Colorado Real Estate License Renewal and CE Requirements

Colorado real estate brokers renew their licenses every three years and must complete 24 hours of continuing education (CE) before each renewal. The Colorado Division of Real Estate (DRE), part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), sets the CE requirements, manages the renewal process, and enforces deadlines that determine whether a broker can keep practicing.

Colorado real estate license renewal cycle

Colorado real estate broker licenses operate on a three-year renewal cycle after an initial license period. Newly issued broker licenses run through December 31 of the issuance year, and brokers licensed between November 1 and December 31 receive an extended initial term that ends on December 31 of the following calendar year, per the DRE application instruction guide^[1].

After the initial period, the license enters a standard three-year cycle running from January 1 of the first year through December 31 of the third year. All CE for the cycle must be completed by the December 31 expiration date.

How much continuing education do Colorado brokers need

Colorado requires active brokers to complete DRE-approved continuing education before each license renewal to keep their license active.

Requirements differ for inactive licensees; see the reinstatement section below for details on maintaining and reactivating an inactive or expired license.

The Annual Commission Update course

The Annual Commission Update (ACU) is a four-hour course that the Colorado Real Estate Commission develops each year to cover recent regulatory changes, rule updates, and current practice issues. Every active broker must take the ACU each year and pass the course exam, per the DRE broker continuing education page^[2].

The ACU deadline is strict. Each year's version must be completed by December 31, and once a calendar year ends, that version cannot be made up. The Commission replaces the previous version with a new course each year, so a broker who misses a year cannot retake the missed version.

Over a three-year cycle, a broker takes three different ACU versions, one per year. If a broker completes a fourth ACU version during the cycle, those four hours can be applied toward the elective requirement.

Elective continuing education hours

The elective portion of the CE requirement allows brokers to choose from any DRE-approved elective course. Common elective topics include fair housing and ethics, real estate law, brokerage administration, property management, agency law, real estate finance, risk management, cultural competency, and implicit bias training.

Elective hours do not need to be spread across years. A broker can complete all elective hours in a single session or distribute them across the cycle, as long as everything is finished before the December 31 expiration date.

Taking Colorado CE courses online

Online and classroom-based CE courses carry equal credit in Colorado.

Colorado real estate license renewal process

Colorado brokers renew through the DRE's online services portal. The process requires completing all CE hours, maintaining current E&O insurance, and paying the renewal fee before the deadline.

The grace period after the expiration date applies only to the fee submission. All continuing education must be completed by December 31 of the expiration year, and the grace period does not extend the CE deadline, per the DRE renewal notification page^[3]. All fees are non-refundable, and the DRE notes that renewal fees may vary from year to year. Licensees should log in to the online portal to confirm the current cycle's fee.

E&O insurance is mandatory for active license renewal. Many policies expire on January 1, and a lapsed policy can result in license inactivation and loss of prior-acts coverage.

What happens if you miss the ACU deadline

Brokers who miss an Annual Commission Update course year cannot retake that version. The DRE offers three alternatives, per the broker continuing education page^[2]:

The Broker Reactivation Course is also available to brokers whose licenses are inactive or expired for up to 36 months.

Reinstating an expired or long-inactive Colorado license

A broker who allows the license to expire has three years from the expiration date to submit a reinstatement application, according to the DRE fee schedule^[4]. During the expiration period, the licensee may not conduct any business that requires licensure.

The base rate renewal fee is $252, as listed on the DRE fee schedule. The reinstatement totals above combine that base fee with a statutory surcharge. A reinstated license returns to inactive status, and a separate Transfer/Activation application ($5 fee) is required to return to active status.

Inactive licenses must still be renewed to maintain inactive status and avoid these reinstatement fees, even though no CE is required for inactive licensees.

For a license inactive for more than three years (36 months), the broker must complete additional education before reactivation: either pass the state portion of the Colorado Broker's Exam or complete 72 hours of coursework (48 hours in Colorado Contracts and Regulations and 24 hours in Real Estate Closings), per the DRE broker continuing education page^[2].

Tracking your continuing education credits

Colorado brokers can track their CE credits through the DRE's online services portal, which provides access to license status and associated records.

Since the DRE does not maintain a state-wide CE roster, brokers should keep their own course completion certificates as backup. The Commission can request proof of completion at any time.

NAR ethics training vs. state continuing education

NAR membership carries a separate ethics-training obligation that runs on its own three-year cycle, independent of Colorado's state CE rules. The Colorado CE requirement is enforced by the DRE, while the NAR ethics requirement is a membership obligation enforced by NAR and local associations.

Some Colorado CE providers offer ethics courses that may satisfy both the NAR requirement and state elective hours, but brokers should confirm with their local association whether a specific course qualifies.

Next steps for Colorado brokers approaching renewal

Brokers approaching renewal should verify their CE completion status, confirm their E&O insurance is current, and submit the online renewal application before the December 31 expiration date. Brokers who have missed an ACU course should identify the appropriate alternative path and complete the required education or exam before the renewal deadline. Starting CE early in the cycle avoids the risk of missed deadlines and the reinstatement fees that come with a lapsed license. The DRE website^[5] notes that August 12, 2026, is the effective date for laws enacted during the 2026 legislative session that may affect brokers, so licensees should check for any changes to renewal or CE requirements.