How do I become a commercial appraiser trainee?

There is no separate commercial trainee credential. You start as a Trainee Appraiser, which requires 83 hours of qualifying education and work under a supervisory appraiser; choosing a Certified General supervisor lets your logged experience include non-residential work. Commercial practice itself requires the Certified General credential: 300 hours of qualifying education, a bachelor's degree, 3,000 hours of experience in no fewer than 18 months with at least 1,500 non-residential hours, and the national Certified General exam.

Alabama has no separate commercial trainee credential. You start as a Trainee Real Property Appraiser by completing the qualifying education and supervisor/trainee course, submitting the $150 application to the Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board, passing the exam, and registering with a Mentor. Because commercial work falls under the Certified General classification, choose a Certified General supervisor; that classification later requires 3,000 hours of experience, including at least 1,500 non-residential hours.

Arkansas has a single trainee credential, the Registered Apprentice (RA) Appraiser, which covers all property types. Complete 83 hours of qualifying education plus a separate 4-hour Supervisor/Trainee Course, find a supervisor who has been state certified for at least three years without disciplinary issues, and file the $200 application. To appraise commercial property independently, you later need the Certified General credential, which requires a bachelor's degree, 304 qualifying-education hours, and 3,000 experience hours in no fewer than 18 months, including 1,500 nonresidential hours.

Colorado does not issue trainee licenses at any level, including commercial work, so there is no trainee registration or state supervisor approval. Instead, you can gain commercial experience as an unlicensed assistant working under the direct supervision of a licensed or certified appraiser who is appropriately credentialed for the assignment and in good standing. The Certified General credential then requires 300 hours of qualifying education, a bachelor's degree, and 3,000 hours of experience over at least 18 months, including 1,500 non-residential hours that PAREA cannot replace.

Delaware has no separate commercial trainee credential. You start as an Appraiser Trainee and later upgrade to Certified General, the credential that covers all types of real property, including commercial. To apply, complete 75 hours of qualifying education (83 hours for applications on or after January 1, 2026), take an AQB-approved supervisory course, and file through DELPROS with a $282 fee. A Delaware and FBI background check and a supervisor verification form are also required.

The District of Columbia has one Appraiser Trainee credential, not a separate commercial one. Since January 1, 2026, the trainee requires 83 hours of qualifying education (30 hours Appraisal Principles, 30 hours Appraisal Procedures, 15 hours USPAP, 8 hours Valuation Bias and Fair Housing) plus a 4-hour Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser course. Commercial work comes later, through the Certified General credential, which requires a bachelor's degree, an examination, and 3,000 hours of experience in no fewer than 18 months, including 1,500 hours of non-residential work.

Florida has no separate commercial trainee credential. You start as a Registered Trainee Appraiser: be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, complete 100 hours of board-approved education, and apply to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation with a fee and fingerprints. To gain commercial experience, you need a Certified General appraiser as your supervisor, and trainees may accept assignments only from their primary or secondary supervisor.

Georgia has no separate commercial trainee track. You start as a State Trainee appraiser by completing 90 hours of Board-approved qualifying education plus an Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) Supervisor/Trainee course, then work under a supervisory appraiser. To reach Certified General, the classification that covers commercial property, you need a Bachelor's degree, 300 hours of qualifying education, and 3,000 hours of experience over at least 18 months with at least 50% in non-residential work, plus a passing score on the PSI-administered exam.

Hawaii registers one appraiser trainee category rather than a separate commercial track. To gain commercial experience, list a state certified general appraiser as your supervising appraiser, because a trainee may not appraise property exceeding the supervisor's lawful scope of practice, and only certified general appraisers can appraise all real property types. Supervisors must have held a Hawaii certified license for at least 3 years, have completed a supervisor course, and may not supervise more than 3 trainees at once.

Illinois does not issue a separate commercial trainee credential. The Associate Real Estate Trainee Appraiser license covers all property types, so entry is the same for everyone: 83 hours of qualifying education, the 3-hour AQB Supervisor-Trainee Course, a high school diploma or GED, a background check, and an approved supervisor. Commercial work comes later through the Certified General track, which requires 300 hours of qualifying education and 3,000 hours of experience in no fewer than 18 months, including 1,500 non-residential hours.

Indiana does not issue a separate commercial trainee credential; you start with the same Real Property Appraiser Trainee license held by all Indiana trainees. To move toward commercial work, gain supervised experience and then qualify for the Certified General license, which requires 300 hours of qualifying education, 3,000 experience hours with at least 2,000 in the general (non-residential) category, and a bachelor's degree.

Iowa's trainee-level credential is the registered associate real estate appraiser, and it covers all property types, including commercial and agricultural work. You must complete 83 hours of qualifying education, pass a state and national criminal history check (a $51 fee), and apply through the board's online system. To reach certified general status, the credential that covers commercial property, you must accumulate 3,000 experience hours over at least 18 months, including at least 1,500 nonresidential hours.

