How to get a Salesperson license in Alabama

Alabama real estate agent licenses

Alabama issues 2 real estate agent credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Applies to every license level

These rules are the same for every Alabama real estate agent license on this page, so they are shown once here. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

Requirements

Minimum age

19 years old²

High school diploma or GED

Required²

Background check

Background check required²
Fingerprints required²
The Commission may reject applicants convicted of (or pleading guilty/nolo to) a felony or crime of moral turpitude. Staff approve applicants with no such conviction; applicants still on probation/parole or owing restitution may be rejected (hearing on request within 30 days); others with such convictions get an eligibility hearing.²
You can ask the board to review your record before you apply⁶

Residency or citizenship

U.S. citizen, or legally present in the U.S. with federal documentation, or permanent resident alien; nonresidents sign a consent-to-jurisdiction affidavit.²

Also required

An applicant must not have had a real estate license application rejected (other than for failing the exam) or a license revoked in any state within the 2 years before applying; older rejections or revocations need commissioners' approval.²

Fees

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee.

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years⁴

When it expires

Licenses expire at midnight September 30 of the final year of each license period; renewal forms and fees are due on or before August 31. Filing September 1-30 adds a $150 penalty. If the September 30 deadline is missed, the license goes inactive on October 1.⁴

Continuing education

At least 15 hours each renewal period⁴

Approved courses

Courses must be Commission-approved. Attendance counts whether or not the licensee passes.⁴

Late renewal

Late renewal fee: $150⁴ (filed September 1 of the final year through September 30 of the next period's initial year)

If it expires

An expired license can be renewed within 12 months after the license period ends. After that it has lapsed and the holder must meet all requirements for a never-licensed person, unless the Commission finds hardship.⁴
An inactive license can be renewed without CE, but activating it requires 15 hours of CE for that period.⁵

From another state

Who needs a Salesperson license

Salespersons may act only while licensed under a qualifying broker, who supervises them and answers for their acts. A license is required to sell, buy, exchange, rent, lease, list, auction, deal in options on, or negotiate Alabama real estate, or to locate properties or procure prospects, for a fee or expected fee.¹

Work that does not need this license:

• No license is needed for owners dealing in their own (or spouse/child/parent) property, attorneys acting as attorneys, unpaid attorneys-in-fact, receivers/trustees/executors, public officers, clerical staff who do not show property, apartment managers (not condo on-site managers), licensed time-share sellers, and cemetery lot transactions.⁸

Requirements for a Salesperson license

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Education or training

At least 60 clock hours²
Salesperson prelicense course approved by the Commission, completed (including the course final exam) before the state exam²
Who may teach it: Commission-approved school; completion must appear in the exam provider's electronic eligibility database before scheduling.⁶

Education or training

30 clock hours³
Post-license course, required to convert the temporary license into an original license within 6 months of issue (the temporary license goes inactive at 6 months and lapses at 1 year)³
Who may teach it: Must hold a temporary license before starting the post-license course.⁶

Exam

Alabama salesperson license examination³
When you can take it: After the 60-hour prelicense course (and its final exam) is complete and recorded with the exam provider⁶
Retakes: Failed candidates retake by following the Candidate Handbook procedures; an exam fee is charged for each scheduled exam, taken or not, unless rescheduled per the handbook.⁶
Time limit: Pass within 6 months after completing the prelicense course, or retake the course. After passing, apply within 90 days with a qualifying broker.⁵

Business requirements

Every license is registered to a specific real estate office. To be active, the qualifying broker (licensed in Alabama) must sign a sworn statement vouching for the applicant and accepting responsibility for the salesperson.³

Also required

Applicants document age, legal presence, state of residence and high school completion with copies of listed documents. Temporary salesperson applications need a recent photograph.⁶

How much a Salesperson license costs

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

How to apply

1. Complete a Commission-approved 60-hour salesperson prelicense course and pass its final exam. The school reports completion to the exam provider.²
2. Schedule and pay for the state exam with the Commission's testing agency (see the Alabama Candidate Handbook). Pass it with a score of 70 within 6 months of finishing the course.⁶
3. Within 90 days of passing, find an Alabama qualifying broker. Then file the temporary salesperson application with a photo, proof of age, legal presence, residence and high school completion, and the broker's sworn statement.³
4. You are licensed once you or your broker receive the temporary license certificate. It is active for 6 months.³
5. Within 6 months, complete the 30-hour post-license course and file the original salesperson application with proof of completion and the original license fee. The deadline is the last day of the month one year after the first day of the month after the temporary license was issued.³

