If you have a real estate license in California, you will need to renew it every four years in order to continue operating legitimately. This is the case regardless of whether you are a real estate agent or a broker.

The cost of renewing your California real estate license will depend on whether you do this on time – or have to pay a late penalty fee – as well as whether you are a broker or a real estate agent.

In this guide, we break down how you can go about completing your California Real Estate License Renewal, detailing how much this will cost, as well as what continuing education (CE) requirements you will need to complete before submitting your application.

California Real Estate Renewal Cost

The total cost of your California Real Estate License Renewal will depend on several factors, including whether you are a real estate agent or broker and whether you are required to pay a late penalty fee:

Status	Real Estate Agent	Real Estate Broker
Renewal Cost	$245	$300
Late Renewal Fee	$367	$450
Total Cost	$245 – $612	$300 – $750

On top of this, you’ll need to add the cost of purchasing a real estate CE course, as this is a legal requirement in the state of California.

California Real Estate Continuing Education

You will need to complete the following CE requirements in order to renew your real estate license in California.

First Time Renewals

45 hours of California Department of Real Estate (DRE)-approved CE courses, including:

• Ethics: Three hours
• Agency: Three hours
• Trust fund handling: Three hours
• Risk management: Three hours
• Fair housing: Three hours
• Implicit bias: Two hours
• Consumer protection courses: At least 18 hours

Note: If you are interested in renewing a real estate broker license, you will be required to complete an additional three-hour CE course in management and supervision.

Second and Subsequent Renewals

45 hours of DRE-approved continuing education, including:

• One nine-hour CE survey that covers the following mandatory subjects: Ethics, agency, trust fund handling, risk management, management and supervision, fair housing, and implicit bias training.

OR

• Individual courses in all of the mandatory subjects listed above.

Regardless of whether you are renewing your license for the first time or not, you will need to complete the remaining hours of CE by taking up elective courses. These must relate to consumer service or consumer protection.

Inactive California Real Estate Agents

In California, your license can remain inactive for a period of two years following its expiration date.

You will not be able to engage in any real estate sales or brokerage activity with an inactive license.

Renew California Real Estate License

You will be able to renew your California real estate license online or by mail.

Online

You can renew your real estate license online through the California DRE eLicensing online system. If this is your first time renewing online, you will need to register first.

We recommend  that you complete your CE training at least 10 days before your license expires. This will ensure that there is enough time for it to be processed.

Mail

As a real estate agent, you can choose to file Form RE-209 to the California DRE at the following address in order to renew your license:

Department of Real Estate
P.O. Box 137003
Sacramento, CA 95813

If you are a broker, you should file Form RE-208 instead.

Keep in mind that you will need to submit your fees alongside your application.