Florida Real Estate License Requirements: Eligibility and Hours
Florida's real estate licensing requirement has a clear education component - 63 hours for a sales associate, 72 for a broker - and a set of application steps this site has not fully confirmed against a regulator source. This page states plainly what is sourced and what is not, rather than filling the gap with a plausible-sounding number.
What Are Florida's Eligibility Requirements for a Real Estate License?
Florida requires completion of a FREC-approved pre-license course, passing the state licensing exam, and a DBPR license application before a sales associate or broker license becomes active, under Fla. Stat. Section 475.17.
The governing statute is Fla. Stat. Section 475.17. Beyond the education and exam requirement, a natural-person applicant must be at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, and must provide a Social Security number on the application (a federal tax identification number for a non-natural-person applicant), per Fla. Stat. Section 475.17. Florida does not require an applicant to be a Florida resident for this standard path; residency runs the other way for mutual recognition applicants only (see FAQ). Florida does not list U.S. citizenship as a requirement: the full text of Fla. Stat. Section 475.17 and DBPR's own current "Requirements for Real Estate Sales Associate License" checklist on Form DBPR RE 1 (age 18, high school diploma, Social Security number, pass the exam) were both fetched directly on 2026-09-19, and neither lists citizenship as a requirement. This is an absence in two current official sources rather than a statute affirmatively stating "citizenship is not required," so confirm your specific situation with DBPR if it matters to you.
How Many Hours of Pre-License Education Does Florida Require?
A Florida sales associate applicant completes 63 hours of FREC Course I; a broker applicant completes 72 hours of FREC Course II, each approved under Rule 61J2-3.008 or 61J2-3.009 of the Florida Administrative Code.
Both courses must be completed through a school holding a current DBPR real estate school permit under Fla. Stat. Section 475.451; a generic exam-prep product does not satisfy this requirement, only the FREC-approved 63-hour or 72-hour curriculum does. See Approved Providers for confirmed schools.
Does Florida Real Estate Licensing Require Fingerprinting or a Background Check?
Yes - Florida has required electronic fingerprinting for every real estate sales associate applicant since July 1, 2006, submitted through an FDLE-approved Livescan provider, and the fingerprint processing fee is $36, payable to DBPR.
Fingerprints are submitted through a Livescan Service Provider approved by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, or by mailing a completed hard fingerprint card to DBPR's Tallahassee office; an applicant scheduling an in-person Livescan appointment must bring two forms of identification, one bearing a photo and signature. DBPR retains electronic fingerprint results for 12 months from submission and FDLE retains them for 180 days, so prints submitted too far ahead of a completed application may need to be retaken. See DBPR's fingerprinting page for the current process before scheduling.
How Long Does a Completed Pre-License Course Stay Valid?
A completed FREC Course I or Course II stays valid for 2 years from the completion date; missing the state exam within that window means the pre-license course must be retaken before a new eligibility notice issues.
This 2-year clock runs from course completion, not from license application, so a candidate who delays scheduling the exam is spending down that window the entire time. Plan the state exam before choosing a school; see State Exam for how scheduling works.
Are There Any Exemptions From Florida's Pre-License Course Requirement?
Yes - an active member in good standing of The Florida Bar is exempt from the pre-license course, and so is an applicant holding a 4-year real estate degree from an accredited institution, under Fla. Stat. Section 475.17.
The Florida Bar exemption also carries into the 14-hour continuing education cycle after licensure. Florida does not extend a comparable exemption to an out-of-state licensee generally; instead, an applicant licensed in one of Florida's mutual recognition states substitutes that state's own education and exam for Florida's course, then must still pass a 40-question Florida-specific law exam rather than being exempted from testing outright - see the FAQ for how mutual recognition works.
What Is the Difference Between Sales Associate and Broker Eligibility?
A sales associate applicant needs only the 63-hour Course I and a passing exam, while a broker applicant must already hold an active sales associate license for 24 of the preceding 60 months before taking Course II.
The two license types are not interchangeable entry points; every Florida broker was first a sales associate. See Broker License for the full path, prerequisites, and what changes once a broker license is active.
