How many continuing education credits are required to renew a real estate license?

There is no national figure; each state sets its own continuing education hours. Common requirements include 18 hours every two years in Texas, 22.5 hours every two years in New York, 14 hours every two years in Florida and Pennsylvania, 36 hours every four years in Georgia, and 45 hours every four years in California. State licenses typically must be renewed every 2 to 4 years, with continuing education required in most states.

Alabama requires 15 hours of continuing education every two years, completed by September 30 of every even-numbered year. Salespersons must complete a mandatory 3-hour Risk Management course plus 12 hours of elective CE. Brokers must complete the 3-hour Risk Management course, a 3-hour Mandatory Broker CE course, and 9 hours of elective CE.

Arizona salespersons and associate brokers must complete 24 hours of continuing education every 2-year renewal cycle. Effective January 1, 2025, the 24 hours include 21 mandatory hours and 3 elective hours. The mandatory portion requires 3 hours each in Agency Law, Contract Law, Commissioner's Standards, Disclosure, Fair Housing, and Real Estate Legal Issues, plus 1 hour each on Firewise, Deed Fraud, and Arizona Water topics. Arizona Department of Real Estate (ADRE) will not allow renewal if any required category is deficient, even if total hours are sufficient.

Arkansas requires 7 hours of continuing education annually to renew an active real estate license. The 7 hours include a 1-hour safety course and additional required and elective hours that Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) determines each year. Continuing education is not required for the first renewal cycle after initial licensure; the requirement begins at the second active renewal. CE hours do not carry over to future renewal cycles.

California requires 45 clock hours of DRE-approved continuing education to renew a real estate license. First-time salesperson renewal includes four separate 3-hour courses in ethics, agency, trust fund handling, and risk management, plus a 3-hour fair housing course with an interactive component, a 2-hour implicit bias course, and a minimum of 18 hours in consumer protection. Second and subsequent renewals require a 9-hour survey course covering seven mandatory subjects or individual courses in all mandatory subjects, plus 18 hours of consumer protection.

Colorado requires 24 hours of continuing education per three-year license cycle to renew an active real estate broker license. Of those 24 hours, 12 must come from three different versions of the four-hour Annual Commission Update Course, and the remaining 12 hours are electives approved by the commission. Newly licensed brokers have no CE obligation during their initial licensure period, which ends on December 31 of the year the license was issued.

Connecticut requires 12 credit hours of continuing education per two-year renewal cycle, including one 3-hour mandatory course covering current real estate and fair housing legislation, licensing laws, and regulations, plus 9 hours of elective courses. The same 12-hour requirement applies to both salespersons and brokers. Alternatively, licensees may pass a 40-question Connecticut CE Examination through PSI instead of completing coursework. The CE completion deadline is 3 months before the license renewal deadline.

Delaware requires 21 hours of approved continuing education during each full licensure renewal period, which runs from May 1 to April 30 of even-numbered years. First-renewal CE hours vary by license issue date, ranging from 0 to 21 hours. Newly licensed salespersons (other than those licensed by reciprocity) must also complete 12 hours of new salesperson course modules within 90 days of license issuance, and these hours are in addition to the CE required for renewal.

DC requires 15 hours of continuing education per two-year renewal cycle. The 15 hours consist of 12 mandatory hours (3 hours DC Fair Housing, 3 hours DC Ethics, 3 hours DC Legislative Update, and 3 hours Property Management) plus 3 hours of electives. Newly licensed salespersons, brokers, and property managers are exempt from CE for the remainder of the licensing cycle in which their license was first issued.

Florida requires 14 hours of FREC-approved continuing education per 24-month renewal cycle for licensees who have completed their first renewal. The 14 hours consist of 3 hours Core Law, 3 hours Ethics and Business Practices, and 8 hours specialty education. For the first renewal after initial licensure, sales associates must complete 45 hours of post-licensing education and brokers must complete 60 hours, both in place of the 14-hour CE requirement.

Georgia requires 36 instructional hours of continuing education during each four-year renewal period, including at least 3 hours on the topic of license law. An instructional hour is defined as at least 50 minutes of instruction or other learning activity. Licensees whose license number is below 100,000 are exempt from CE requirements.

Hawaii requires 20 hours of Commission-approved continuing education per two-year renewal cycle: 6 hours of commission-designated core courses (Core A and Core B, each 3 hours) plus 14 hours of electives. Licenses must be renewed by November 30 of each even-numbered year.

Idaho requires licensees renewing on active status to complete 2 different Idaho Commission Core courses plus 12 elective hours each 2-year renewal cycle. The Commission develops new core courses annually, each containing up to 4 classroom hours, so the total seat time varies by year (typically 19 to 20 hours combined). No continuing education is required to renew on inactive status, but all required education must be completed before a broker can activate the license.

