Getting a Florida real estate license takes most people two to four months and runs through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and its Florida Real Estate Commission. You complete a 63-hour pre-licensing course, submit fingerprints and an application, pass the state exam with a score of at least 75 out of 100, and then affiliate with a broker so your license goes active. Total out-of-pocket cost usually falls between about $275 and $1,000, depending mostly on which course you pick.
Who Qualifies
Florida Statute 475.17 sets the baseline: you must be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and be honest, truthful, trustworthy, and of good character.1Justia Law. Florida Code Title XXXII Chapter 475 Part I – Section 475.17 Qualifications for Practice The character standard sounds vague, but it gives the commission real authority to deny an applicant whose background raises concerns.
You do not have to live in Florida. Out-of-state applicants are welcome, though you will need a valid Social Security number to complete the application. Residency only comes into play if you want to use the mutual recognition pathway described further down.
The 63-Hour Pre-Licensing Course
Every applicant takes the Sales Associate Pre-Licensing Course, often called FREC Course I: 60 hours of instruction plus a three-hour end-of-course exam.2Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Florida Real Estate Commission Sales Associate Course Syllabus (FREC Course I) The curriculum covers property rights, title transfers, contracts, mortgages, appraisal methods, and federal and state real estate law. You can take it online or in a classroom through any state-approved provider, including private schools and community colleges. Course pricing runs from around $100 for a basic online option to $800 or more for in-person programs bundled with exam prep.
You need at least 70 percent on the end-of-course exam for your school to certify you as having completed it.
One narrow exemption: if you hold a four-year degree or higher in real estate from an accredited college or university, you skip both the pre-licensing course and the post-licensing education that comes later.3Florida Senate. Florida Statutes Chapter 475 Section 17 – Qualifications for Practice The degree must be specifically in real estate.
Fingerprints and Background Disclosure
Florida requires electronic fingerprints submitted through an approved Livescan vendor. The prints go to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI for a criminal history check. Expect to pay somewhere between $50 and $90 depending on the vendor.
On the application, you also have to disclose any criminal convictions, guilty pleas, or no-contest pleas, even if adjudication was withheld. Disciplinary actions from any other licensing board, in any jurisdiction, count too. Nondisclosure is often treated more harshly than the underlying offense, so if there is anything in your history, pull your court documents and disposition records before you file.
How a Criminal Record Is Treated
A record does not automatically disqualify you, but certain offenses will trigger scrutiny. Under Florida Statute 475.25, the commission can deny a license for a crime that directly relates to real estate activities or involves dishonesty, fraud, or moral turpitude.4Florida Senate. Florida Statutes Chapter 475 Section 25 – Discipline The same statute covers misrepresentation, false promises, or breach of trust in any business transaction, whether or not the victim suffered actual financial loss.
The commission reviews each case individually. Factors that generally work in your favor include time elapsed since the offense, completion of probation or parole, evidence of rehabilitation, and how closely the crime relates to real estate work. A decades-old DUI is a very different conversation than a recent fraud conviction. If your history is complicated, consider consulting an attorney before you file.
File the Application and Pay the Fees
Once your course and fingerprints are done, file Form RE 1 through the DBPR’s online portal. The application fee is $83.75.5Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Sales Associate Initial Application (RE 1) The department matches your fingerprint results to your application and verifies your course completion. Plan on roughly 10 to 30 days for the review.
The full cost picture, before course tuition:
- Application fee: $83.75
- Exam fee: $36.75 per attempt
- Fingerprinting: about $50 to $90
- Pre-licensing course: $100 to $800 depending on the provider
Most applicants spend between about $275 and $1,000 in total, depending largely on the course they choose and whether they pass the exam on the first try.
Pass the State Exam
After the department approves your application, you receive an Authorization to Test. You then schedule your exam with Pearson VUE, the third-party testing vendor, and pay the $36.75 exam fee directly to them.6Pearson VUE. Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Division of Real Estate Fact Sheet
The exam is 100 multiple-choice questions across 19 content areas, with three and a half hours to complete it.7Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Real Estate Sales Associate Candidate Information Booklet The heaviest-weighted topics are brokerage activities and procedures, real estate contracts, and residential mortgages. Passing requires 75 or higher. Bring two forms of ID, one of them a government-issued photo ID, and leave everything else in the car. No phones, notes, or personal items are allowed in the exam room. You get your score immediately when you finish. If you fail, you can reschedule and retake the exam by paying another $36.75.
Activate Your License Under a Broker
Passing the exam does not let you start selling houses. Florida law prohibits a sales associate from conducting any real estate business except under a registered broker.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Section 475.42 – Violations and Penalties Until you affiliate with a brokerage, your license sits inactive. Legal to hold, not legal to work under.
To activate, your broker files Form DBPR RE 11 (Change of Status for Sales Associates) with the department and the qualifying broker signs to authorize adding you as an employee. There is no fee for the change.9Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Change of Status for Sales Associates and Broker Sales Associates Once processed, your status flips to active and you can legally represent clients. Commission splits, training, mentorship, lead generation, and desk fees vary a lot between brokerages, so interview several before signing on.
Post-Licensing Education Before Your First Renewal
Your first renewal deadline carries a serious education requirement. Before your initial license expires, you must finish a 45-hour post-licensing course covering practical real estate law and business operations.10Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R. 61J2-3.020 – Post-licensing Education Florida real estate licenses expire on either March 31 or September 30, depending on the renewal cycle you are assigned.11Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Real Estate Commission Home
Miss it and your license becomes null and void. Not suspended, not inactive. Void. You would have to retake the pre-licensing course, reapply, and pass the state exam again from scratch.11Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Real Estate Commission Home Put the expiration date on your calendar the day your license issues and finish the course well before it.
Continuing Education After That
Once you clear the first-renewal hurdle, the ongoing requirement gets lighter. Every two years, you complete 14 hours of continuing education before your renewal date. As of the March 31, 2026 renewal cycle, those 14 hours must include three hours of Core Law, three hours of Business Ethics Practices, and eight hours of specialty education.12Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Renewal Information Real Estate Sales Associates Brokers Broker Associates The requirement applies whether your license is active or inactive.
If you want to keep your license in good standing without working under a broker, you can put it in voluntary inactive status. You still owe the continuing education and the renewal fee, but you do not have to be affiliated with a brokerage during that time.13The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes Section 475.183 – Renewal of Inactive License
Mutual Recognition for Out-of-State Licensees
If you already hold an active real estate license in one of ten specific states, Florida offers a faster route through mutual recognition. The participating states are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.14Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Real Estate Commission Mutual Recognition States
To qualify, you must not be a Florida resident at the time of application, and your license in the mutual recognition state must be valid, current, and active, and must have been obtained by meeting that state’s own education and examination requirements. A license you obtained through reciprocity with a third state does not count.
Mutual recognition applicants take a 40-question Florida law exam instead of the full 100-question test, and need at least 30 correct answers to pass.14Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Real Estate Commission Mutual Recognition States The 63-hour pre-licensing course is waived. Once you hold the Florida license, though, you are on the same renewal track as everyone else: the 45-hour post-licensing course before your first renewal, and 14 hours of continuing education every two years after that.