Michigan licensing
How to Get a Michigan Real Estate License
Michigan eligibility and application rules - minimum age, pre-licensing education, sponsoring broker, good moral character, application sequence, and more - each cited to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) 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 Michigan's application order, then sit the configured salesperson exam.
- 04Activate your license
Complete any sponsorship or initial-license step that Michigan requires.
| Requirement | Michigan |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Pre-licensing education | 40 hours |
| Sponsoring broker | Required to complete licensure |
| Good moral character | Attestation, not fingerprinting |
| Application sequence | Apply first, then take the exam |
| Exam registration | PSI issues a Candidate ID by email |
| License activation | No practice without the license or pocket card in hand |
| Time limit | 40-hour course must be recent |
| Course content rule | Statute lists the required curriculum topics |
| Retake policy | Passing score is valid for 1 year |
| Exam provider | PSI |
Requirements change. Confirm with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) 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
Must be at least 18 years of age to sit for the salesperson examination -- this and the other exam requirements below are in addition to the good moral character, Social Security number and application requirements that apply to every applicant.
Source: LARA - Michigan Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Guide, Additional Requirements for Licensure by Examination — verified 2026-08-11
Pre-licensing education
40 hours of approved prelicensure education courses, which must include at least 4 hours of civil rights law and equal opportunity in housing. This is separate from Michigan's broker requirement of 90 additional hours -- the two do not overlap and the broker hours are on top of the salesperson hours, not instead of them.
Source: LARA - Michigan Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Guide, Additional Requirements for Licensure by Examination - Qualifying Education — verified 2026-08-11
Sponsoring broker
You are required to have a licensed individual broker or broker company sponsor you to become licensed. After passing the exam, you provide your employing broker's 10-digit license number online to complete licensure -- and by statute (MCL 339.2505(4)), the salesperson application itself must be signed by the broker who will employ you.
Source: LARA - Michigan Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Guide, Additional Requirements for Licensure by Examination - Employing Broker Notification — verified 2026-08-11
Good moral character
Every applicant must affirm the ability to serve the public fairly, honestly and openly, and disclose any criminal or civil judgment against them along with evidence of rehabilitation or that the offense is unrelated to the profession. Michigan's process is a self-disclosure attestation reviewed by the department, not a fingerprint-based background check the way several other states run it.
Source: LARA - Michigan Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Guide, Requirements That Apply to All Applicants - Good Moral Character Question — verified 2026-08-11
Application sequence
File the online application at MiPlus and upload the 40-hour prelicensure course certificate before you are eligible for the exam. An approved applicant then gets an email from PSI with a Candidate ID and a link to schedule the exam.
Source: LARA - Michigan Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Guide, Frequently Asked Questions - Question 15 — verified 2026-08-17
Exam registration
You must first submit the online salesperson application and upload the 40-hour prelicensure certificate before you can be made eligible for the exam. Once approved, PSI emails a Candidate ID and scheduling link, and that ID is required to register for the exam.
Source: LARA - Michigan Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Guide, Additional Requirements for Licensure by Examination — verified 2026-08-17
License activation
A salesperson may not act under the license until receiving the license and pocket card, or a temporary license, from the department. The department delivers the salesperson's license to the employing broker, who keeps custody of it and gives the pocket card to the salesperson.
Source: Michigan Compiled Laws, Occupational Code Article 25, MCL 339.2506(1)-(2) - License and pocket card required to act — verified 2026-08-17
Time limit
The 40 clock hours of prelicensure education must be completed within the 36-month period immediately preceding the date the salesperson application is filed, so coursework finished too far in advance no longer qualifies.
Source: Michigan Compiled Laws, Occupational Code Article 25, MCL 339.2504(2) - Salesperson prelicensure classroom courses — verified 2026-08-17
Course content rule
An approved 40-hour prelicensure course must cover real estate license law, real property law, real estate tax law, conveyancing (contracts, deeds and leases), financing, appraisal, design and construction, marketing, the law of agency, sales and office management, real estate securities, and investments including property management.
Source: Michigan Compiled Laws, Occupational Code Article 25, MCL 339.2504(3)(b) - Approved prelicensure course topics — verified 2026-08-17
Retake policy
The department may require a written examination or reexamination, and a passing score on the exam, or on a portion of it if given in separate parts, is valid for only 1 year from the date the exam was taken.
Source: Michigan Compiled Laws, Occupational Code Article 25, MCL 339.2505(5)-(6)(b) - Written examination and score validity — verified 2026-08-17
Exam provider
Michigan's real estate exam is administered by PSI.
Source: PSI — Michigan Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin, Examination Summary Table — verified 2026-07-27
Once you are eligible
The Michigan salesperson exam is 115 questions in 180 minutes, administered by PSI. Practice it free: Michigan practice test · Michigan exam prep · Michigan 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.
Michigan licensing FAQ
How do you get a real estate license in Michigan?
Meet Michigan's eligibility rules, complete 40 hours, apply to the regulator, and pass the salesperson exam. On sponsoring broker, Michigan's rule is: Required to complete licensure. Each requirement is set out below with the provision it comes from.
What are the requirements for a Michigan real estate license?
Michigan requires you to be 18 or older and to complete 40 hours before sitting the salesperson exam, which is 115 questions in 180 minutes. Every figure on this page names the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) page it came from and the date we checked it.
How much pre-licensing education does Michigan require?
40 hours of approved prelicensure education courses, which must include at least 4 hours of civil rights law and equal opportunity in housing. This is separate from Michigan's broker requirement of 90 additional hours -- the two do not overlap and the broker hours are on top of the salesperson hours, not instead of them.
Sponsoring broker — what does Michigan require?
You are required to have a licensed individual broker or broker company sponsor you to become licensed. After passing the exam, you provide your employing broker's 10-digit license number online to complete licensure -- and by statute (MCL 339.2505(4)), the salesperson application itself must be signed by the broker who will employ you.
How do you become a real estate agent in Michigan?
Becoming an agent in Michigan is the license plus one more step: complete 40 hours, pass the 115-question salesperson exam, and then satisfy Michigan's rule on sponsoring broker — Required to complete licensure. 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.
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