How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Colorado

Who can apply

• Be at least 18 years old to apply for a Colorado real estate broker license.
• Pass a Colorado (CBI) and national (FBI) fingerprint-based criminal history background check.
• Show truthfulness, honesty, and good moral character. Applicants with criminal history submit court documents and a written explanation, plus a statement from the employing broker who agrees to supervise them.
• Colorado issues one license type, the real estate broker license. New licensees with less than two years of active experience hold the associate broker level.

Step by step

1. Complete 168 hours of approved broker education (or hold a degree with a major in real estate) and get your REC-33 completion certificate.
2. Schedule and pass both portions of the Colorado Real Estate Broker exam with PSI. Testing before you finish the education does not count.
3. Get fingerprinted through a CBI-approved vendor (Colorado Fingerprinting or IdentoGO), no more than 2 to 3 weeks before you apply.
4. Buy errors and omissions (E&O) insurance through the state group program or your firm's policy.
5. Apply online and pay the $83 application fee. Each exam portion's passing score is good for one year from the date you passed that portion, so apply before the earlier one expires.
6. Activate the license under an employing broker; the Division takes up to 10 business days to process a complete application.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: 168 hours from a nationally accredited college or university, or a school approved by the Colorado Division of Private and Occupational Schools: Real Estate Law and Practice (48 hours), Colorado Contracts and Regulations (48), Trust Accounts and Recordkeeping (8), Current Legal Issues (8), Real Estate Closings (24), and Practical Applications (32). A degree with a major in real estate can substitute. Licensed attorneys need only 12 hours (trust accounts, closings, recordkeeping).

Exam: PSI, at a test center or by remote online proctoring (no breaks allowed remotely). National portion: 80 questions, 60 correct to pass, 120 minutes. State portion: 74 questions, 53 correct to pass, 110 minutes. Up to 5-10 unscored experimental questions may be added. You may pass the portions on different dates and retake a failed portion later, but no passing score counts after one year. Fee: the Division lists $44.95; PSI's bulletin (updated October 2023) lists $49 first time and $48 per retake. Fees are nonrefundable.

What it costs in Colorado

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

How long it takes

The Division says a complete application can take up to 10 business days to process, and new broker applications may take much longer while it waits for fingerprint results.

What other sites get wrong about Colorado

After you're licensed

Renewal: Your first license expires at midnight December 31 of the year it was issued, with no CE due for that first period. After that you renew on a three-year cycle; the base renewal fee is $252. Active brokers need 24 hours of CE per cycle: three different versions of the 4-hour Annual Commission Update Course (12 hours) plus 12 elective hours. Online renewal opens 45 days before expiration, with a 31-day fee grace period that does not apply to CE. An expired license can be reinstated within 3 years.

Good to know in Colorado

Employing broker: New brokers with less than two years of active experience are licensed at the associate broker level and work under an employing broker. The independent and employing levels require two years of active broker experience; the employing level also needs a 24-hour brokerage administration course.

E&O insurance: Every active licensee must carry errors and omissions insurance covering all acts that require a license (Commission Rule 3.9). You can buy it through the Division's group program run by Rice Insurance Services or be covered under your firm's group policy.

Reciprocity: Colorado accepts licensees from all U.S. states and territories. With a non-expired license held at least two years elsewhere, you pass only the state portion, complete the fingerprint check, and send a certified license history dated within 90 days. With an expired license, or one held under two years, you also need 120 hours of education (salesperson credential) and both exam portions.

Military: Service members and spouses who relocate to Colorado on military orders and hold a broker license elsewhere can get authority to practice after a fingerprint check and proof of orders.

Out-of-state experience: For Colorado's independent and employing broker levels, experience gained as a salesperson, sales agent, or any role not equivalent to broker does not count; you need two years of active broker experience (Division rules as of January 1, 2026).

Sources

• Colorado DRE — Broker Steps for Initial Licensure
• Colorado DRE — Broker License Application Requirements
• Colorado DRE — Broker Applications, Documents and Fees
• Colorado DRE — Broker Insurance Requirements
• Colorado DRE — Fingerprint-Based Criminal History Background Check
• Colorado DRE — Broker Continuing Education
• Colorado DRE — Licensee Application Requirements
• PSI — Colorado Division of Real Estate Candidate Bulletin (updated 10/1/2023)
• Colorado DRE — Broker License Application Requirements