How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser in Alaska

Learning how to become a real estate appraiser in Alaska means registering with the Alaska Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers before you can appraise anything. You start as a certified trainee with 83 classroom hours of qualifying education, a supervisory appraiser named on your application, and $300 in fees. You later certify at the residential or general level by logging 1,500 or 3,000 experience hours, passing the state exam, and clearing a work-product review of sample appraisals from your log. Alaska tracks the national minimums closely, so most of the path is shared with every other state.

The national path in brief

Alaska runs its appraiser program on the national framework. Federal law requires a state credential for appraisals used in federally related transactions, such as mortgage loans from federally insured lenders, and the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) sets the minimum criteria each state must meet. Alaska statutes direct the board's regulations to be no more stringent than those federal minimums (Alaska appraiser statutes and regulations, AS 08.87 and 12 AAC 70^[1]). The parent guide, How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser: Licensing Steps and Requirements, walks through the shared path in full: qualifying education, supervised experience, the national exam, and the state application. The sections below cover what Alaska adds and where it differs.

The credentials Alaska issues

Alaska issues no Licensed Residential credential, the middle tier most states offer. The state's appraiser certificates are the general real estate appraiser certificate, the residential real estate appraiser certificate, and the institutional real estate appraiser certificate under AS 08.87.110, with trainee and supervisory appraiser registrations under 12 AAC 70.125 and 12 AAC 70.126. A single legacy "Licensed" credential appears in federal registry data for Alaska, but the current statutes and regulations contain no such credential, so a new applicant cannot pursue it. Alaska issues certificates rather than licenses, though appraisers and lenders use the terms interchangeably.

The ASC's National Registry data^[2] showed 136 Certified General, 110 Certified Residential, and 1 Licensed active Alaska credentials as of October 2026. The Appraisal Subcommittee's 2026 compliance review^[3] rated the Alaska appraiser program "Good" and kept it on a two-year review cycle.

A residential real estate appraiser in Alaska may appraise residential property of four or fewer units, or up to 12 units when no net income capitalization analysis is required and a secondary mortgage market form is used (AS 08.87.100(2)).

How to register as a trainee appraiser

You must register as a certified trainee before performing appraisal work under a supervisor, using the Real Estate Appraiser Certified Trainee Application #08-4162^[4]. The application requires:

• 83 classroom hours of qualifying education completed and passed within the five years before you apply, verified by official transcripts or certificates. Each course must run at least 15 classroom hours, except the valuation bias and fair housing course, which must run at least 8 hours, and every course requires a final exam.
• A supervisory appraiser identified on the application, with certificate number, type, and expiration date.
• Documentation that both you and your supervisor completed the AQB Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser course.
• A U.S. Social Security Number on file (AS 08.01.060).
• $300 in fees: a $150 nonrefundable application fee plus a $150 registration fee.

Processing time varies by program, and the division reviews applications in order of receipt. An application is abandoned if 12 months pass without correspondence, and the application fee is forfeited.

Does Alaska require a background check?

No. Alaska does not require fingerprints or a criminal background check for trainee or certified appraiser applicants. The Alaska regulator's real estate appraiser FAQ^[5] states that, per correspondence with the Appraisal Subcommittee, fingerprinting is not necessary and the application's professional fitness questions satisfy the federal requirement. Those questions cover convictions for crimes involving moral turpitude, appraiser license actions in any state, unresolved complaints, and acts of dishonesty, fraud, or misrepresentation. A "yes" answer requires an explanation and supporting documentation.

Qualifying education: hours Alaska requires by credential

Alaska requires 83 classroom hours to register as a trainee, 200 creditable classroom hours for the Certified Residential credential, and 300 for Certified General (Alaska appraiser statutes and regulations, 12 AAC 70.115^[1]). The trainee requirement rose from 75 to 83 hours effective January 1, 2026, when the 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course was added to all three curricula (filed permanent regulations^[6]).

The 83 trainee hours break down as Basic Appraisal Principles (30), Basic Appraisal Procedures (30), the 15-Hour National USPAP Course or an approved equivalent (15), and Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations (8). The Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser course is a separate requirement that does not count toward the 83 hours.

The Certified Residential application #08-5006^[7] lists the 200-hour curriculum: the trainee core plus residential market analysis and highest and best use, site valuation and cost approach, sales comparison and income approaches, report writing and case studies, statistics and modeling, advanced residential applications, and 12 elective hours. Certified Residential also requires one of four college options: a bachelor's degree in any field, an associate degree in business administration, accounting, finance, economics, or real estate, 30 semester hours across specified topic areas, or 30 semester hours of specified CLEP exams. Certified General requires a bachelor's degree or higher in any field.

