
California Real Estate Requirements
California Department of Real Estate. The information provided below can be found on the Department’s website. However, we recommend you contact the Department for more detailed information and for any changes which may have occurred.
Pre License Requirements
• Age: You must be 18 years of age or older to be issued a license.

Salesperson
• Residence: Proof of Legal Presence in the United States is required. If you are not a California resident, see Out-of-State Applicants.
• Honesty: Applicants must be honest and truthful. Conviction of a crime may result in the denial of a license. Failure to disclose any criminal violation or disciplinary action in an applicant’s entire history may also result in the denial of a license. For further information, see Help Avoid Denial of Your License Application and Application Eligibility Information (RE 222).

• Successful completion of three college-level courses is required to qualify for a real estate salesperson examination:
o Real Estate Principles, and
o Real Estate Practice, and
o One course from the following list:
1. Real Estate Appraisal
2. Property Management
3. Real Estate Finance
4. Real Estate Economics
5. Legal Aspects of Real Estate
6. Real Estate Office Administration
7. General Accounting
8. Business Law
9. Escrows
10. Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending
11. Computer Applications in Real Estate
12. Common Interest Developments

You may apply for the salesperson examination by mail following the instructions below:
1. Complete a Salesperson Examination Application (RE 400A) or a Combined Salesperson Examination and License Application. (RE 435) .
o Be sure to read all instructions and information before completing the application.
o NOTE: You may not apply to take the examination if you have a license that can still be renewed (see License Renewal).
2. Include the applicable fee for the application.
o Checks or money orders should be made payable to the Department of Real Estate. Do not send cash.
o The DRE accepts credit card payment for examination scheduling if the application is submitted by mail or fax. (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, debit cards bearing the VISA or MasterCard logo)
3. Obtain transcripts showing successful completion of the statutory college-level real estate courses and degrees. For more information, see Education Requirements.

An applicant for any real estate license must submit one set of classifiable fingerprints, acceptable to the State Department of Justice (DOJ), unless the applicant is currently licensed by DRE or has held a real estate license which expired less than two years ago.
An applicant may be fingerprinted after applying for examination or after passing the examination. Fingerprint processing fees are not refunded if applicants do not pass the examination. Social security numbers are required on examination applications to ensure fingerprint reports are received by the DRE.
Fingerprints must be submitted electronically through the DOJ’s Live Scan Program which takes and transmits fingerprints to the DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) using the Live Scan Service Request (RE 237) form. An original license will not be issued until a report from the DOJ and the FBI is received stating that there is no criminal history, or disclosing criminal history information which then must be reviewed and evaluated. See Help Avoid DENIAL of Your License Application for further information.
To be fingerprinted, take the Live Scan Service Request (RE 237) to a participating live scan service provider. A list of live scan service providers is available at http://caag.state.ca.us/fingerprints/publications/contact.htm .
• Age: You must be 18 years of age or older to be issued a license.

