Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements by State

Passing the licensing exam is step one. Keeping your license active requires ongoing continuing education in almost every state. CE requirements vary from zero hours in a few states to 45 hours per renewal cycle in others. If you don't complete your CE on time, your license lapses. If your license lapses, you can't legally practice, earn commissions, or represent clients.

This isn't optional. It's the cost of staying licensed. Here's what each state requires.

How Continuing Education Works

Most states require licensed real estate agents to complete a set number of CE hours during each license renewal cycle. Renewal cycles are typically 2 to 4 years depending on the state. The CE courses cover updates to state law, ethics, fair housing, agency relationships, and other practice-relevant topics.

Some states mandate specific courses (like a required ethics module or a state law update course). Others let you choose from any approved CE courses. A few states impose additional requirements for newly licensed agents during their first renewal cycle, often called "post-licensing" education, which is separate from and in addition to standard CE.

CE courses are available online in nearly every state. Approved providers offer self-paced courses that you can complete on your own schedule. Some states also accept attendance at approved conferences, seminars, or industry events toward CE credit.

Continuing Education Requirements: All 50 States

Last updated: April 2026. Hours listed are per renewal cycle for salesperson/sales associate licenses. Broker requirements may differ. Verify with your state's real estate commission, as requirements change.

State	CE Hours	Renewal Cycle	Mandatory Topics	Online Allowed
Alabama	15	2 years	Risk management	Yes
Alaska	20	2 years	Electives only	Yes
Arizona	24	2 years	Commissioner's standards, fair housing, agency, contracts, disclosure	Yes
Arkansas	6	Annually	Electives only	Yes
California	45	4 years	Ethics, agency, fair housing, trust fund handling, risk management	Yes
Colorado	24	3 years	Annual commission update course (4 hrs/year)	Yes
Connecticut	12	2 years	Fair housing	Yes
Delaware	21	2 years	Fair housing, ethics	Yes
Florida	14	2 years	Core law, ethics, specialty CE	Yes
Georgia	36	4 years	License law course	Yes
Hawaii	20	2 years	Core topics required	Yes
Idaho	18	2 years	Core modules required	Yes
Illinois	12	2 years	Core curriculum (6 hrs)	Yes
Indiana	12	2 years	Electives only	Yes
Iowa	36	3 years	Ethics (8 hrs), electives	Yes
Kansas	12	2 years	Core course (3 hrs)	Yes
Kentucky	6	Annually	Core course (3 hrs), law update	Yes
Louisiana	12	Annually	Electives only	Yes
Maine	21	2 years	Core topics required	Yes
Maryland	15	2 years	Legislative update, fair housing, ethics	Yes
Massachusetts	12	2 years	Core curriculum	Yes
Michigan	18	3 years	Legal update (2 hrs), fair housing	Yes
Minnesota	30	2 years	Module A (15 hrs required)	Yes
Mississippi	16	2 years	MREC mandated topics	Yes
Missouri	12	2 years	Core course (3 hrs)	Yes
Montana	12	Annually	Electives only	Yes
Nebraska	18	2 years	Electives only	Yes
Nevada	24	2 years	Ethics, law/regulation, agency, contracts	Yes
New Hampshire	15	2 years	Core topics	Yes
New Jersey	12	2 years	Ethics (6 hrs), fair housing	Yes
New Mexico	36	3 years	Core and mandatory modules	Yes
New York	22.5	2 years	Fair housing, ethics, agency, cultural competency	Yes
North Carolina	8	Annually	General update, elective	Yes
North Dakota	9	Annually	Core course (3 hrs)	Yes
Ohio	30	3 years	Core topics, civil rights	Yes
Oklahoma	21	3 years	Core required	Yes
Oregon	30	2 years	Law and rule required (3 hrs)	Yes
Pennsylvania	14	2 years	Commission-approved topics	Yes
Rhode Island	24	2 years	Core modules	Yes
South Carolina	10	2 years	Core course (4 hrs)	Yes
South Dakota	24	2 years	Electives only	Yes
Tennessee	16	2 years	TREC core course	Yes
Texas	18	2 years	Legal update I (4 hrs), Legal update II (4 hrs), TREC ethics (4 hrs)	Yes
Utah	18	2 years	Core topics (9 hrs mandatory)	Yes
Vermont	16	2 years	Core topics (8 hrs)	Yes
Virginia	16	2 years	Ethics, fair housing, legal update	Yes
Washington	30	2 years	Core curriculum (30 hrs all mandated)	Yes
West Virginia	14	2 years	Core course (7 hrs)	Yes
Wisconsin	18	2 years	Electives only	Yes
Wyoming	12	2 years	Core topics	Yes

California leads at 45 hours per cycle, but it's a 4-year cycle, so that averages about 11 hours per year. Georgia requires 36 hours over 4 years (9 per year). States with annual requirements like Arkansas (6 hours), Kentucky (6 hours), and North Carolina (8 hours) have smaller per-cycle totals but more frequent deadlines.

Post-Licensing vs. Continuing Education

These are different requirements and people confuse them constantly.

Post-licensing education is a one-time requirement for newly licensed agents. It must be completed within a set period after your initial license (usually within the first 1 to 2 years or before your first renewal). Not all states require post-licensing education, but the ones that do treat it as mandatory. If you don't complete it, your license isn't renewed.

Continuing education is an ongoing requirement that repeats every renewal cycle for as long as you hold an active license. It applies to all licensees, not just new ones.

Florida is a good example of the distinction. Florida requires a 45-hour post-license course before your first renewal. After that, it's 14 hours of CE every 2 years for the life of your license. Texas requires additional post-licensing education (98 hours within the first two years), then 18 hours of CE every 2 years after that.

What Happens If You Don't Complete CE on Time

Your license goes inactive or expires, depending on your state. An inactive license means you can't practice, earn commissions, list properties, represent clients, or advertise yourself as a licensed agent. In most states, you can reactivate an inactive license by completing the overdue CE hours and paying a late fee. Some states require additional coursework or even re-examination if the license has been inactive for too long (typically 2+ years).

Don't let this happen by accident. Set calendar reminders for your renewal deadline. Most state commissions send renewal notices by email, but it's your responsibility to track the deadline, not theirs. Missing a renewal deadline by even one day can trigger the inactive status.

Tips for Completing CE Efficiently

Don't wait until the last month of your renewal cycle to start. Spread the hours across the cycle. If you need 18 hours over 2 years, that's less than one hour per month. Take a 3-hour course every quarter and you're done with time to spare.

Choose courses that actually teach you something useful. CE gets a bad reputation because agents treat it as a checkbox exercise, clicking through the minimum to get their certificate. The agents who use CE to genuinely update their knowledge of market trends, legal changes, and practice standards perform better and face fewer compliance issues.

If your state allows it, attend live seminars or conferences for CE credit. The networking alone is worth the time, and you retain more from interactive learning than from clicking through slides on your laptop.

CE Costs

Online CE courses typically cost $10 to $30 per credit hour. A full renewal cycle of 18 hours might run $150 to $400 depending on the provider and format. Live classroom or conference-based CE tends to cost more ($50 to $100+ per credit hour) but offers networking and engagement benefits that online courses don't.

Some brokerages cover CE costs for their agents as a retention perk. If your brokerage doesn't offer this, ask. It's a reasonable benefit and many brokerages will add it if you negotiate.

If you're still working toward your initial license and haven't sat for the exam yet, start with pre-licensing course hours by state to understand what you need before you test. For a complete view of how licensing works across the country, see the real estate license path for all 50 states.