Brokers and managing brokers must complete 12 hours of continuing education (CE) per renewal cycle, including at least 2 hours of fair housing training within the 6-hour core curriculum and 6 hours of electives. Managing brokers must also complete a 12-hour broker management CE course, bringing their total to 24 hours. New brokers must complete 45 hours of post-license education (three 15-hour courses) instead of CE for their first renewal. Residential leasing agents must complete 8 hours of CE per cycle. No more than 12 hours of CE may be taken in one calendar day.

Indiana requires 12 hours of continuing education per year, running from July 1 to June 30, for a total of 36 hours across the 3-year renewal cycle. Brokers with an Active or Unassigned license status must complete CE to renew, while those with Inactive or Referral status are exempt. Managing brokers must dedicate 4 of their 12 annual hours to managing broker-specific topics, and excess hours do not carry forward to the next CE year.

Iowa requires 36 hours of continuing education per three-year renewal cycle: 8 hours of Law Update, 4 hours of Ethics, and 24 hours of Commission-approved electives. All CE must be completed by December 31 of the renewal year and before submitting the renewal application. A maximum of 24 hours may be taken through distance learning, and at least 12 hours must be completed through live instruction, which includes classroom or real-time electronic delivery such as Zoom.

Kansas requires 12 hours of continuing education to renew a real estate license to active status, including at least 3 mandatory hours in an approved course titled "Kansas Required Core" and 9 elective hours. Renewal is on a 2-year cycle. The salesperson renewal fee is $125 and the broker renewal fee is $175, with a $100 late fee for renewals submitted after the expiration date.

All actively licensed Kentucky real estate agents must complete 6 hours of Commission-approved continuing education each calendar year, with at least 3 hours in real estate law. The remaining 3 hours are elective. CE must be completed by December 31 of each calendar year. In addition, all active licensees subject to CE must complete the 6-hour Kentucky Core Course once every 4 years; no other CE course substitutes for it. Licensees are not required to complete CE during the first two calendar years of initial license issuance in Kentucky.

All licensees renewing in active status must complete 12 hours of approved continuing education coursework, including any mandatory course topic(s) specified by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC), on or before December 31 each year. Inactive licensees are exempt from the annual CE requirement but must still renew their license annually. Licensees may renew their license before completing CE, but the education must be finished by December 31 to avoid violating LREC law and rules.

Active associate brokers, brokers, and designated brokers in Maine must complete 21 hours of Commission-approved continuing education per 2-year renewal cycle, including a 3-hour mandatory core course. The remaining 18 hours are electives. Effective April 1, 2025, the core course is the "Reasonable Care and Diligence Core Course."

Maryland requires 15 hours of continuing education every two-year renewal cycle for all license types, including salespersons, associate brokers, and brokers. The CE must be completed at least 30 days prior to the license renewal date to avoid a reinstatement fee.

Massachusetts requires 12 hours of Board-approved continuing education per two-year license term to renew a real estate license as active. At least 6 of the 12 hours must be completed in specific subject-matter categories, including Fair Housing, Agency Law, Environmental Issues in Real Estate, Zoning and Building Codes, Real Estate Appraisal and Financing, Property Tax Assessments and Valuations, and Real Estate Board Regulations. Licensees who do not complete the 12-hour requirement by their renewal date will have their license renewed as inactive.

Michigan requires 18 clock hours of continuing education per 3-year license cycle. The breakdown is 6 hours of legal education (2 hours per year covering laws, rules, and court cases), 3 hours of fair housing (1 hour per year), and 9 hours of elective courses. The annual 1-hour fair housing requirement took effect February 13, 2024 under 2023 Act 246.

Minnesota requires 30 hours of approved continuing education per two-year license period, with at least 15 hours completed during the first 12 months of each period. The 30 hours must include at least 1 hour of agency law training and at least 1 hour of fair housing training per licensing period, plus an annual required module course. For the 2026-2027 license year, the required module is "Cybersecurity in Real Estate," a 3.75-hour course that both salespersons and brokers must complete. The first June 30 after initial licensure is exempt from CE requirements, and extra hours do not carry over to the next period.

Mississippi requires 16 clock hours of approved continuing education per two-year license renewal cycle. Of those 16 hours, 8 are mandatory: 2 hours in Mississippi License Law, 2 hours in Contract Law, and 4 hours in Agency Law. The remaining 8 hours are elective. Up to 6 excess hours earned in the final 3 months of a renewal period may be carried over to the next cycle. Licensees who have held a license for at least 25 years and are older than 65 are exempt from CE requirements.

