To get an Indiana real estate license, you need to meet the state’s broker license requirements: be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or GED, complete 90 hours of approved pre-licensing coursework, pass the state exam, and pay a $60 application fee. Indiana has no separate “salesperson” or “agent” license — every practicing agent is a broker from day one.
Indiana Has One License, Not Two
If you’ve been reading about Indiana real estate licensing and keep seeing references to a “salesperson” license, ignore them. Indiana converted all salesperson licenses to broker licenses, and the administrative rule that governed the changeover (876 IAC 2-15.1) has since been repealed. The transition is done. What other states call a salesperson or agent license, Indiana simply calls a broker license, and everyone applies at that level from the start.
That single-tier structure matters when you compare Indiana’s requirements to a neighboring state’s. There is no entry-level tier and no separate broker upgrade later on.
What You Need to Get Licensed
Indiana Code 25-34.1-3-4.1 sets out the qualifications. To be eligible for a broker license, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old when you apply.
- Hold a high school diploma or GED.
- Complete a 90-hour approved broker pre-licensing course covering the topics prescribed by IC 25-34.1-5-5, including real estate law, finance, and ethics.
- Pass a written exam prepared and administered by the commission or its testing agent.
- Submit a $60 nonrefundable application fee, along with the name and address of the broker company you intend to work with.
- Have no conviction for a crime that bears directly on your ability to practice competently or that suggests a propensity to endanger the public.
One deadline catches people off guard. You have to submit your license fee within one year of passing the exam. Miss that window and the commission voids your application, which means retaking the exam and reapplying from scratch.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 25 Article 34.1 Chapter 3 Section 25-34-1-3-4-1 – Requirements for Broker’s License
If you’re already licensed and you’re later convicted of a crime, you have 30 days to send the commission a copy of the complaint and the judgment of conviction.2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 25 Article 34.1 Chapter 3 Section 25-34-1-3-12 – Criminal Convictions
Renewing and Keeping the License Active
Every active broker must complete 12 hours of continuing education each year on a July 1 through June 30 cycle. Approved coursework covers legislative updates, legal issues, ethics, and industry developments, and it’s available through online platforms and in-person seminars.3Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Real Estate Licensing Information
Licenses themselves renew every three years. The renewal fee is $60, and you have to show proof of CE compliance when you renew.
Watch the renewal date. If you don’t renew by your expiration date, your license automatically becomes invalid. No commission hearing, no grace period, no warning letter — it simply lapses.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 25 Article 34.1 Chapter 3 Section 25-34-1-3-4-1 – Requirements for Broker’s License
Moving Up to Managing Broker
A managing broker supervises other brokers within a company and is responsible for the firm’s compliance. Every broker company in Indiana — sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or LLC — must have at least one managing broker who qualifies under IC 25-34.1-4-0.5 and IC 25-34.1-4-3.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 25 Article 34.1 Chapter 3 Section 25-34-1-3-4-1 – Requirements for Broker’s License
To earn the designation, you need at least three years of active broker experience in Indiana and a 24-hour managing broker course. After that, four of your 12 annual CE hours have to focus on management-specific topics such as business operations and legal compliance.
Moving to Indiana from Another State
Indiana’s reciprocity is narrow. The state extends limited reciprocity only to brokers licensed in Illinois. If you hold an active Illinois license, you can apply for an Indiana license without repeating Indiana’s full pre-licensing coursework, though you may still need to pass the Indiana-specific portion of the exam.
Brokers from any other state go through the standard application process, including the 90-hour course and the full exam. Older statutes contained a broader reciprocity provision at IC 25-34.1-3-9, but that section has been repealed.4Justia. Indiana Code Title 25 Article 34.1 Chapter 3 – Licensing
Penalties for Violations
Once you hold a license, the Indiana Real Estate Commission can discipline you under IC 25-1-11-5. The grounds that most often come up in real estate cases include:
- Fraud or material misrepresentation to get a license (including cheating on the exam) or in the course of serving clients.
- False or misleading advertising of services or properties.
- Conviction of a crime that bears directly on your ability to practice or is harmful to the public.
- Incompetence — taking on work you’re not qualified for, or failing to keep up with professional standards.
- Knowingly violating any state or federal statute governing real estate practice.
- Addiction or dependency on alcohol or drugs that impairs your ability to practice safely.
Available sanctions include license revocation, suspension, probation, required additional education, and civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation. The per-violation structure matters, because a pattern of misconduct across multiple transactions can stack penalties quickly.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 25 Section 25-1-11-12
Practicing without a license is treated separately. Under IC 25-34.1-6-2, acting as a broker without a license, or running an unapproved pre-licensing course, is a Class A infraction. On top of the fine the court imposes, the statute requires the court to add the amount of any fees or compensation the person earned while committing the offense. Each transaction counts as a separate infraction.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 25 Article 34.1 Chapter 6 Section 25-34-1-6-2 – Penalties; Supplemental Procedures
One last practical note: Indiana does not require brokers to carry errors and omissions insurance as a condition of licensure. Many broker companies, franchises, and lending partners require it anyway, and premiums for individual brokers typically run a few hundred dollars a year.