How to Get a Broker License in Ohio

Obtaining an Ohio 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 Ohio 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.

Ohio Real Estate Broker License

In order to get your Ohio 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. Submitting a License Application
4. Passing a Background Check
5. Passing the Ohio Broker Licensing Exam

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 Ohio Real Estate License guide instead.

Step 1: Meet the Ohio Eligibility and Experience Requirements

Before proceeding with the application process for your Ohio real estate broker license, you’ll need to first make sure that you meet the general prerequisites outlined under Ohio Revised Code 4735 and Ohio Administrative Code 1301/5:

• Applicants must be honest, truthful, and maintain a good reputation in order to uphold the professional standards expected in the real estate industry
• Applicants must be at least 18 years of age
• Applicants must not have been convicted of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude, nor have violated any civil rights laws regarding real estate within the past two years, as determined by a court of law or by any ruling from the Ohio Division of Real Estate
• Applicants must hold an active Ohio salesperson license for two of the last five years, which confirms their extensive experience and familiarity with the state’s real estate market
• Applicants must have completed a minimum of two years of post-secondary education, equivalent to sixty semester hours or ninety quarter hours, providing a robust academic basis for brokerage responsibilities
• Applicants must show participation in at least 20 real estate transactions. This includes roles such as acting as a listing or selling agent in property sales, or as a listing or procuring agent in leasing commercial or industrial real estate for a minimum term of one year, with each role counting as half a transaction

If you currently hold a real estate broker’s license from another state with substantially similar licensing requirements, or if you possess a government certification in real estate from a state that does not issue broker’s licenses, you may be eligible for real estate license reciprocity in Ohio.

This reciprocity agreement permits you to waive the national portion of the licensing examination; you will need to contact the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing to confirm your eligibility and secure a waiver.

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 an Ohio real estate broker license.

In particular, this will involve completing a total of 240 hours of pre-licensing education — split across eight different courses — each approved by the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing:

• Ohio Real Estate Law (40 hours)
• Ohio Real Estate Principles & Practices (40 hours)
• Real Estate Appraisal (20 hours)
• Real Estate Finance (20 hours)
• Financial Management (30 hours)
• Human Resources or Personnel Management (30 hours)
• Applied Business Economics (30 hours)
• Business Law (30 hours)

After finishing these courses, you will receive course completion certificates, which you must present at the exam site in order to sit for your state licensing exam.

Step 3: 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.

To do this, you will need to complete the Broker License Examination Application form and send it with a $135 non-refundable fee to the Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing at the following address:

Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing
6606 Tussing Rd.
PO Box 4008
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068

Keep in mind that you will also need to include copies of your course completion certificates and a detailed statement of your real estate experience along with your application.

Once the Division processes your complete application and confirms that everything is in order, your information will be forwarded to the testing vendor. The vendor will then send you a Candidate Information Bulletin containing detailed instructions on how to schedule your exams.

Note: Before taking your exam, there is one essential step remaining — your background check, which must be completed within 10 business days of submitting your application.

Step 4: Pass the Background Check

As part of the licensing process, you will be required to undergo a criminal records check against both state and FBI records.

This check must be completed through Webcheck — a digital fingerprinting service approved and certified by the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI&I).

To complete this step, you will need to visit your nearest approved Webcheck location and have your fingerprints taken; you will need to instruct the provider to use the following codes to ensure your results are sent directly to the Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing:

• BCI&I Code: 4735.143
• FBI Code: 4735.143

Keep in mind that the cost for this service will depend on the provider you choose but is typically around $65 to $70.

Note: If you don’t complete your background check within 10 days of submitting your license application, it will be canceled and you’ll have to start over, including repaying all fees.

Step 5: Pass the Broker Licensing Exam

In Ohio, this three-hour exam is administered by PSI and comprises 115 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 $63 fee at the time of reservation, as this cannot be paid at the exam center. This fee covers both portions of the exam; if you fail one section and need to retake it, you will be required to pay an additional $43 fee.

In order to pass, you’ll need to obtain a minimum score of 75% on each section independently. 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.

Note: You will need to pass both sections of the exam within one year of submitting your application; if you take any longer than this, you’ll need to complete all the above steps over again.

Step 6: Application Review

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

If your application and background check are in order, you should receive your licensing document from the Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing 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!

Ohio Real Estate License Renewal

In order to keep your real estate broker license valid, you’ll need to renew it every three years. In Ohio, you can either do this electronically through the Division’s eLicense Center or by submitting a Renewal form by mail.

Regardless of how you choose to renew, you’ll need to pay a $243 licensing fee, payable to the Ohio Division of Real Estate.

To be eligible for renewal, you will need to complete 30 hours of division approved continuing education courses; these courses must include three hours in Canons of Ethics, three hours in Core Law, and three hours in Civil Rights.

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.

Ohio Department of Commerce

Mailing Address:
Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing
6606 Tussing Rd.
PO Box 4008
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068

Phone: (614) 466-4100

Fax: (614) 644-0584

Email: Webreal@com.ohio.gov

Website: https://com.ohio.gov/divisions-and-programs/real-estate-and-professional-licensing