If you have a real estate license in California, you must complete ongoing education classes to renew your license. This rule started on January 1, 1981, to ensure consumers are protected and receive good service.

This section allows the commissioner to create a team made up of licensed real estate professionals and experts in real estate education to help guide him in his duties.

This section tasks the commissioner with creating rules for the ongoing education of real estate professionals. They need to complete 45 hours of educational activities every four years to renew their licenses. The rules cover different methods to qualify these educational activities, how petitions for equivalent activities are evaluated, tracking attendance, testing requirements for online courses, and the conditions under which exemptions from these requirements can be granted, like health or military service. The goal is to ensure real estate professionals remain knowledgeable and provide high-quality service. Options for education can include various formats and institutions, addressing specialized areas of practice and considering the availability of courses.

If you want to renew your real estate license in California, you have to complete 45 hours of education before applying. This includes specific courses in ethics, agency relationships, trust fund accounting, fair housing, risk management, and implicit bias training. Brokers need an extra course about managing real estate offices. There are also at least 18 hours of courses on consumer protection topics like real estate financing and fair practices. A final exam is required to pass these courses. This rule has been in effect since January 1, 2023.

This law allows the commissioner to change or cancel any rules they make, but if you've completed education based on those rules for your current license, you can still use it when renewing your license, even if the rules change.

This law says that a real estate agent in California who is at least 70 years old and has held a real estate license in good standing for 30 continuous years doesn't have to follow the rules of this particular article. To be considered in good standing, the agent's license must be active and without any suspensions, revocations, restrictions, or issues due to disciplinary actions.

If you're trying to renew a license and have sent in proof of continuing education that you thought was okay but the commissioner disagrees, they can still extend your license for 90 days. This gives you extra time to send in the right paperwork. If your license is approved during or by the end of this extra time, it will last for four years, just like it would have without the extension.

If your real estate license was revoked due to disciplinary action, you can't get it back or apply for a restricted license unless you show proof that you completed the required continuing education. However, if you had to pass a test as part of getting your license back, you don't need to show this proof of education.

If you're renewing or reinstating a professional license in California and your last active license was issued four or more years ago, you need to show proof that you've met certain requirements. If you don't have this proof right away, you can get a temporary 90-day license. During this time, if you provide evidence that you meet all the necessary conditions, you will get a regular license lasting four years, starting from when the temporary license would have expired.

If you are a real estate broker licensed only as an officer of a corporate broker in California, you cannot renew your license or get a new one individually or with another corporate broker until you complete the required continuing education courses.