Missouri requires 12 hours of MREC-approved continuing education per two-year renewal cycle, with at least 3 of those hours in a CORE course identified by the Missouri Real Estate Commission. For the 2026-2028 renewal period, the CORE course must cover Fair Housing; for 2028-2030, it must cover Agency. The remaining hours may be taken in either core or elective courses.

Montana requires each active real estate licensee to complete 12 hours of Board-approved continuing education every licensing year, which runs from November 1 through October 31. For supervising brokers, 4 of the 12 hours must be in supervising broker continuing education. No continuing education is required for salesperson licensees who have been licensed less than 12 months at their first renewal.

Active licensees in Nebraska must complete 18 clock hours of continuing education every 2 years. At least 12 of those hours must be in Commission-approved continuing education, and of those 12 hours, at least 6 must be in designated subject matter courses marked with an "R". Up to 6 hours may be Commission-approved training toward the 18-hour total. New licensees who renew during the same calendar year in which the license was issued are exempt from CE for the first renewal cycle.

First-time salespersons must complete post-licensing education through live instruction within the first 12 months of licensure. For every subsequent renewal, Nevada requires 36 hours of continuing education every 2 years, with at least 18 hours completed through live instruction. The mandatory CE topics include agency, contracts, ethics, law and legislation, and risk reduction, with the remaining hours as general electives.

New Hampshire requires 15 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle for active license renewal: one 3-hour core course plus 12 elective hours. For a salesperson's first renewal, 12 hours of post-licensing education covering required topics (P&S Contracts, Ethical Behavior, Disclosure Forms, and Agency) must be completed in addition to the 3-hour core course. For inactive renewal, only the 3-hour core course is required.

New Jersey requires 12 continuing education credit hours every two-year renewal cycle. At least 6 of the 12 hours must be in core topics, including at least 2 hours in ethics, 1 hour in Fair Housing and New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, and 1 hour in agency. The remaining 6 hours can be any combination of core and elective topics.

Associate brokers must complete 36 hours of continuing education per 3-year cycle, and qualifying brokers must complete 42 hours per 3-year cycle. Both license types require a 4-hour New Mexico Real Estate Commission (NMREC) Core Course each year (12 cumulative hours per cycle), a 4-hour ethics course per cycle, and core elective hours, which are 4 hours for associate brokers and 8 hours for qualifying brokers. Qualifying brokers must also complete a 6-hour QB refresher course per cycle.

New York requires 22.5 hours of approved continuing education per two-year license term. The mandatory topics are 3 hours of fair housing, 2 hours of implicit bias training, 2 hours of cultural competency, 2.5 hours of ethical business practices, 1 hour of recent legal matters, and 1 hour of agency law (2 hours for the initial salesperson term). The remaining hours are electives in any approved topic.

North Dakota requires 12 hours of continuing education per CE cycle, which runs from November 16 through November 15, to renew an active license. For the 2025-2026 CE cycle, there are no mandatory topic hours; all 12 hours are elective topics of the licensee's choice. New licensees first licensed in 2026 are exempt from CE for their first renewal.

Ohio requires 30 hours of continuing education every 3 years to renew a real estate license, and both active and inactive licensees must meet this requirement. The 30 hours must include 3 hours each of Canons of Ethics, Core Law, and Civil Rights; brokers must also complete a 3-hour Broker Responsibilities course. Licensees age 70 or older have reduced requirements: 9 hours for salespersons and 12 hours for brokers.

Resident Sales Associates and Resident Broker Associates in Oklahoma must complete 30 hours of continuing education every three years, consisting of 13 hours of required coursework and 17 hours of electives. Resident Brokers must also complete 30 hours, consisting of a 15-hour Broker in Charge course, 6 hours of Contracts and Forms, and 9 hours of electives. Non-resident licensees must complete 8 hours. These requirements took effect June 1, 2025.

Oregon requires 30 hours of continuing education to renew an active real estate license. For a first active renewal before January 1, 2026, brokers must complete a 27-hour Broker Advanced Practices (BAP) course and a 3-hour Law and Rule Required Course (LARRC). For renewals on or after January 1, 2026, the BAP course is 26 hours, the LARRC is 2 hours, and a new 2-hour Fair Housing course is required, totaling 30 hours. Subsequent renewals require the LARRC, the Fair Housing course, and enough electives from certified providers to reach 30 hours.

Pennsylvania requires 14 hours of Commission-approved continuing education during each 2-year license period to renew a real estate license. First-time renewing salespersons must complete a 7-hour General Module and either a 7-hour Residential Module or a 7-hour Commercial Module. For the 2024-2026 cycle, standard licensees (licensed before December 1, 2023) must complete at least 5 of the 14 hours in set topics: 2 hours in Fair Housing and 3 hours in Agency Relationship, with the remaining 9 hours as electives. For the 2026-2028 cycle, the Commission voted on May 5, 2026 to require a minimum of 2 of the 14 hours in the topic "Protecting Consumer's Real Property, Personal Property and Information."

