How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser in Kansas

To become a real estate appraiser in Kansas, you complete board-approved qualifying education, accrue supervised experience, pass the national exam administered by Pearson VUE, and apply to the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board (KREAB). Kansas stands out for its trainee rule: you can accrue experience hours without holding any state credential, working under a certified supervisory appraiser. The state issues four classifications whose education and experience figures track the criteria the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) set effective January 1, 2026.

How appraiser licensing works in Kansas

Kansas appraiser credentials are issued by the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board, the state agency that licenses and regulates appraisers under the Kansas Certified and Licensed Real Property Appraisers Act. The path is the one every state shares: qualifying education, supervised experience, a national exam, then a board application, and RealEstateU's national guide to becoming a real estate appraiser explains those shared steps in full. What Kansas adds is its own classification names, its optional trainee credential, its fee schedule, and an annual renewal cycle most states do not use.

Under K.S.A. 58-4109^[1], Kansas law establishes four classes: state licensed, certified residential, certified general, and the state provisional licensed real property appraiser, the statutory name for the trainee tier. The KREAB FAQ^[2] states the requirements for each:

Each experience requirement must be completed within no more than 5 years preceding application. One boundary to check before planning around the State Licensed scope: Kansas regulation text, last amended in 2016, places complex one- to four-family work at a transaction value of $250,000 or less (K.A.R. 117-2-4^[3]), while the Appraisal Institute^[4] describes the national threshold for complex units as $400,000 under the AQB criteria. Because a state cannot certify below the AQB minimums for federally related transactions, confirm the current Kansas rule text with the board before taking complex assignments.

Starting out: the Kansas trainee rules

Kansas does not require a trainee credential to begin appraising. The KREAB FAQ^[2] states that a trainee may work unlicensed under the supervision of a certified appraiser to accrue experience hours, a practice K.S.A. 58-4103(d)^[1] permits for individuals assisting on appraisals under direct supervision. The board also offers an optional Provisional license for trainees who want a state credential on record.

Before any supervised experience begins, both the trainee and the supervising appraiser must complete the Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Course and file proof of completion with the board (KREAB supervision requirements^[5]).

A Kansas supervising appraiser must be a certified appraiser in good standing for the 3 years immediately preceding and during supervision, may not supervise more than 3 trainees at the same time, and must review and sign each report and the experience log. The supervisor must also personally inspect at least the first 25 properties the trainee assists on, and keep inspecting until satisfied the trainee is competent under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). A trainee may have more than one supervisor, with a separate experience log kept for each. To find a supervisor, email the board at kreab@ks.gov for its list of certified Kansas appraisers willing to supervise.

This trainee arrangement is in flux. The Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC), the federal body that oversees state appraiser programs, found in its March 2026 follow-up review that Kansas's practice of letting unregistered trainees comply with only some AQB requirements is inconsistent with Title XI of federal law. The board approved statutory and regulatory amendments to require all trainees to meet the full criteria but paused the amendment process pending proposed federal criteria changes, with comments due March 3, 2026 (ASC follow-up review^[6]). Registered Provisional trainees already must fully adhere to the AQB criteria, so anyone starting today should confirm current requirements with the board before relying on the unlicensed route.

Kansas qualifying education hours by credential

Kansas requires 158 hours of qualifying education for the State Licensed classification, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General, per the KREAB qualifying education requirements^[7]. These totals reflect the AQB criteria effective January 1, 2026, and each includes the new 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations (VBFH) course. Kansas is transitioning its regulations to the 2026 criteria, so rely on the board's current requirements document rather than older regulation text.

Certified Residential adds a college-level education requirement with six accepted options: a bachelor's degree, an associate's degree in a related field, 30 semester hours of specified college courses, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit, combinations of the above, or five years as a State Licensed appraiser with no adverse, final, non-appealable disciplinary action. Certified General requires a bachelor's degree or higher in any field.