The board automatically accepts courses from Appraisal Foundation member organizations, regionally accredited colleges and universities, AQB Course Approval Program courses, and IDECC-approved online courses, so the qualifying education can be completed online (12 AAC 70.145). A classroom hour means at least 50 minutes of instruction (12 AAC 70.910).

Working under a supervisory appraiser in Alaska

An Alaska supervisory appraiser may supervise no more than three trainees at one time and must personally inspect each appraised property with the trainee until the trainee is competent for that property type (12 AAC 70.935). To qualify, a supervisor must have been a state-certified appraiser for at least three years, be in good standing, have no disciplinary action in any jurisdiction within the last three years affecting legal eligibility to practice, and comply with the USPAP Competency Rule for the property type and geographic location supervised. The supervisor signs and certifies each trainee report, reviews the trainee's work, and jointly maintains the appraisal log. A trainee may work under more than one supervisor and must report each supervisor's identity to the department; the relationship takes effect when the department receives the signed form.

Alaska does not accept PAREA in place of supervised experience. Neither AS 08.87 nor 12 AAC 70, including the experience rule at 12 AAC 70.108, mentions PAREA or any alternative to supervisor-verified experience, so Alaska candidates must earn their hours under a supervisory appraiser. The Appraisal Foundation advises every candidate to verify PAREA acceptance directly with the state regulatory agency (PAREA overview^[8]).

Experience hours and the work-product review

Alaska requires 1,500 hours of appraisal experience obtained over not less than 12 months for Certified Residential, and 3,000 hours over not less than 18 months, including at least 1,500 hours of nonresidential work, for Certified General (12 AAC 70.108^[1]). Only experience gained after January 30, 1989 and performed in compliance with USPAP counts. The Certified Residential application requires verification of hours by one or more qualified references, such as a licensed construction contractor, a federal or state regulated lender, a present or former employer, or an officer of a company that customarily uses appraiser services.

The work-product review

Alaska adds a step beyond the AQB criteria: a work-product review. Certified Residential applicants, and applicants upgrading a credential, must submit work product from a minimum of two appraisals selected by the board, and the certificate will not issue until the board approves it (12 AAC 70.105(c), 70.111, 70.112). You do not choose the appraisals yourself. The board selects them from your experience log, and it also randomly selects work products from logs to test USPAP compliance. Budget time for this review when you plan your application, and keep every work file for at least five years after preparation (12 AAC 70.940).

The Alaska certification exam

Alaska administers the Uniform State Residential and Uniform State General Certification Examinations, both endorsed by the AQB, through its testing agent Pearson VUE, and you cannot sit for the exam without the board's Approval Letter (application #08-5006^[7]; Pearson VUE's Alaska appraisers page^[9]). The board's approval is the gateway: you apply, the board approves you to test, and Pearson VUE admits you only with the letter in hand.

Each exam has 125 questions, of which 110 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest items, with 4 hours for the Certified Residential exam and 6 hours for the Certified General exam. A scaled score of 75 on the 0-to-110 scale passes (Pearson VUE candidate handbook^[10]). You must pass no later than 24 months after the board approves you to test, and a passing score stays valid for 24 months (12 AAC 70.130). Alaska does not publish its exam fee; the candidate handbook directs candidates to the approval letter from the state board for the fee amount. Reservations must be made at least 24 hours ahead, and changes or cancellations require 48 hours' notice or the fee is forfeited.

Alaska appraiser fees and the federal registry fee

Trainee registration costs $300, and certification at either level costs $580 including the federal registry fee (Alaska occupational licensing fee schedule, 12 AAC 02.370^[11]).

The federal registry fee runs $40 per year, paid by certified appraisers at initial certification and at each renewal; trainees pay no registry fee. Renewals are prorated for credentials issued late in a cycle: the renewal applications show $255 plus the registry fee for certifications first issued on or after July 1, 2024, and $75 for trainee registrations first issued on or after that date (renewal application #08-4237^[12]; trainee renewal application #08-4235^[13]).

Renewing your certification: the odd-year cycle and continuing education

Alaska certifications run two years and expire on June 30 of odd-numbered years, regardless of issue date, with no grace period. The renewal application #08-4237^[12] states plainly that it is illegal to work once a certification has lapsed. Certificates issued within 90 days of the expiration date run to the next biennial expiration. Renewal processing takes 4 to 6 weeks, the division sends one notice at least 30 days before expiration, and trainee registrations renew on the same cycle.

