1.3 License Maintenance and Renewal

DC real estate licenses require ongoing maintenance through continuing education (CE) and timely renewal on a fixed 2-year cycle.

License Terms and Renewal Dates

Trap: Salesperson and broker licenses expire on different dates even though both run on odd-year, 2-year cycles. A common exam distractor swaps the two dates.

Renewal Fees

Continuing Education Requirements

Every licensee completes 15 hours of CE per 2-year cycle: 9 hours of mandatory, Commission-determined topics plus 6 hours of electives. Mandatory topics typically include Fair Housing, Ethics, a Legislative/Regulatory Update, and Property Management; brokers add a supervision component.

Salesperson CE (15 hours)

*Mandatory topics are set by the Commission and may shift between cycles; always confirm the current list on the DCREC site. Newly licensed brokers, salespersons, and property managers are exempt from CE for the partial cycle in which they were first licensed but must still renew when that cycle ends.

Broker CE (15 hours)

Brokers complete the same mandatory base plus a Broker Supervision component, reflecting their duty to supervise affiliated salespersons.

Renewal Process

1. Complete all CE hours before the deadline.
2. Log into the DCREC / Access DC portal.
3. Upload CE Certificates of Completion (DC does not auto-report CE).
4. Submit the renewal application and pay the fee.
5. Receive the renewed license.

Warning: Keep every Certificate of Completion. Because DC has no automatic CE reporting feed, the burden is on you to document hours, and the Commission can audit them.

Late Renewal and Expired Licenses

No Grace Period

DC provides no grace period for renewal:

Critical: The instant your renewal deadline passes without renewal, you may not legally practice real estate — no commissions, no listings, no showings — until the license is reactivated.

Reactivation Within 5 Years

If the license has been expired 5 years or less:

Expired More Than 5 Years

If expired more than 5 years, you generally must retake the licensing exam, may have to repeat pre-license education, and apply as a new applicant.

License Status Types

Inactive Status and Broker Affiliation

A salesperson's license becomes inactive when it is not renewed, when the salesperson is not affiliated with a supervising broker, or when placed inactive voluntarily. Because every DC salesperson must be affiliated with a DC broker to practice, leaving a brokerage without joining another places the license inactive until a new affiliation is filed.

Required Notifications

Licensees must promptly notify DCREC, through the online portal, of:

• Change of business or mailing address
• Change of legal name
• Change of supervising broker (salespersons)
• A criminal conviction or other event affecting fitness, where required

Exam Tip: Changing brokers is not automatic — the transfer must be filed with DCREC, and a salesperson cannot conduct business under the new broker until the change is processed.

Practicing After Expiration — Prohibited

Once a license lapses, prohibitions on working after expiration carry heavy fines and other reprimands. A salesperson who lists, shows, or negotiates while lapsed is engaged in unlicensed activity, which the Commission treats seriously because it strips the consumer of the protections that licensure provides. A broker who allows a lapsed affiliate to keep working may also face discipline for failure to supervise.

Trap: A commission earned for work performed while the license was lapsed is generally not enforceable — the licensee was not lawfully entitled to perform the activity.

Tracking Your Cycle: A Worked Example

Suppose a salesperson is first licensed on June 1, 2025. The salesperson cycle ends August 31, 2025 (an odd year). Because the agent was newly licensed within that partial cycle, they are exempt from CE for that short period but must still renew by August 31, 2025. The next full cycle then runs through August 31, 2027, during which the agent must complete the full 15 hours of CE (9 mandatory + 6 elective) before renewing.

Exam Tip: "Newly licensed" CE relief applies only to the partial first cycle; it never excuses renewing on time.