Broker
• Residence: Proof of Legal Presence in the United States is required. If you are not a California resident, see Out-of-State Applicants.
• Honesty: Applicants must be honest and truthful. Conviction of a crime may result in the denial of a license. Failure to disclose any criminal violation or disciplinary action in an applicant’s entire history may also result in the denial of a license. For further information, see Help Avoid Denial of Your License Application and Application Eligibility Information (RE 222).
• Experience: A minimum of two years full-time licensed salesperson experience within the last five years or the equivalent is required. For further information, see Documenting Experience Requirements for the Broker Examination.
• Applicants for a real estate broker license examination must have successfully completed the following eight statutorily required college-level courses:
• Real Estate Practice; and
• Legal Aspects of Real Estate; and
• Real Estate Finance; and
• Real Estate Appraisal; and
• Real Estate Economics or Accounting; and
• Three* courses from the following list
o Real Estate Principles
o Business Law
o Property Management
o Escrow
o Real Estate Office Administration
o Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending
o Advanced Legal Aspects of Real Estate
o Advanced Real Estate Finance
o Advanced Real Estate Appraisal
o Computer Applications in Real Estate
o Common Interest Developments *If both Real Estate Economics and Accounting are taken, only two courses from the above group are required.
You may apply for the broker examination by mail following the instructions below:
• Complete a Broker Examination Application (RE 400B) or a Combined Broker Examination and License Application. (RE 436).
o Be sure to read all instructions and information before completing the application.
o NOTE: You may not apply to take the examination if you have a license that can still be renewed (see License Renewal).
• Include the applicable fee for the application.
o Checks or money orders should be made payable to the Department of Real Estate. Do not send cash.
o The DRE accepts credit card payment for examination scheduling if the application is submitted by mail. (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, debit cards bearing the VISA or MasterCard logo)
• Obtain transcripts showing successful completion of the statutory college-level real estate courses and degrees. For more information, see Education Requirements.
• Document experience requirements for the broker examination by:
o Completing Employment Verification (RE 226) forms to verify licensed salesperson experience;
o Obtaining a copy of diploma or transcript to verify a 4-year college degree earned through a regionally accredited college; or
o Completing Equivalent Experience Verification (RE 227) forms to verify non-licensed real estate-related experience.
o For more information, see Documenting Experience Requirements for the Broker Examination.
An applicant for any real estate license must submit one set of classifiable fingerprints, acceptable to the State Department of Justice (DOJ), unless the applicant is currently licensed by DRE or has held a real estate license which expired less than two years ago.
An applicant may be fingerprinted after applying for examination or after passing the examination. Fingerprint processing fees are not refunded if applicants do not pass the examination. Social security numbers are required on examination applications to ensure fingerprint reports are received by the DRE.
Fingerprints must be submitted electronically through the DOJ’s Live Scan Program which takes and transmits fingerprints to the DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) using the Live Scan Service Request (RE 237) form. An original license will not be issued until a report from the DOJ and the FBI is received stating that there is no criminal history, or disclosing criminal history information which then must be reviewed and evaluated. See Help Avoid DENIAL of Your License Application for further information.
To be fingerprinted, take the Live Scan Service Request (RE 237) to a participating live scan service provider. A list of live scan service providers is available at http://caag.state.ca.us/fingerprints/publications/contact.htm .
There is a $51 fingerprint processing fee and also a live scan service fee which should be paid directly to the live scan provider (not to the DRE).
After the live scan service provider takes the fingerprints, submit a copy of the Live Scan Service Request (RE 237) with Part 3 completed to the DRE.
• Licenses are issued for a four-year period and should be renewed prior to the expiration date listed on the license.
Continuing Education
• Real estate salespersons who were licensed prior to 10/1/2007, and are renewing an original license for the first time, must complete five separate three-hour DRE-approved continuing education courses in Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Fair Housing and Risk Management.
• Those licensees who were licensed on or after 10/1/2007, and were required to have all three statutory/pre-licenses courses (RE Principles, RE Practice, and one additional course), must complete 45 clock hours of DRE-approved continuing education consisting of:
o Five separate three-hour courses in the following subjects: Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Fair Housing, and Risk Management;
o A minimum of 18 clock hours of consumer protection courses; and
o The remaining clock hours required to complete the 45 hours of continuing education may be related to either consumer service or consumer protection courses.
• Real estate brokers renewing an original license for the first time must complete 45 clock hours of DRE-approved continuing education consisting of:
o Five separate three-hour courses in the following subjects: Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Fair Housing, and Risk Management;
o A minimum of 18 clock hours of consumer protection courses; and
o The remaining clock hours required to complete the 45 hours of continuing education may be related to either consumer service or consumer protection courses.
• For subsequent renewals effective on or after 7/1/2011, all real estate brokers and salespersons must complete 45 clock hours of DRE-approved continuing education consisting of:
o Either 15 hours of continuing education courses in the following subjects: Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Fair Housing, and Risk Management OR one eight-hour survey course that covers the five mandatory subjects (Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Fair Housing, and Risk Management);
o At least 18 clock hours of consumer protection courses; and
o The remaining clock hours required to complete the 45 hours of continuing education may be related to either consumer service or consumer protection courses.

California has no reciprocity with any other state to allow a waiver of any of the requirements to obtain a license.