1.3 License Maintenance and Renewal

License Term, Fees, and Active vs. Inactive Status

Every Maryland real estate license — salesperson, associate broker, or broker — carries a two-year term measured from the date of issuance. You renew through the eLicense Maryland portal.

A licensee may place a license on inactive status (no CE required while inactive, but the licensee cannot practice). Reactivation requires meeting the CE that would have been due. Inactive time does not count toward the three-year broker experience requirement from Section 1.2 — a frequent exam crossover trap.

Continuing Education: 15 Hours

Active licensees must complete 15 hours of MREC-approved CE each two-year cycle. The hours are not all free electives — specific required topics must appear.

First renewal after initial licensure

Licensees first licensed on or after a recent cutoff face a fixed slate of mandatory courses on their first renewal that cannot be swapped for electives. The intent is to ensure new agents complete core legal and fair-housing training before their second term.

Supervision course

If you hold a broker license or act as a branch/office manager or team leader, a 1.5-hour MREC supervision course is part of your 15 hours. This addresses trust-account oversight and supervisory liability for affiliated agents.

Exam tip: All 15 hours may be taken online, but every course must come from an MREC-approved provider. Online convenience does not relax the approval requirement.

Critical 2024–2025 Rule Changes

Two recent changes are heavily tested because they alter long-standing habits.

1. The 30-day completion rule (effective October 1, 2024)

CE must be completed and posted to your record at least 30 days before your expiration date. Waiting until the last week now triggers a reinstatement fee, even if you technically finish before midnight on the expiration date.

Planning math: Because the provider may take 14 days to upload, finish coursework roughly 44+ days before expiration so the credits clear the system inside the 30-day window. A licensee who completes courses on day 20 but whose provider uploads on day 12 still misses the window.

2. Fair-housing increase (effective October 1, 2025)

How Credits Post — and a Hard Rule

MREC accepts CE only when the approved provider electronically reports it. MREC will not accept completion certificates emailed or mailed by the licensee. Verify your own record in eLicense before renewing.

Out-of-state CE

If you hold a license in another state, those hours may count toward Maryland electives (not the required Maryland-specific topics):

Renewal Procedure, Step by Step

1. Complete 15 CE hours (including required topics) at least 30 days before expiration.
2. Verify the credits appear in eLicense (allow the 14-day upload window).
3. Submit the renewal application in eLicense Maryland.
4. Pay the renewal fee ($90 salesperson / $190 broker).
5. Receive the renewed 2-year license.

Late, Expired, and Change-of-Status Rules

Licensees must report changes promptly through eLicense, including business address, mailing address, legal name, and sponsoring broker. When a salesperson changes brokers, both the new and former broker relationships must be updated so the license is properly affiliated.

Critical: "Completed before expiration" is not the standard anymore. The standard is completed and posted 30 days before expiration — expect at least one question on this distinction.

Reinstatement After Expiration

If a license actually expires, the licensee must stop practicing immediately — any deal worked while expired is unlicensed activity and can trigger discipline plus loss of commission. Maryland allows reinstatement within a limited window after expiration by completing the required CE, paying the renewal fee plus a reinstatement fee, and submitting the renewal in eLicense. After the reinstatement window closes, the person may have to reapply as a new applicant, repeating education and the exam. The practical lesson: a lapse is far more costly than the modest CE planning needed to renew on time.

Why These Rules Drive Exam Questions

Maryland built the 30-day and provider-upload rules specifically to stop last-minute renewals, so the exam rewards candidates who understand the sequence: complete CE → wait for provider upload → verify in eLicense → renew → pay. Each step has its own failure mode. Missing the upload window, submitting your own certificates, or assuming inactive time counts toward broker experience are the four mistakes the test most often probes. Tie this back to Section 1.2 — the active experience clock and the CE clock are separate, and inactive status pauses both your right to practice and your progress toward a broker license.