Upgrading later shortens the path. Moving from State Licensed to Certified Residential takes 42 additional hours, State Licensed to Certified General takes 142, and Certified Residential to Certified General takes 100, per the same KREAB document. All courses must come from board-approved providers, and the board's licensing hub lists approved qualifying education. You must retain course completion certificates for five years and produce them to the board on request.

Earning and documenting experience hours

Kansas caps credit per assignment and per category, so your experience mix matters as much as your total. A full single-family appraisal earns at most 8 hours of credit, while a multi-tenant commercial appraisal earns up to 80, per the KREAB experience information^[8]. Work performed without a traditional client cannot exceed 50% of the required hours, mass appraisal work is capped at 25% for State Licensed and Certified Residential applicants and 50% for Certified General applicants, and alternate categories such as review, consulting, highest and best use, and feasibility are capped at 25% in aggregate.

You log experience on board-prescribed sheets, with the first page for supervised experience and later pages for upgrades, alternate experience, and mass appraisal. The board recommends logging each appraisal upon completion and having your supervisor sign immediately. The board's review of submitted reports and work files takes approximately two to four months.

One caution is built into board policy: if a trainee's submitted experience results in denial of licensure due to substantial non-compliance with USPAP, the board files a complaint against the supervisor. Choose a supervisor whose reports you would be comfortable defending.

Does Kansas accept PAREA instead of supervised experience?

No Kansas source confirms acceptance, so verify with the board before enrolling in any program. Kansas regulations accept AQB-approved practicum courses toward the non-traditional-client experience component, and the board's licensing page notes a practicum course for experience credit through a Nebraska provider, but no formal Kansas position on PAREA has been published.

The Kansas appraiser exam through Pearson VUE

Pearson VUE administers all three Kansas appraiser exams, and you cannot sit for one until the board has approved your education and experience. Candidates must present the board's Approval Letter to be admitted, per the Pearson VUE Kansas page^[9], and reservations can be made up to one calendar day in advance, subject to availability.

Each exam has 110 scored questions plus 15 unscored pretest questions. The Licensed Residential and Certified Residential exams last 4 hours, and the Certified General exam lasts 6 hours, with a 30-minute scheduled break dividing each exam into two sections you cannot revisit. Passing requires a scaled score of 75 on a 0-to-110 scale, per the National Appraiser Examination Candidate Handbook^[10]. Candidates who fail receive a numeric score and diagnostic information and must wait 24 hours before booking a retake.

The exam fee is paid to Pearson VUE at the time of reservation, and the amount appears on the board's approval letter rather than in the handbook. Under K.S.A. 58-4107(f)^[11], the examination fee equals the actual cost of the exam and its administration when a testing service administers it. Exam authorizations are valid for two years; if you do not pass within that period, your application expires and you must reapply entirely.

Fees you pay the Kansas board

The experience application must be notarized and is submitted by email to kreab@ks.gov or by mail to the board's Topeka office (KREAB experience application^[12]). The application collects license history, disciplinary history, and criminal and litigation history, and a criminal record check may be done; under K.S.A. 58-4127^[13] the board may require fingerprint-based state and national criminal history record checks. After you pass the exam, you submit the original pass notice, and the board requests a signed affidavit and the license fee before issuing the credential.

Statutory caps sit behind these figures: K.S.A. 58-4107^[11] caps the application fee at $50, the original or renewal fee at $300, the late fee at $50, and temporary practice registration at $50. The board also collects the federal National Registry fee of $40 per appraiser per year, set by the Appraisal Subcommittee^[14] effective January 1, 2012, and transmits it to the ASC. No license is issued or renewed unless all fees, including the registry fee, are paid.

