How to Get a Broker License in Minnesota

Obtaining a Minnesota Real Estate Broker License is crucial if you’re looking to advance your real estate career. Despite the streamlined online application process, many aspiring real estate brokers find the requirements and procedures complex and challenging.

This How to Get a Broker License in Minnesota article will guide you through each step of the process, ensuring you have a clear understanding of what it takes to achieve this license and elevate your real estate career as quickly as possible.

Minnesota Real Estate Broker License

In order to get your Minnesota real estate broker license and take your career to the next level, there are several key steps you’ll need to complete, including:

1. Ensuring You Meet the Eligibility and Experience Requirements
2. Completing the Mandatory Pre-Licensing Education
3. Passing the Minnesota Broker Licensing Exam
4. Submitting a License Application

In the sections below, we’ve explored each of these steps in more detail.

Note: If you’re just starting out, you’ll need to check out our Minnesota Real Estate License guide instead.

Step 1: Meet the Minnesota Eligibility and Experience Requirements

Before proceeding with the application process for your Minnesota real estate broker license, you’ll need to first make sure that you meet the general prerequisites outlined under the Chapter 82 of the 2023 Minnesota Statutes:

• You must be at least 18 years of age
• You must not have had any real estate license — either as a broker or salesperson — revoked in Minnesota or any other state within the past two years
• You must have at least three years of experience as a licensed real estate salesperson in Minnesota (or another state with similar requirements) within the five years leading up to your broker’s exam application

Keep in mind that Minnesota has reciprocal licensing agreements with Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

This means that if you’re already licensed as a broker in one of these states, you’ll only need to take the state portion of Minnesota’s licensing exam. For more information, you should contact the Minnesota Department of Commerce directly by email.

Note: If you obtained your real estate salesperson experience in another state, you’ll need to fill out and submit a Request for Waiver of Salesperson Experience to sit for Broker Exam form alongside your broker license application.

Step 2: Complete the Mandatory Pre-Licensing Education

Beyond the general requirements mentioned earlier, you must also fulfill specific educational prerequisites to be able to apply for a Minnesota real estate broker license.

In particular, this will involve completing a total of 30 hours of broker-specific coursework (covering topics such as agency representation, anti discrimination laws, and federal fair housing laws) through an education provider that’s been approved by the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

It should be noted that, in order for your coursework to count toward the license application, the provider will need to be in good standing and recognized by the Department of Commerce; you can check this through the state’s PULSE Portal.

Once you successfully complete the course final exam, you will receive a Certificate of Completion, which you must present at the exam site in order to sit for your state licensing exam.

Remember that you’ll need to apply for your broker’s license within 12 months of completing this course. If you wait any longer than this, your certificate of completion will become invalid and you’ll need to complete your pre-licensing education all over again.

Step 3: Pass the Broker Licensing Exam

In Minnesota, this four hour exam is administered by PSI and comprises 130 questions divided across two sections: a National portion and a State-Specific portion.

In order to schedule your real estate broker exam, you’ll need to make an online reservation using the PSI website. Note that you’ll need to create an account for this service if this is your first time using it, after which you’ll be shown step-by-step instructions on how to complete your reservation.

Keep in mind that you’ll be required to pay a $68 fee at the time of reservation, as this cannot be paid at the exam center. In order to pass, you’ll need to obtain a minimum score of 75% on each section separately.

If you fail either of the two portions, you’ll need to retake that section, with a reduced fee of $45.

You’ll find out how you performed on this exam immediately after finishing and should receive your passing exam score sheet with a full breakdown a few days afterwards.

Keep in mind that you will need to apply for your real estate broker’s license within one year of passing the examination.

Note: If you have been continuously active as a licensed real estate salesperson, this one year timeframe may be extended. However, any gap in activity could result in the standard deadline being enforced.

Step 4: Submit a License Application

After completing your pre-licensing education and ensuring that you satisfy all other licensing requirements, you’ll be ready to move on to submitting your license application.

This can be done in one of two ways, depending on how you plan to be associated with a real estate company:

• Individual Proprietor/Primary Broker: If you plan to work as an individual proprietor or as the primary broker for a real estate company, you’ll need to apply for both your broker’s license and the real estate company license together using the “Dual Application” process through the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s PULSE Portal
• Non-Primary Broker: If you plan to work as a non-primary broker for an existing real estate company, you will not need to submit your own application. Instead, the primary broker for the company will need to submit it on your behalf

It’s important to note that, in both cases, you’ll need to pay an initial license fee of $180, plus a $10 technology surcharge. This total application fee of $190 also includes a $30 contribution to the real estate education, research, and recovery fund.

Additionally, from March 1, 2024, all real estate brokers in Minnesota will be required complete and upload a signed and dated Broker Application Attestation alongside their application through PULSE.

Note: After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation number that can be used to check the status of your application on the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s PULSE Portal under the “Application/Renewal Status Inquiry” service.

Step 5: Application Review

If you’ve managed to get this far, congratulations!

The Minnesota Department of Commerce will carefully review all your submitted materials. If everything is in order, you can expect to receive your license documents within 10 business days.

Be sure to take some time to celebrate your accomplishment. You’ve put in a lot of work and effort and deserve a celebration!

Minnesota Real Estate License Renewal

In order to keep your real estate broker license valid, you’ll need to renew it by June 30 each year. This process is completed through the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s PULSE Portal and requires a fee of $120 plus a $10 technology surcharge, bringing the total to $130.

Keep in mind that to keep your license active in Minnesota, you’ll need to complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years, with at least 15 of those hours completed by June 30 each year.

Remember that these requirements do not apply to the first June 30 after you are initially licensed; your continuing education requirements begin the following year.

We always encourage our readers to think of the post licensing course they take as an investment in their future career — higher quality, more reliable course content is a central part of ensuring you continue to grow professionally.

Note: It’s important to note that continuing education must be completed within the appropriate licensing period; a minimum of 15 hours is required each year, and any extra hours cannot be carried over into the next period or used for future renewal requirements.

Minnesota Department of Commerce

Mailing Address:
Real Estate Licensing
85 7th Place East, Suite 280
Saint Paul, MN 55101

Phone: (651) 539-1599

Email: licensing.commerce@state.mn.us

Website: https://mn.gov/commerce/licensing/list/real-estate/real-estate.jsp