West Virginia licensing
How to Get a West Virginia Real Estate License
West Virginia eligibility and application rules - minimum age, pre-licensing education, sponsoring broker, high school diploma, good moral character, and more - each cited to the West Virginia Real Estate Commission 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 West Virginia's application order, then sit the configured salesperson exam.
- 04Activate your license
Complete any sponsorship or initial-license step that West Virginia requires.
| Requirement | West Virginia |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Pre-licensing education | 90 clock-hours |
| Sponsoring broker | Required to hold a salesperson license |
| High school diploma | Required |
| Good moral character | Trustworthy and competent |
| Background check | Fingerprints, state and national |
| Course content rule | Courses expire after three years |
| License activation | Broker holds the license certificate |
| Application sequence | Reapply before changing broker |
| First renewal | Every license expires June 30 |
| Broker experience | 20 closed transactions in two years |
| Reciprocity | Only where the other state reciprocates |
| Exam provider | Pearson VUE |
Requirements change. Confirm with the West Virginia Real Estate Commission 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
The commission may only issue an original real estate license, including a salesperson's license, to an applicant who is at least 18 years of age and a high school graduate or holder of an equivalency diploma.
Source: West Virginia Code Section 30-40-11 - Application for license, 30-40-11. Application for license. — verified 2026-08-11
Pre-licensing education
An applicant for a West Virginia salesperson's license must provide evidence of having completed 90 clock-hours, equivalent to six college semester credit hours, in a commission-approved course within the three years before applying.
Source: West Virginia Code Section 30-40-14 - Prelicense education, 30-40-14. Prelicense education. — verified 2026-08-11
Sponsoring broker
West Virginia law defines a salesperson as a person employed or engaged by a broker to conduct real estate business in the name of, and under the direct supervision of, that broker, so the license only exists tied to a supervising broker.
Source: West Virginia Code Section 30-40-4 - Definitions, 30-40-4. Definitions. — verified 2026-08-11
High school diploma
The commission may only issue an original license to an applicant who is a high school graduate or the holder of an equivalency diploma. West Virginia puts this in the same subsection as the age floor, so neither can be waived by taking extra coursework.
Source: West Virginia Code Chapter 30, Article 40 - West Virginia Real Estate License Act, 30-40-11(c). Application for license — verified 2026-08-17
Good moral character
An original license issues only to an applicant the commission finds trustworthy, of good moral character, and competent to transact the business of a broker, associate broker, or salesperson. The application itself must list every jurisdiction where the applicant holds or has held any professional license.
Source: West Virginia Code Chapter 30, Article 40 - West Virginia Real Estate License Act, 30-40-11(a)(2) and 30-40-11(d). Application for license — verified 2026-08-17
Background check
The applicant must submit to a state and national criminal history record check based on fingerprints sent to the West Virginia State Police for forwarding to the FBI, and must pay the actual cost of both the fingerprinting and the record check. An applicant who is an attorney at law may file a letter of good standing from the West Virginia State Bar instead. The application must also disclose any criminal charge pending at the time of application, not only convictions.
Source: West Virginia Code Chapter 30, Article 40 - West Virginia Real Estate License Act, 30-40-11(a)(3) and 30-40-11(f). Application for license — verified 2026-08-17
Course content rule
The 90 clock-hours must have been completed during the three-year period preceding the date of application for the commission to accept them. The statute states the requirement in both units, 90 clock-hours or six college semester credit hours, so an accredited college real estate program can satisfy it.
Source: West Virginia Code Chapter 30, Article 40 - West Virginia Real Estate License Act, 30-40-14(b) and 30-40-14(c). Prelicense education — verified 2026-08-17
License activation
The affiliated broker keeps every salesperson's license certificate in their custody and control, and the certificate itself names that broker. An active licensee's certificate is mailed to the broker's main office; an inactive licensee's is held at the commission office instead.
Source: West Virginia Code Chapter 30, Article 40 - West Virginia Real Estate License Act, 30-40-17(a)(4), (b)(1) and (c)(2)-(4). Place of business; custody of license certificates — verified 2026-08-17
Application sequence
A salesperson who leaves a brokerage must promptly apply to the commission for a change of affiliated broker, and it is unlawful to perform any licensed act after the old affiliation ends until that application has been filed and approved. The outgoing broker must promptly return the license to the commission.
Source: West Virginia Code Chapter 30, Article 40 - West Virginia Real Estate License Act, 30-40-17(a)(5) and (b)(2). Change of employer by a salesperson or associate broker — verified 2026-08-17
First renewal
A West Virginia license certificate is valid for a period that coincides with the fiscal year, July 1 to June 30, whatever date it was issued. A salesperson licensed in the spring therefore reaches the first renewal within months rather than after a full year.
Source: West Virginia Code Chapter 30, Article 40 - West Virginia Real Estate License Act, 30-40-17(c)(5). License certificates; term of license — verified 2026-08-17
Broker experience
Moving up to a broker license needs either 20 closed transactions as a licensed salesperson during the two years before applying, or 40 closed transactions regardless of how many years that took, plus a further 90 clock-hours of education on top of the salesperson course. A closed transaction means the property actually conveyed, or a lease of at least one year was consummated, with the applicant representing a party.
Source: West Virginia Code Chapter 30, Article 40 - West Virginia Real Estate License Act, 30-40-12(a)(1). Qualifications for broker's license, and 30-40-14(a) — verified 2026-08-17
Reciprocity
The commission may recognize another jurisdiction's license only if the applicant qualified there by examination and that jurisdiction affords West Virginia licensees the same privilege. The applicant still passes the West Virginia state law portion of the examination, files a certification of active licensure and a record of every disciplinary action, and a non-resident must appoint the commission's executive director as agent for service of process.
Source: West Virginia Code Chapter 30, Article 40 - West Virginia Real Estate License Act, 30-40-15(a) and (b). Licensing based on licensure in another jurisdiction — verified 2026-08-17
Exam provider
West Virginia's real estate exam is administered by Pearson VUE.
Source: Pearson VUE — West Virginia Real Estate Candidate Handbook, Available Exams and Time Allotted — verified 2026-07-27
Once you are eligible
The West Virginia salesperson exam is 130 questions in 210 minutes, administered by Pearson VUE. Practice it free: West Virginia practice test · West Virginia exam prep · West Virginia 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.
West Virginia licensing FAQ
How do you get a real estate license in West Virginia?
Meet West Virginia's eligibility rules, complete 90 clock-hours, apply to the regulator, and pass the salesperson exam. On sponsoring broker, West Virginia's rule is: Required to hold a salesperson license. Each requirement is set out below with the provision it comes from.
What are the requirements for a West Virginia real estate license?
West Virginia requires you to be 18 or older and to complete 90 clock-hours before sitting the salesperson exam, which is 130 questions in 210 minutes. Every figure on this page names the West Virginia Real Estate Commission page it came from and the date we checked it.
How much pre-licensing education does West Virginia require?
An applicant for a West Virginia salesperson's license must provide evidence of having completed 90 clock-hours, equivalent to six college semester credit hours, in a commission-approved course within the three years before applying.
Sponsoring broker — what does West Virginia require?
West Virginia law defines a salesperson as a person employed or engaged by a broker to conduct real estate business in the name of, and under the direct supervision of, that broker, so the license only exists tied to a supervising broker.
How do you become a real estate agent in West Virginia?
Becoming an agent in West Virginia is the license plus one more step: complete 90 clock-hours, pass the 130-question salesperson exam, and then satisfy West Virginia's rule on sponsoring broker — Required to hold a salesperson license. 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.
Pennsylvania · Maryland · Virginia · Kentucky · Ohio
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