Continuing education requirements

Alaska requires 28 hours of continuing education per two-year cycle for appraisers certified 24 months or more; 14 hours if certified at least 185 days but less than 24 months; and no hours if certified less than 185 days (12 AAC 70.220). The 28 hours must include the 7-Hour National USPAP Continuing Education Course, taught by an AQB-certified instructor who is a certified appraiser, plus a Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course: a 7-hour course with a 1-hour exam at your first renewal, then a 4-hour refresher every two years after that (filed regulations effective January 1, 2026^[6]). The 15-hour USPAP course completed for certification cannot satisfy the continuing education requirement, and repeating a substantially identical course earns no credit.

Alaska also grants credit most states do not: up to 10 hours per biennium for preparing and delivering instruction, and up to 7 hours for attending one board meeting of at least two hours (12 AAC 70.210, 70.220(g)).

Trainee renewals require 14 hours of continuing education for registrations held at least 185 days, and no hours for registrations held less than 185 days (trainee renewal application #08-4235^[13]). The trainee renewal also requires listing the current supervising appraiser.

If your certification lapses

Alaska charges no late-renewal penalty fee. The division may show a retroactive effective date on a renewed license only if it lapsed less than 60 days, you request it in writing, and you document good-faith compliance (12 AAC 02.940(b)). A license will not renew or reinstate without the required continuing education, and hours earned to reinstate a lapsed license cannot be used for a future renewal (12 AAC 02.965). The board randomly audits renewals, so keep continuing education records for at least four years.

Moving to Alaska with an out-of-state appraiser credential

Alaska offers reciprocity for appraisers whose credentialing jurisdiction complies with Title XI, as determined by the ASC, and whose home-state requirements are substantially equivalent to Alaska's. The state benchmarks equivalency at 300 education hours and 3,000 experience hours for the general certificate, and 200 and 1,500 for the residential certificate; reciprocity applicants take no Alaska exam (AS 08.87.110(c); reciprocity application #08-5003^[14]). Verification of licensure must come directly from at least one jurisdiction and confirm no unresolved complaint or disciplinary action. Fees total $580.

If your jurisdiction is not ASC-compliant, you apply by endorsement instead: you must show proof of passing an AQB-approved Certified General or Residential exam, plus licensure verification from at least one jurisdiction (endorsement application #08-5001^[15]). Endorsement fees also total $580.

The courtesy license

Alaska's temporary-practice credential is the courtesy license, valid for one appraisal assignment not to exceed 180 consecutive days, with one 30-day extension on request and a limit of two courtesy licenses in any 12-month period (courtesy license application #08-4223^[16]). It costs $250 total and requires evidence of the engagement contract showing the Alaska property, credentials in good standing from another state, and an address for service of process. The division issues it within five days of complete materials unless they indicate out-of-state disciplinary action.

Active-duty service members and their spouses can obtain a temporary military courtesy license, valid 180 days and renewable once for another 180 days at the board's discretion, for a $100 application fee plus a $100 license fee (12 AAC 70.135; fee schedule^[11]).

The institutional appraiser certificate

The institutional real estate appraiser certificate is a narrow credential for full-time employees of a financial institution with offices in Alaska, and it allows appraisal work only for that institution's own portfolio (AS 08.87.110(e)). The holder may appraise commercial property with transaction value under $250,000 and residential property of one to four units with transaction value under $1,000,000. The certificate terminates when the employee leaves the institution, and the holder cannot serve the general public or accept fees beyond salary.

How to start your Alaska appraiser path

Three moves get you started, in order:

1. Enroll in qualifying education from a board-accepted source: Appraisal Foundation member organizations, regionally accredited colleges, AQB Course Approval Program providers, or IDECC-approved online courses. You need 83 hours completed within the five years before you apply.
2. Find a supervisory appraiser before you apply. Your supervisor must be Alaska state-certified for at least three years and may supervise no more than three trainees at once, so candidates outside Anchorage and Fairbanks may need to line one up early.
3. Submit the Real Estate Appraiser Certified Trainee Application (#08-4162) with $300 in fees, your supervisor's information, and documentation of your hours and the supervisor/trainee course. Log every assignment on the Appraisal Experience Log (#08-4162b) from day one, because the board will later select at least two appraisals from it for review.

Contact the Real Estate Appraisers Program, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, at 550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1500, Anchorage, AK 99501, phone (907) 269-8160, email RealEstateAppraisers@Alaska.Gov.