See the Florida Real Estate Pre-License Course hub for the full page index.
Sources
| Fact | Value | Authority | URL | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governing statute (license qualifications) | Fla. Stat. Section 475.17 | Florida Legislature | https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/475.17 | 2026-06-11 |
| Governing statute (school permits) | Fla. Stat. Section 475.451 | Florida Legislature | https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/475.451 | 2026-06-11 |
| Course I (sales associate) hours | 63 hours | FREC, Rule 61J2-3.008 F.A.C. | https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/real-estate-commission/education/ | 2026-07-10 |
| Course II (broker) hours | 72 hours | FREC, Rule 61J2-3.009 F.A.C. | words/the_acs/fl/drafts/real-estate/real-estate.md | 2026-06-07 |
| Completion validity | 2 years from completion | FREC, Rule 61J2-3.008 F.A.C. | words/the_acs/fl/drafts/real-estate/real-estate-course-1-63-hour.md | 2026-06-07 |
| Broker eligibility prerequisite | Active sales associate license 24 of preceding 60 months | FREC | words/the_acs/fl/drafts/real-estate/real-estate-course-1-63-hour.md | 2026-06-07 |
| Minimum age and diploma | At least 18 years old, high school diploma or equivalent | Fla. Stat. Section 475.17 | https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/475.17 | 2026-09-14 |
| Social Security number requirement | Required for a natural-person applicant | Fla. Stat. Section 475.17 | https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/475.17 | 2026-09-14 |
| Florida residency | Not required for the standard licensure path | DBPR mutual recognition page | https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/real-estate-commission/mutual-recognition-states/ | 2026-09-14 |
| Rule 61J2-3.008 sets no separate course-enrollment age (covers content, hours, delivery, exam standards only) | checked, none found | FREC / Florida Administrative Code | https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?id=61J2-3.008 | 2026-09-19 |
| Fingerprinting requirement and fee | Mandatory since 2006; $36 processing fee to DBPR | DBPR fingerprinting page | https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/fingerprinting/ | 2026-09-14 |
| Attorney and real estate degree exemptions | Florida Bar member and 4-year real estate degree holder exempt from pre-license course | Fla. Stat. Section 475.17 | https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/475.17 | 2026-09-14 |
| U.S. citizenship requirement | Not listed as a requirement in Section 475.17 or on DBPR's current RE 1 application checklist | Florida Legislature / DBPR (both fetched directly) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/475.17 ; https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/re/documents/DBPR_RE_1_Sales_Associate_Application.pdf | 2026-09-19 |
| Course-enrollment minimum age (distinct from licensure age 18) | Not confirmed in this site's source set | n/a (VERIFY) | https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/real-estate-commission/ | 2026-09-14 |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a high school diploma to get a Florida real estate license?
Yes. Fla. Stat. Section 475.17 requires a natural-person applicant to be at least 18 years old and to hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, in addition to completing the pre-license course.
Can a felony conviction stop me from getting a Florida real estate license?
Florida evaluates applicants for moral character as part of licensing generally, but this site has not confirmed the specific standard FREC applies to real estate applicants; confirm directly with DBPR before applying if this applies to you.
Do I need to be a Florida resident to get a Florida real estate license?
No specific Florida residency requirement applies to the standard licensure path. Residency runs the other way only for Florida's mutual recognition agreements, where an out-of-state applicant must not be a Florida resident at the time of application; see this page's reciprocity answer.
Is there a minimum age to enroll in the pre-license course itself?
Fla. Stat. Section 475.17 sets the licensure age at 18. F.A.C. Rule 61J2-3.008, the Florida Real Estate Commission's own pre-licensing education rule, was also checked directly 2026-09-19 and covers course content, hours, delivery method, and exam standards, but sets no separate course-enrollment age; enrollment age is therefore a matter for each school's own policy rather than a FREC rule. Confirm any age policy directly with the school and with DBPR.
Does out-of-state real estate experience count toward Florida's requirement?
This site has not confirmed a reciprocity or experience-credit provision; see Broker License for the one experience prerequisite this site has confirmed (24 months as an active Florida sales associate for the broker track).