Louisiana real estate license renewal and CE requirements
Louisiana real estate license renewal is an annual requirement administered by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC), combining a fee payment with a 12-hour continuing education (CE) obligation for active licensees. The timely renewal window opens August 1 and closes September 30, with delinquent periods extending through December 31. Real estate CE must be completed by December 31 each year, and for 2026 the LREC has designated "Transparency, Technology, and Trust" as the general mandatory course, with an additional broker-specific mandatory for brokers renewing in active status.
Louisiana real estate license renewal schedule
The timely renewal period runs from August 1 to September 30 each year, established by Act 193 of the 2021 Regular Legislative Session[1] effective April 1, 2022. Licensees who miss the September 30 deadline enter delinquent periods with escalating fees but can still renew through December 31. All licensees, whether active or inactive, must renew by December 31 to maintain their license.
The renewal calendar has three windows:
| Renewal period | Dates | Delinquent fee |
|---|---|---|
| Timely renewal | August 1 - September 30 | None |
| First delinquent | October 1 - November 15 | $50 (all licensees) |
| Second delinquent | November 16 - December 31 | $200 (active); $50 (inactive) |
Delinquent fees apply in addition to the base renewal fee. Current licensees do not need to complete a fingerprint-based criminal history review to renew, per the LREC renewal season page[1].
The Louisiana real estate license renewal process
Licensees complete the renewal process online via the MyLREC Portal. Before renewing, confirm your contact information is current, because Chapter 31 of LREC Rules[2] requires licensees to notify the commission in writing within 10 days of any change to mailing address, physical address, or telephone number.
Licensees may renew before completing their annual CE, as confirmed by the LREC CE reminder blog[3] published August 15, 2025. All CE coursework must be finished by December 31 to avoid violations and fines.
The timely renewal period runs from August 1 to September 30 each year, and renewal is completed through the MyLREC Portal. All active licensees must complete 12 hours of approved continuing education, including any LREC mandatory course topics, by December 31. Licensees may submit renewal before finishing CE, but the education requirement must be met by December 31 to avoid fine citations. Current licensees do not need to complete a new fingerprint-based criminal history review to renew.
Continuing education course completions are reported to the Louisiana Real Estate Commission by approved CE vendors, and licensees manage their licensing records through the MyLREC Portal at portal.lrec.gov. The portal is the same system used for annual license renewal. Licensees must complete 12 hours of approved CE each year by December 31, including any LREC mandatory course topics, and those hours are tracked by the commission through vendor-reported completion data.
Louisiana real estate license renewal fees
Louisiana statute RS 37:1443[4] establishes the fee schedule for license renewal and related transactions. Active broker renewal costs $70, and inactive renewal for both salespersons and brokers costs $35. The active salesperson renewal fee is set under RS 37:1443, though the LREC's current operational fee schedule reflects a different amount for this fee category.
| Transaction | Fee |
|---|---|
| Active broker renewal | $70 |
| Inactive renewal (salesperson or broker) | $35 |
| Transfer active to inactive | $45 |
| Transfer inactive to active | $45 |
| Delinquent fee, Oct 1 - Nov 15 | $50 |
| Delinquent fee, Nov 16 - Dec 31 (active) | $200 |
| Delinquent fee, Nov 16 - Dec 31 (inactive) | $50 |
| Processing fee | $25 |
Delinquent fees are charged in addition to the base renewal fee, per RS 37:1443[4].
Errors and omissions insurance
All Louisiana real estate licensees must carry errors and omissions (E&O) insurance. The LREC broker licensing page[5] requires proof of E&O insurance prior to license issuance, and the Louisiana REALTORS® association[6] reported that the LREC offers a group E&O policy through Rice Insurance Services. Licensees who maintain third-party E&O coverage must update their insurance details during the renewal process.
Active vs inactive license renewal
Inactive licensees must renew annually but are exempt from the 12-hour CE requirement. The LREC CE requirements page[7] states that the CE obligation applies to "licensees renewing in the active status," meaning inactive licensees need only pay the renewal fee by December 31. Licensees may transfer between active and inactive status for a $45 fee per RS 37:1443[4].
Louisiana continuing education requirements for 2026
Active licensees must complete 12 hours of CE each year, with mandatory and elective components that change annually. CE courses must be at least 2 hours long, and time spent on non-instructional activities such as meals, greetings, or Q&A sessions does not count toward credit hours, per the LREC CE vendor information page[8].
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.
2026 mandatory CE course topics
For 2026, the LREC has designated three mandatory course options for active licensees. All salespersons and brokers must complete "Transparency, Technology, and Trust" (4 hours). Brokers and associate brokers must also complete "Broker Leadership & Compliance" (4 hours). A commercial alternate, "Money Matters & RPR for Commercial Agents," may be taken as a substitution for the general mandatory course, per the LREC CE requirements page[7]. In 2025, the mandatory course was "Navigating the New Normal" with no broker-specific mandatory, as noted on the LREC blog[3].