Rhode Island requires 24 hours of Department of Business Regulation (DBR)-approved continuing education during each 2-year licensing period. At least 9 of the 24 hours must be in CORE instruction, and 3 of those 9 core hours must cover Fair Housing. The course, school, and instructor must all be approved by the DBR.

Active associate and broker licensees in South Carolina need 10 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle: 4 hours of mandatory core courses and 6 hours of elective courses. Broker-in-Charge licensees also need 10 hours, structured as 4 hours of BIC course, 4 hours of mandatory core, and 2 hours of electives. Property managers, property managers-in-charge, and timeshare salespersons are not required to take continuing education. Inactive licensees do not need CE but must still renew their licenses.

Broker associates and brokers renewing an active license must complete at least 24 hours of continuing education during the preceding two license years, with at least 12 of those hours in required subject areas. New broker associates must instead complete 60 hours of post-licensing education across their first two active license cycles, at 30 hours per period, before standard CE applies. CE completion is due by December 31 of the renewal year.

Tennessee requires 16 hours of continuing education every two years to renew a real estate license, including a 6-hour Tennessee Real Estate Commission (TREC) Core course designated by the Commission. Failure to complete the TREC Core Course prevents renewal even if the full 16 hours are otherwise met.

Texas requires 18 hours of approved continuing education per two-year license period: 4 hours of Legal Update I, 4 hours of Legal Update II, 3 hours of Contract-Related coursework, and 7 hours of elective CE. A broker or designated broker who sponsors one or more sales agents, or a delegated supervisor, must also complete a 6-hour Broker Responsibility Course as part of the 18-hour requirement. If CE is not complete at the time of active renewal, a $200 deferral fee provides a 60-day extension to finish the coursework.

Active sales agents must complete 18 hours of continuing education every 2-year renewal cycle. At least 9 of those hours must be core topic courses, including a 3-hour Division-approved mandatory course. First-time renewals require a 12-hour New Agent Course, a 3-hour mandatory course, and 3 additional hours of core or elective courses, totaling 18 hours. All CE must be completed by the 15th day of the renewal month for on-time renewal.

Salespersons must complete 16 hours of continuing education per biennial renewal cycle, including a 4-hour mandatory course designated by the Commission. Brokers must complete 24 hours per cycle, also including the 4-hour mandatory course. First-time salesperson renewals must additionally complete 8 hours of post-licensure education within 90 days of initial license issuance. All licensees must also review the Vermont Energy Goals slideshow during the online renewal process, which carries no CE credit.

Virginia salespersons who have renewed at least once must complete 16 hours of continuing education every two years: for licenses expiring on or after June 30, 2026, this consists of 11 mandatory hours (3 Ethics, 2 Fair Housing, 2 Legal Updates, 2 Agency, 2 Contracts) and 5 elective hours. Brokers must complete 24 hours every two years, with 19 mandatory hours and 5 elective hours under the same effective date. New salespersons in their first two-year license term complete 30 hours of post-license education instead of CE.

A broker's first active license renewal requires 90 hours of continuing education, including a 30-hour Advanced Practices course, a 30-hour Real Estate Law course, a 3-hour Current Issues course, and at least 27 hours of other approved CE. Subsequent broker renewals and all managing broker renewals require 30 hours, including a 3-hour Current Issues course and at least 27 hours of other approved CE. Inactive licenses do not require CE to renew.

Every licensee must complete 7 hours of Commission-approved continuing education per fiscal year, with each hour equaling 50 minutes of instruction. Brokers and associate brokers must include 3 of those 7 hours from broker-level education curriculum approved by the commission, beginning fiscal year 2024. CE must be completed during the fiscal year preceding the renewal for which the licensee is applying.

Wisconsin real estate licensees must complete 18 hours of approved continuing education per biennium, consisting of 12 hours of mandatory courses and 6 hours of elective courses. The biennium runs from December 15 of an even-numbered year through December 14 of the next even-numbered year, and all courses must be preapproved by the Wisconsin Real Estate Examining Board.

Salesperson and Associate Broker licensees in Wyoming must complete 45 total hours of continuing education during each three-year renewal cycle: 24 required hours plus 21 elective hours. Responsible Brokers must complete 53 total hours: 24 required hours, 21 elective hours, and 8 Wyoming Broker Management hours. The 24 required hours cover Fair Housing and Anti-Trust (4 hours), Real Estate Management and Technology (4 hours), Marketing, Advertising and Social Media Compliance (4 hours), Valuation and Finance (4 hours), and Agency and Contracts (8 hours).