Temporary or provisional license

The first salesperson license is a temporary license, valid one year from the first day of the month after issue. It is active only for the first 6 months, goes inactive if the post-license course and original license are not done by then, cannot be renewed, and lapses at one year.³

Renewal and continuing education

Renewal fee

$85⁴ (Per year of the license period)

Required topics

3 hours Commission-approved Risk Management course⁵
12 hours Commission-approved courses (core real estate subjects)⁵

Exemptions

First renewal is exempt if licensed one year or less. Licensees who were 65 before October 1, 2000 and continuously licensed October 1, 1990 to September 30, 2000 are exempt. Legislative service counts as the 15 hours.⁴
An original-license holder who completed the post-license course is not subject to CE for the first renewal.³

Moving to Alabama with a license from another state

These are the routes the Alabama Real Estate Commission publishes for the Salesperson license. The other real estate agent licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Broker

A broker may work as an associate broker under a qualifying broker, or as a qualifying broker who supervises a company or office and its licensees and answers for their real estate activity. A license is required to sell, buy, exchange, rent, lease, list, auction, deal in options on, or negotiate Alabama real estate, or to locate properties or procure prospects, for a fee or expected fee.¹

Requirements

Education or training

At least 60 clock hours²
Broker prelicense course approved by the Commission (including the course final exam)²
Who may teach it: Commission-approved school; completion recorded in the exam provider's eligibility database before scheduling.⁶

Experience

At least 24 months²
Active real estate salesperson license in any state²
License you must hold first: Active salesperson license for 24 of the 36 months before applying²

Exam

Alabama broker license examination⁵
When you can take it: After the 60-hour broker prelicense course is complete and recorded with the exam provider⁶
Retakes: Failed candidates retake by following the Candidate Handbook procedures; an exam fee is charged for each scheduled exam, taken or not, unless rescheduled per the handbook.⁶
Time limit: Pass within 6 months after completing the broker prelicense course, or retake the course⁵

Business requirements

A broker or company applicant must maintain a place of business. Each additional location needs a company or branch office license under a qualifying broker licensed at that address.²

Business requirements

A qualifying broker must be licensed in Alabama, work principally as a broker, and be able to supervise full time.⁹

Also required

Original broker applications need a recent photograph.⁶

Fees

How to apply

1. Hold an active salesperson license (any state) for at least 24 of the last 36 months.²
2. Complete a Commission-approved 60-hour broker prelicense course, including its final exam.²
3. Schedule the broker exam through the Commission's testing agency and pass it with a 70 within 6 months of finishing the course.⁵
4. Apply for the broker license with a photo, proof of high school completion and the other required documents. The $30 Recovery Fund fee is also due; one of the two Recovery Fund fees can be refunded on request if you already paid it as a salesperson.⁴

Temporary or provisional license

Under current law, a company whose qualifying broker dies or becomes disabled may operate for up to 6 months under a temporary qualifying broker. That person must be a broker or have been a salesperson for at least one year.²

Renewal

Renewal fee

$95⁴ (Per year of the license period)

Required topics

3 hours Risk Management⁵
3 hours Commission-approved Broker course⁵
9 hours Commission-approved courses (the rule text reads "click hours")⁵

Exemptions

First renewal is exempt if licensed one year or less. Licensees who were 65 before October 1, 2000 and continuously licensed October 1, 1990 to September 30, 2000 are exempt. Legislative service counts as the 15 hours.⁴

From another state

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• Code of Ala. 1975, Title 34, Ch. 27, Art. 1-2 (Real Estate Brokers), incl. §§ 34-27-2, 34-27-30 to 34-27-35
• Code of Ala. 1975 § 34-27-35
• Code of Ala. 1975 § 34-27-31 (Recovery Fund)
• Ala. Admin. Code ch. 790-X-1
• Ala. Admin. Code ch. 790-X-2
• Code of Ala. 1975 § 34-27-35 [Effective October 1, 2028] (future text)
• Act 2025-379 (HB225), effective October 1, 2028

Rule changes since January 2024

• October 1, 2028: Act 2025-379 (HB225) rewrites §§ 34-27-32 to 34-27-36 from October 1, 2028. Among the changes in the new § 34-27-35 text: the renewal deadline moves from August 31 to September 30 with a $150 penalty after that, at most six 60-minute courses count toward the 15 CE hours, and temporary broker licenses expire six months after issue. Section 2 of the enrolled Act makes the new text effective October 1, 2028; until then the current § 34-27-35 applies.¹⁰

Common questions

Real estate agent licenses in other states

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