How Long Can a Real Estate License Be Inactive in Georgia?

A Georgia real estate license can remain on inactive status indefinitely, so long as you pay the renewal fee every cycle. There is no cap on how many renewal periods you can stay inactive. The question of how long a real estate license can be inactive in Georgia really comes down to whether you keep renewing on time; miss a renewal and the license lapses, at which point the clock starts running on much harsher reinstatement rules.

Placing the License on Inactive Status

Under O.C.G.A. § 43-40-12(g), any broker who no longer wants to practice, or any salesperson who stops working for a broker, can request inactive status in writing. The request must reach the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) within 30 days of the date you stop real estate work.¹ Miss that window and you risk the license lapsing rather than going inactive.

GREC charges a non-refundable fee to process the request.¹ Incomplete applications are returned unprocessed and trigger a $25 charge, so make sure your contact information is current before you submit.²

Renewals Are What Keep the License Alive

Going inactive does not excuse you from renewing. Inactive licensees pay the same renewal fee on the same schedule as active licensees. The standard renewal fee is $125, or $100 if you renew online.³ The statute is explicit that anyone on inactive status must still pay the renewal fee.¹

As long as you keep those renewals current, the license stays valid on inactive status with no maximum duration. Treat the renewal fee as the cost of holding your license open while you’re away from the business.

What Happens If You Let It Lapse

Skip a renewal and the license lapses. Reinstatement then depends on how long the license has been lapsed, and the penalties escalate quickly.

Reinstatement fees:

Within 4 months of the missed renewal: $225.
More than 4 months past the missed renewal: $225 plus $25 for each additional month beyond the four-month window.²

Education requirements also stiffen the longer you wait:

Two years or less from lapsing: reinstating to inactive requires no continuing education; reinstating to active requires whatever CE would have been due during the period.
Between two and five years from lapsing: you must complete the appropriate pre-license course within one year before submitting your reinstatement application, or pass the state qualifying exam.
More than five years from lapsing: you must qualify as an entirely new applicant, meaning you start the licensing process over from the beginning.²

The practical rule: renewing on time keeps your options open at a fraction of the cost of reinstating a lapsed license, and letting a license sit lapsed for more than five years effectively destroys it.

What You Can and Cannot Do While Inactive

An inactive license means you cannot engage in the real estate brokerage business. There is one carve-out: you can still handle transactions involving property you personally own.¹ The exception covers your own property only, not helping friends, family, or former clients.

Referral fees fall on the wrong side of that line too. Under federal RESPA rules, the referral-fee exception that allows agents to split fees applies only when all parties are “acting in a real estate brokerage capacity.”⁴ Because an inactive Georgia licensee cannot legally perform brokerage activities, collecting a referral fee while inactive creates real compliance risk. If referral income matters, keeping the license active is worth considering even during a slowdown.

Practicing without an active license carries teeth. Under O.C.G.A. § 43-40-25, GREC can impose fines of up to $1,000 per violation, capped at $5,000 in any single disciplinary proceeding, and can also suspend or revoke the license, order additional education, limit future license privileges, or assess investigation costs.⁵

Coming Back to Active Status

Whenever you decide to return, reactivation has three parts: completing the required continuing education, affiliating with a licensed Georgia broker, and submitting the reactivation paperwork to GREC.

Continuing Education

Active licensees must complete 36 hours of approved continuing education during each renewal period, including at least 3 hours on license law.⁶ If you reactivate from inactive to active, you must complete whatever continuing education would have been required had your license been active the entire time.² Going inactive doesn’t erase the education obligation. It delays it.

Brokers have an added layer: the 36-hour requirement must include at least 18 hours of broker-specific CE.⁷ Plan ahead if you’ve been inactive for several cycles, because catching up on a full stretch of CE at once takes time.

Broker Affiliation

Every active salesperson, associate broker, and community association manager in Georgia must work under a licensed Georgia broker. You cannot reactivate to active status without naming the broker who will supervise you on your application.⁶ Lining up that relationship before you file saves time on the back end.

1
Justia Law. Georgia Code 43-40-12 – Fees; Inactive Status; Licensure of Broker as Salesperson; Penalty Fees; Extension of Renewal Period
2
Georgia Real Estate Commission. GREC Individual Reinstatement Fees
3
Georgia Real Estate Commission. Renewing Your Individual Real Estate License
4
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1024.14 Prohibition Against Kickbacks and Unearned Fees
5
Justia Law. Georgia Code 43-40-25 – Violations by Licensees, Schools, and Instructors; Sanctions; Unfair Trade Practices
6
Georgia Secretary of State. Chapter 520-1 Licensure and Brokerage – Rule 520-1-.05 Maintaining a License
7
Georgia Real Estate Commission. 2025 Broker Continuing Education Rule Changes