Colorado Appraisal License: Education, Experience, and Exam

To meet the Colorado appraisal license requirements, you choose one of three credential levels, finish the classroom hours and supervised experience for that level, pass a fingerprint-based background check, and pass the national appraiser exam. The Division of Real Estate inside the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) issues the credential once your file clears. Colorado has no separate trainee license, so the Licensed Appraiser credential is the usual entry point.

The Three Credentials and What They Let You Appraise

Pick the level before you spend money on coursework, because the hours and experience you need are tied to it.

Licensed Appraiser lets you handle non-complex one-to-four unit residential properties under $1,000,000 in transaction value and complex one-to-four unit residential properties under $400,000.¹
Certified Residential Appraiser lets you appraise any one-to-four unit residential property with no value or complexity cap.¹
Certified General Appraiser lets you appraise all real property, including commercial, industrial, vacant land, and mixed-use. It is the only credential that permits non-residential work.¹

A fourth credential, the Licensed Ad Valorem Appraiser, exists only for county assessor and Division of Property Taxation employees performing official duties, and does not authorize private-sector work.² If you want pre-license experience, you work under a higher-level appraiser following USPAP supervisory rules; the state does not issue a trainee license to accompany that arrangement.³

Classroom Hours You Have to Complete

Each credential has a set number of qualifying education hours from a Board-approved provider. The hour requirements effective January 1, 2026 are:

Licensed Appraiser: 158 hours. No college degree required.³
Certified Residential Appraiser: 200 hours, plus a bachelor’s degree in any field, an associate’s degree in a related field such as business administration, accounting, finance, economics, or real estate, or 30 semester hours of college-level coursework covering specified topics.⁴
Certified General Appraiser: 300 hours, plus a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution.³

Every 2026 curriculum includes a mandatory 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course and the 15-hour National USPAP Course.⁴ Approved providers include accredited colleges, professional appraisal organizations, government agencies, and providers approved through the Appraisal Foundation’s Course Approval Program.⁵

Supervised Experience You Have to Log

Classroom hours are only half of it. You also need documented appraisal work under a qualified supervisor.

Licensed Appraiser: 1,000 hours over at least six months.⁴
Certified Residential Appraiser: 1,500 hours over at least 12 months.⁴
Certified General Appraiser: 3,000 hours over at least 30 months, with at least 1,500 of those hours in non-residential appraisals. Even if you reach 3,000 hours sooner, you cannot apply until the 30-month floor is met.⁶

Hours go on the official Appraisal Experience Log in Excel format, available from the DORA website. Each entry needs the date, property address, property type, and the specific tasks you performed. Estimating total hours per appraisal is not acceptable; you log actual hours worked.³ A qualified supervising appraiser reviews and signs the log to confirm USPAP compliance. Keep your completed logs long after you apply, because the Board can audit them well after your license is issued.

Background Check, Application, and Fees

Every applicant submits fingerprints to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for a state and federal criminal history check through an approved electronic fingerprinting vendor; results go to both the CBI and the FBI.⁷ The Board reviews the report and can deny an application based on what it finds. Disclose any past criminal history or discipline on the application itself. Omitting something the background check surfaces is a faster path to denial than the underlying issue.

You submit the Application for Original Appraiser License through DORA’s online licensing portal and upload your education certificates, experience logs, and proof of Errors and Omissions insurance. The application fee is $112 for the Licensed, Certified Residential, or Certified General credential.⁸ The Division then checks your file against state and federal requirements before clearing you for the exam.

Passing the National Exam

Once your application clears, the Division sends a Letter of Exam Eligibility. That letter is required before you can schedule the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination; you cannot register without it.³

PSI administers the exam at computer testing centers across Colorado.⁹ You pay PSI’s exam fee separately and bring two forms of valid identification. Content covers valuation principles, appraisal procedures, professional ethics, and relevant law. After you pass, PSI sends your score to the Division, which does a final verification and issues the license.

If You’re Already Licensed in Another State

Colorado may issue your credential through reciprocity when your current state’s licensing requirements are consistent with the national Appraiser Qualifications Board minimums. You still complete the fingerprint-based background check and provide proof of Errors and Omissions insurance.¹⁰

If you only need to finish a single Colorado assignment, the Division issues Temporary Practice Permits for federally related transactions, capped at four permits per rolling twelve-month period.¹⁰ Regular Colorado work calls for reciprocity instead.

Keeping the License Active

Your initial license expires December 31 of the year it was issued. After that, renewals run on a two-year cycle, with the window open from November 15 through December 31 and a grace period through January 31. The renewal fee is $263 for the Licensed, Certified Residential, and Certified General credentials.⁸ A full two-year renewal requires 28 hours of approved continuing education, including the 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course taught by an AQB-certified instructor, which counts toward the 28-hour total. If your first license was issued before July 1, you need 14 hours of continuing education before that first December 31 expiration; licenses issued on or after July 1 carry no continuing education requirement for the first renewal. Hang on to your completion certificates for at least five years.¹¹

1
Legal Information Institute. 4 CCR 725-2, ch. 1 – Definitions
2
Justia. Colorado Code 12-10-606 – Qualifications for Licensing and Certification of Appraisers
3
Division of Real Estate. Appraiser Qualifying Education, Experience and Examination Requirements
4
Legal Information Institute. 4 CCR 725-2, ch. 2 – Requirements for Licensure as a Real Estate Appraiser
5
Division of Real Estate. Appraiser Education Providers and Course Approval
6
Secretary of State of Colorado. 4 CCR 725-2 – Board of Real Estate Appraisers
7
Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Employment and Background Checks
8
Division of Real Estate. Appraiser Applications, Documents and Fees
9
PSI licensure:certification. Real Estate Appraiser Candidate Information Bulletin
10
Division of Real Estate. Appraiser Renewal, Reinstatement, Reciprocity and Temporary Permits
11
Division of Real Estate. Appraiser Continuing Education