Pennsylvania licensing
How to Get a Pennsylvania Real Estate License
Pennsylvania eligibility and application rules - minimum age, pre-licensing education, sponsoring broker, high school diploma, good moral character, and more - each cited to the Pennsylvania General Assembly - Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA), Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9 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 Pennsylvania's application order, then sit the configured salesperson exam.
- 04Activate your license
Complete any sponsorship or initial-license step that Pennsylvania requires.
| Requirement | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Pre-licensing education | 75 hours of real estate instruction |
| Sponsoring broker | Sworn broker affiliation required at application |
| High school diploma | Required |
| Good moral character | Good reputation required |
| Course content rule | Fair housing and ethics required |
| Time limit | Three years after passing |
| License activation | Tied to the broker named on the license |
| Reciprocity | Reciprocal license, out-of-state base required |
| Exam provider | Pearson VUE |
Requirements change. Confirm with the Pennsylvania General Assembly - Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA), Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9 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
As a condition precedent to taking the salesperson license examination, an applicant must be at least 18 years of age, one of several qualifications that must be met before the exam may be taken.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly - RELRA, Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9, Subchapter C - Salesperson's License, Section 521. Qualifications for license. — verified 2026-08-11
Pre-licensing education
Applicants must complete 75 hours of real estate instruction in areas the commission prescribes, including fair housing and professional ethics, before taking the exam; a transitional exception preserved 60 hours for those already partway through their hours when the requirement rose in 2018.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly - RELRA, Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9, Subchapter C - Salesperson's License, Section 521. Qualifications for license. — verified 2026-08-11
Sponsoring broker
The salesperson license application must include a sworn statement from the broker with whom the applicant wishes to affiliate, certifying that the broker will actively supervise and train the applicant.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly - RELRA, Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9, Subchapter C - Salesperson's License, Section 522. Application for license. — verified 2026-08-11
High school diploma
A salesperson applicant must be a high school graduate or produce proof satisfactory to the commission of an education equivalent to high school preparation. The requirement does not reach back to anyone licensed before the paragraph took effect.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly - RELRA, Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9, Subchapter C - Salesperson's License, Section 521(3). Qualifications for license. — verified 2026-08-17
Good moral character
A license is granted only to a person who bears a good reputation for honesty, trustworthiness, integrity and competence to transact the business of a salesperson in a way that safeguards the public interest, and only after the proof of that the commission requires by regulation.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly - RELRA, Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9, Chapter 5, Subchapter A - General, Section 501(a). Reputation; inactive licensee; revoked license. — verified 2026-08-17
Course content rule
The 75 hours must cover areas of study the commission prescribes by rule, and those rules must require instruction in fair housing and in professional ethics. An applicant who had not started any hours when the 75-hour rule took effect must complete them within five years of taking the salesperson license examination.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly - RELRA, Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9, Subchapter C - Salesperson's License, Section 521(2). Qualifications for license. — verified 2026-08-17
Time limit
The commission must receive the salesperson license application within three years of the date the applicant passed the examination. Pennsylvania measures the window from the exam date, so a passing score left unused past three years is spent.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly - RELRA, Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9, Subchapter C - Salesperson's License, Section 522(c). Application for license. — verified 2026-08-17
License activation
A salesperson may not be employed by any broker other than the one designated on the current license. To change brokers, notify the commission in writing no later than ten days after the intended change date, pay the fee and return the current license; a copy of that notice serves as a temporary license until the new one arrives.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly - RELRA, Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9, Chapter 6 - Duties of Licensees, Section 603(a). Employment of associate brokers, salesperson. — verified 2026-08-17
Reciprocity
Someone holding a current license from another state whose principal place of business stays outside Pennsylvania may be issued a reciprocal license. The commission needs a certified copy of that license sent directly by the other state's licensing body, a certified statement about any discipline, and the applicant's verified statement that they are not under investigation and agree to be bound by the act.
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly - RELRA, Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9, Chapter 6 - Duties of Licensees, Section 602(a) and (c). Reciprocal licenses. — verified 2026-08-17
Exam provider
Pennsylvania's real estate exam is administered by Pearson VUE.
Source: Pearson VUE — Pennsylvania Real Estate Candidate Handbook, Available Exams and Time Allotted — verified 2026-07-27
Once you are eligible
The Pennsylvania salesperson exam is 120 questions in 210 minutes, administered by Pearson VUE. Practice it free: Pennsylvania practice test · Pennsylvania exam prep · Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania licensing FAQ
How do you get a real estate license in Pennsylvania?
Meet Pennsylvania's eligibility rules, complete 75 hours of real estate instruction, apply to the regulator, and pass the salesperson exam. On sponsoring broker, Pennsylvania's rule is: Sworn broker affiliation required at application. Each requirement is set out below with the provision it comes from.
What are the requirements for a Pennsylvania real estate license?
Pennsylvania requires you to be 18 or older and to complete 75 hours of real estate instruction before sitting the salesperson exam, which is 120 questions in 210 minutes. Every figure on this page names the Pennsylvania General Assembly - Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA), Act of Feb. 19, 1980, P.L. 15, No. 9 page it came from and the date we checked it.
How much pre-licensing education does Pennsylvania require?
Applicants must complete 75 hours of real estate instruction in areas the commission prescribes, including fair housing and professional ethics, before taking the exam; a transitional exception preserved 60 hours for those already partway through their hours when the requirement rose in 2018.
Sponsoring broker — what does Pennsylvania require?
The salesperson license application must include a sworn statement from the broker with whom the applicant wishes to affiliate, certifying that the broker will actively supervise and train the applicant.
How do you become a real estate agent in Pennsylvania?
Becoming an agent in Pennsylvania is the license plus one more step: complete 75 hours of real estate instruction, pass the 120-question salesperson exam, and then satisfy Pennsylvania's rule on sponsoring broker — Sworn broker affiliation required at application. 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.
New York · New Jersey · Delaware · Maryland · West Virginia · Ohio
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