Kansas has no separate commercial trainee credential. A trainee may work unlicensed under a certified general appraiser, or hold the state provisional licensed credential, while accruing experience. Both trainee and supervisor must complete the supervisory appraiser/trainee course before supervised work begins, and a supervisor may oversee at most three trainees at the same time. To reach certified general status, you need 300 hours of qualifying education plus a bachelor's degree and 3,000 experience hours, including at least 1,500 nonresidential hours.

Maine has no separate commercial trainee credential; the trainee real property appraiser license covers all property types. You must complete the 83 hours of qualifying education, complete the Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser course, and arrange to work under the direct supervision of a certified appraiser. To gain commercial (non-residential) experience, arrange your supervision with a certified general real property appraiser, since that is the only credential permitted to appraise all property types.

Michigan has one trainee credential, the Limited Appraiser, with no separate commercial track. A trainee may only appraise what the supervisory appraiser's credential and competence permit, so commercial (non-residential) work requires a Certified General supervisory appraiser. To reach the Certified General level, you need 300 hours of qualifying education, a bachelor's degree, 3,000 hours of experience in no fewer than 18 months with at least 1,500 hours in non-residential work, and a passing exam score.

Minnesota has no separate commercial trainee credential. You start as a Trainee Real Property Appraiser: complete 89 hours of education (83 hours of qualifying courses plus the 6-hour Minnesota Supervisor/Trainee Appraiser Course), submit fingerprints, find a supervisory appraiser, and apply through Pulse Portal. To reach the commercial level, you later need Certified General status: 300 hours of education, a bachelor's degree or higher, and 3,000 hours of experience in no fewer than 18 months, with at least 1,500 nonresidential hours.

Mississippi has no separate commercial trainee credential. You start as an Appraiser Trainee (called "Appraiser Intern" on the application), which takes 87 hours of qualifying education, a $50 application fee, the MAB Supervisory Appraiser Affidavit, and your course certificates; no exam is required. Commercial work falls under the Certified General credential, which requires 3,000 hours of experience in no fewer than 18 months, including 1,500 hours in non-residential work.

Missouri law creates a state-certified general appraiser trainee class, the entry credential for commercial (non-residential) appraisal work. You apply to the Missouri Real Estate Appraisers Commission using the trainee application package, which includes the supervision memo, experience logs, and a $300 application fee. Your supervising appraiser must hold a Missouri certification in good standing, must have completed an approved supervisor/trainee course, and may not supervise more than three trainees at one time.

Montana does not issue a commercial-specific trainee credential; the board issues one Trainee Appraiser credential for all property types. Apply online through the board's licensing portal following the Trainee application checklist, which includes a fingerprint background check, then work under a mentor drawn from the board's published Approved Mentors list. To appraise commercial property independently, you must upgrade to Certified General, which requires 300 hours of qualifying education and 3,000 hours of experience, including at least 1,500 non-residential hours.

Commercial appraisal work falls under the Certified General credential. Start by earning a Trainee credential, which requires 83 hours of qualifying education effective January 1, 2026, plus a Supervisory/Trainee course. Then find a supervisory appraiser, who must be state certified and in good standing for at least 3 years and may not supervise more than 3 trainees. PAREA gives no non-residential experience credit, so the 1,500 non-residential hours required for Certified General must come from supervised work.

Tennessee has no separate commercial trainee credential. You register as a Registered Trainee by completing 87 hours of qualifying education, submitting an electronic fingerprint receipt, and applying with a $125 fee, then work under the direct supervision of your sponsor on file with the Commission. Commercial work comes later, through the State Certified General credential, which requires 3,000 hours of experience in no fewer than 18 months, including 1,500 hours of non-residential appraisal work.

There is no separate commercial trainee credential. You register as an appraiser trainee with the Utah Division of Real Estate, complete the 83-hour qualifying education curriculum, and work under a supervisory appraiser whose credential covers commercial property. To reach the commercial credential, Certified General, you need 300 creditable hours, a bachelor's degree, and 3,000 hours of experience in no fewer than 18 months, including at least 1,500 hours of non-residential work.

Register with the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) as a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser Trainee after completing an Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB)-approved course; the fee is $115. You must work under an appraiser holding a Certified Residential or Certified General license in good standing for at least 3 years, and the supervisor must review and sign all resulting appraisals. The Certified General credential you would pursue requires 300 qualifying-education hours, 3,000 experience hours including 1,500 non-residential, and a bachelor's degree.

West Virginia does not issue a separate commercial trainee credential; every trainee holds the general appraiser apprentice permit, which requires 75 hours of qualifying education, a background check, and a board-approved certified supervisor. Commercial work leads to the certified general credential, which requires 300 hours of qualifying education, a bachelor's degree, and 3,000 hours of experience over at least 18 months, including at least 1,500 hours of nonresidential assignments.