Renewal and continuing education in Kansas

Kansas credentials expire every year on June 30, and renewal applications are due by May 31 to avoid a late fee, per the KREAB renewal information page^[15]. Late renewals are accepted through September 30; if a license is not renewed within 90 days of expiration, it is forfeited and the appraiser must reapply entirely. The renewal fee is $200 for Provisional licensees and $240 for all other classifications, reflecting the fee schedule in K.A.R. 117-7-1 as amended effective March 24, 2023, and a late renewal adds $50. The renewal cycle opens in mid-to-late March, with reminder emails sent from ksbha@ks.gov, and you can renew online through the board's license portal or by paper form.

Continuing education runs on a two-year cycle from July 1 of an odd-numbered year through June 30 of the following odd-numbered year, and only odd-year renewals require CE logging. Appraisers licensed one year or more complete 28 hours per cycle; those licensed more than 184 days but less than one year complete 14; those licensed 184 days or less complete none. Every cycle requires the 7-Hour National USPAP Update course, and the 15-hour tested USPAP course cannot substitute for it. Beginning January 1, 2026, each cycle also requires the VBFH course: 7 hours the first time and at least 4 hours every two years after that. Courses completed before Kansas licensure cannot count, and you must retain completion certificates for five years.

Kansas also allows inactive status, capped at two years, for appraisers who stop practicing: inactive holders keep paying renewal fees and cannot appraise federally related transactions, and trainee licenses are not eligible (K.S.A. 58-4112a^[13]).

Reciprocity and temporary practice for out-of-state appraisers

Appraisers licensed in another state can obtain a Kansas credential through reciprocity, and the application fee is $50. Kansas issues the credential if your existing credential is current and in good standing, your home state is in ASC compliance, and your home state's credentialing requirements meet or exceed Kansas requirements (KREAB FAQ^[2]); K.S.A. 58-4111^[16] authorizes reciprocal licensure when the other state's requirements are substantially equivalent. Since October 8, 2015, the board no longer requires Letters of Good Standing with the application (KREAB reciprocity application^[17]).

For a single assignment, an out-of-state appraiser in good standing can obtain a Temporary Practice Permit for a $50 fee, valid for 6 months from issuance. The notarized application must describe the Kansas assignment and attach an engagement letter or contract, and the appraiser must notify the board in writing when the assignment is complete (KREAB temporary practice registration^[18]). The board mails written notification of acceptance within five days of receiving the fee and completed registration.

FHA appraisal requirements for Kansas appraisers

To perform FHA appraisals, you need a Certified Residential or Certified General credential; the Kansas State Licensed and Provisional classifications do not qualify. The HUD FHA roster getting-started page^[19] requires roster appraisers to be state certified and listed on the ASC National Registry, so a Kansas appraiser must hold one of the two certified classifications before applying online through FHA Connection. Your registry entry must show "AQB Compliant: Yes", your state license number must match the registry exactly, and you upload a PDF of your current state-issued certification. Registry updates can take 30 to 35 days to appear after the state submits data, so plan the application window accordingly (ASC FAQ^[20]).

How long the Kansas path takes and what appraisers earn

The coursework plus the experience minimums mean most Kansas candidates need a year or more from first course to the State Licensed credential, with the certified credentials taking longer still.

Pay tracks the national figures. The Bureau of Labor Statistics^[21] reports a median annual wage of $67,960 for property appraisers and assessors as of May 2025, with employment projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035 and about 5,200 openings per year. Market surveys place typical Kansas residential appraiser earnings from the mid five figures to around six figures, with commercial appraisers, who hold the Certified General credential, at the top of the range.

Your next steps with the Kansas board

Email the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board at kreab@ks.gov or call (785) 296-6736 to request its list of certified appraisers willing to supervise trainees, then enroll in board-approved qualifying education for your target classification. Complete the Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Course with your supervisor before your first assignment, log every appraisal as you go, and apply for your exam authorization once your hours are complete. The board's office is at Jayhawk Tower, 700 SW Jackson, Suite 804, Topeka, and its licensing hub^[22] carries every application form referenced above.