Broker CE requirements for 2026
Brokers must complete both mandatory courses designated for 2026 — the general "Transparency, Technology, and Trust" and the broker-specific "Broker Leadership & Compliance" — plus elective hours to meet the annual total. The broker-specific mandatory is a new requirement for 2026 that did not exist in 2025, when no broker-specific course was required, per the LREC CE requirements page[7].
For 2026, Louisiana brokers renewing in active status must complete 12 hours of continuing education: 8 mandatory hours and 4 elective hours. The mandatory hours include the general course Transparency, Technology, and Trust (4 hours, required of all active licensees) and the broker-specific course Broker Leadership and Compliance (4 hours, required of brokers and associate brokers only). All continuing education must be completed by December 31.
Post-licensing education for new Louisiana licensees
New licensees must complete a one-time post-licensing education requirement in addition to the annual CE cycle. The LREC CE requirements page[7] specifies that this coursework must be finished within 180 days of the initial or upgraded license date, and completed hours can partially satisfy the annual CE requirement in the same year but cannot substitute for mandatory course topics.
New Louisiana licensees must complete 45 hours of post-licensing education within 180 days of their initial or upgraded license date. In the year the license is issued, those 45 hours may be used to satisfy a portion of the 12-hour annual continuing education requirement, but they do not satisfy any mandatory course topic hours. The post-licensing requirement applies to both salespersons and brokers who receive an initial or upgraded license.
Taking Louisiana real estate CE courses online
Louisiana allows CE coursework to be completed through distance learning, giving licensees flexibility to meet their annual requirement without attending in-person classes. Online classes for real estate license renewal include both self-paced courses and live virtual classroom formats from approved providers, and real estate education online covers the same mandatory and elective topics as classroom instruction.
Continuing education courses may be completed online through LREC-certified continuing education vendors. Distance learning courses must be certified by ARELLO for the delivery method, and each CE course must be a minimum of two hours. Time devoted to greetings, Q&A sessions, meals, or refreshments does not count toward instructional time.
Finding an approved Louisiana CE provider
Approved CE providers range from national education companies to local REALTOR® associations and title companies. The LREC CE vendors page[9] lists certified providers including Bob Brooks School, Burk Baker School, Donaldson Educational Services, ProEducate, WebCE, and Webtaught. Local associations such as the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS® and the New Orleans Metropolitan Association also offer approved CE courses, as do some title companies and home inspection companies.
The LREC maintains a public directory of approved continuing education vendors on its website, where licensees can find certified CE providers. Courses are available in both classroom and distance learning formats, with no limit on the number of CE hours that may be taken online. Local REALTOR® associations also serve as approved CE vendors in Louisiana. Distance learning courses must be certified by the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) for the delivery method, and all courses must be a minimum of 2 hours.
What happens if you miss the CE or renewal deadline
Failing to renew by December 31 results in license expiration with no grace period and full reapplication as a new applicant, while failing to complete CE by that date carries a separate fine citation from the LREC.
Failure to complete the required 12 hours of continuing education by December 31 is a violation of LREC law and rules and subjects the licensee to a fine citation. Licensees may renew their license before completing the CE requirement, but all coursework must be finished by December 31 to avoid penalties. If a licensee fails to renew by December 31, the license expires and the licensee must reapply as an initial applicant.
Per the LREC License Law (R.S. 37:1442)[10], a licensee who fails to delinquently renew by December 31 forfeits all renewal rights and must meet every requirement of an initial applicant, including retaking the state and national exams and completing a new fingerprint-based background check. If the licensee reapplies by December 31 of the year following expiration, pre-licensing education courses need not be retaken.
NAR education requirements separate from Louisiana CE
In addition to Louisiana CE, REALTOR® members must complete separate training mandates set by NAR. These NAR requirements do not count toward Louisiana CE hours unless the specific course is also LREC-approved.
The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) requires its members to complete Code of Ethics training and Fair Housing training every three years. These NAR-mandated training requirements are separate from the 12 hours of annual continuing education that the Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC) requires for active license renewal. NAR members who fail to complete the required training within the three-year cycle may lose their REALTOR® membership.
Next steps
Check your CE completion status in the MyLREC Portal, confirm your contact information is current, and plan to complete your annual hours before December 31. If you are a new licensee, prioritize your post-licensing education to meet the 180-day deadline. Brokers should confirm they are registered for both 2026 mandatory courses before the timely renewal window closes on September 30.
Sources
- LREC — License Renewal SeasonGovernmentAugust 2026
- LREC — Louisiana Real Estate Commission HomepageGovernmentAugust 2026
- LREC — CE Reminder BlogGovernmentMay 2026
- Louisiana Legislature — Statute Text (RS 37:1443)StatuteMay 2026
- LREC — Become a BrokerGovernmentMay 2026
- Louisiana Realtors — License Fees & DuesEducationAugust 2026
- LREC — CE RequirementsGovernmentAugust 2026
- LREC — CE Course Vendor InfoGovernmentMay 2026
- LREC — CE Vendors ListGovernmentMay 2026
- Louisiana Real Estate Commission — License LawEducationAugust 2026