Iowa licensing
How to Get an Iowa Real Estate License
Iowa eligibility and application rules - minimum age, pre-licensing education, sponsoring broker, background check, application sequence, and more - each cited to the Iowa Real Estate Commission (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) and dated.
Published by Freehold · First published 2026-08-11 · Sources last verified 2026-08-17 · Review method
Your licensing route
From eligibility to an active license
Exact order can vary by state process. Each state-specific rule appears below with its source.
- 01Confirm eligibility
Check age and any residency, education, or background conditions.
- 02Complete approved education
Use the regulator's approved-provider list where one is published.
- 03Apply and take the exam
Follow Iowa's application order, then sit the configured salesperson exam.
- 04Activate your license
Complete any sponsorship or initial-license step that Iowa requires.
| Requirement | Iowa |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Pre-licensing education | 60-hour pre-license course plus three 12-hour courses |
| Sponsoring broker | Required |
| Background check | National FBI criminal history check required |
| Application sequence | Complete education, pass exam, then apply electronically |
| Exam registration | Schedule through PSI after completing the 60-hour course |
| Time limit | Exam result valid until the last working day of the sixth month after passing |
| Retake policy | One immediate retake, then at the commission's discretion |
| License activation | Errors and omissions insurance required before the license is issued |
| Reciprocity | No waiver — nonresidents meet the same requirements as Iowa applicants |
| Good moral character | No rejected application or revoked license within the prior two years |
| First renewal | Expires on a multiyear cycle set by the commission; 30-day grace period |
| Exam provider | PSI |
Requirements change. Confirm with the Iowa Real Estate Commission (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) before enrolling or paying anything.
More on what counts as real estate school, state by state.
Each requirement, and where it comes from
Minimum age
All salesperson applicants must be 18 years of age at the time the license application is submitted; Iowa imposes no residency or citizenship requirement for licensure.
Source: Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing - Real Estate Licensees, Salesperson by Exam — verified 2026-08-11
Pre-licensing education
Applicants must complete a 60-hour pre-license course in real estate principles and practices, plus three additional 12-hour courses in buying practices, listing practices, and professionalism and ethics, each completed less than one year before the application is received.
Source: Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing - Real Estate Licensees, Salesperson by Exam — verified 2026-08-11
Sponsoring broker
Iowa Code defines a salesperson as a person who is licensed under, and employed by or otherwise associated with, a real estate broker, acting as a selling, renting, or listing agent or representative of that broker.
Source: Iowa Code, Chapter 543B — Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, 543B.5 Other definitions — verified 2026-08-11
Background check
All applicants are subject to a national criminal history check through the FBI, a process that can take four weeks or more and produces a result valid for 210 calendar days.
Source: Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing - Real Estate Licensees, Salesperson by Exam — verified 2026-08-11
Application sequence
An applicant must complete the 60-hour pre-license course and the three 12-hour courses before applying, then submit the license application electronically through a My Iowa PLB account.
Source: Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing - Real Estate Licensees, Salesperson by Exam — verified 2026-08-17
Exam registration
To be eligible for the exam an applicant must have already completed the 60-hour pre-license course, then contact Psychological Services, Inc. by phone or its website to schedule a sitting.
Source: Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing - Real Estate Licensees, Salesperson by Exam — verified 2026-08-17
Time limit
A passing exam score is valid only until the last working day of the sixth month following the exam pass date, so the license application must be filed inside that window.
Source: Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing - Real Estate Licensees, Salesperson by Exam — verified 2026-08-17
Retake policy
A person who fails either portion of the exam once may immediately apply to take the next available examination, but after that second failure the applicant may retake only at the commission's discretion.
Source: Iowa Code, Chapter 543B — Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, 543B.20 Examination — verified 2026-08-17
License activation
A salesperson applicant must obtain errors and omissions insurance and file the completed application electronically through a My Iowa PLB account before the commission activates the license.
Source: Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing - Real Estate Licensees, Salesperson by Exam — verified 2026-08-17
Reciprocity
A nonresident of Iowa may be licensed as a real estate broker or salesperson only upon complying with all requirements of law and all provisions and conditions of Iowa Code chapter 543B, the same as a resident applicant.
Source: Iowa Code, Chapter 543B — Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, 543B.21 Nonresident license — verified 2026-08-17
Good moral character
An applicant must be a person whose application for licensure has not been rejected within two years prior to applying and whose real estate license has not been revoked in Iowa or any other state within the prior two years.
Source: Iowa Code, Chapter 543B — Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, 543B.15 Qualifications — verified 2026-08-17
First renewal
A salesperson license expires in multiyear intervals set by the real estate commission, and a licensee who misses the expiration date has thirty days to renew before the license lapses, subject to a penalty.
Source: Iowa Code, Chapter 543B — Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, 543B.28 Expiration of license — verified 2026-08-17
Exam provider
Iowa's real estate exam is administered by PSI.
Source: PSI — Iowa Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin, EXAMINATION SUMMARY TABLE — verified 2026-07-29
Once you are eligible
The Iowa salesperson exam is 120 questions in 180 minutes, administered by PSI. Practice it free: Iowa practice test · Iowa exam prep · Iowa broker exam · compare all 50 states
New to the whole process? How to become a real estate agent walks the five steps and what changes between states.
Iowa licensing FAQ
How do you get a real estate license in Iowa?
Meet Iowa's eligibility rules, complete 60-hour pre-license course plus three 12-hour courses, apply to the regulator, and pass the salesperson exam. On sponsoring broker, Iowa's rule is: Required. Each requirement is set out below with the provision it comes from.
What are the requirements for an Iowa real estate license?
Iowa requires you to be 18 or older and to complete 60-hour pre-license course plus three 12-hour courses before sitting the salesperson exam, which is 120 questions in 180 minutes. Every figure on this page names the Iowa Real Estate Commission (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) page it came from and the date we checked it.
How much pre-licensing education does Iowa require?
Applicants must complete a 60-hour pre-license course in real estate principles and practices, plus three additional 12-hour courses in buying practices, listing practices, and professionalism and ethics, each completed less than one year before the application is received.
Sponsoring broker — what does Iowa require?
Iowa Code defines a salesperson as a person who is licensed under, and employed by or otherwise associated with, a real estate broker, acting as a selling, renting, or listing agent or representative of that broker.
How do you become a real estate agent in Iowa?
Becoming an agent in Iowa is the license plus one more step: complete 60-hour pre-license course plus three 12-hour courses, pass the 120-question salesperson exam, and then satisfy Iowa's rule on sponsoring broker — Required. A license you hold and a license you can practice under are not the same thing, and the difference is set out above with its source.
Nearby states
Licensing in more than one state? Each state's license requirements covers its own license law.
Minnesota · Wisconsin · Illinois · Missouri · Nebraska · South Dakota
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