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How do I get a real estate license in Alabama?
If you have never held a real estate license, you finish a 60-hour salesperson course and pass the exam. You must be at least 19. The Alabama Real Estate Commission wrote the rules. A license from another state has other rules. So does a broker license.
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The rule, fact by fact
- Course hours
- A 60-hour salesperson prelicense course, proven before the exam is scheduledYou show proof in the exam provider's database before you schedule the salesperson exam.
- Verified. Alabama Real Estate Commission · Administrative Code chapter 790-X-2, licensure (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
- Who needs it
- At least 19 years of age, shown by a document the Commission acceptsA copy of a valid driver's license, a U.S. passport or a birth certificate can show it.
- Same source and date as above
- Agency
- The Alabama Real Estate Commission wrote these rulesThe rules list this commission as their author.
- Same source and date as above
How to get it done
Step 1. Check the basic rules. Every applicant must be at least 19 years of age. Show it with a copy of a valid driver's license, a U.S. passport, a birth certificate or other documentation the Commission accepts.
Step 2. Show your status. Every applicant says on the application that they are a citizen of the United States, a permanent resident alien or legally present in the United States, and provides documentation of that status.
Step 3. Gather your school proof. If you finished high school in the United States, show proof of graduation, unless you apply for a reciprocal license or were home schooled.
Step 4. Finish the salesperson course. It is a 60-hour course. Ask the school whether its course counts with the Commission before you pay.
Step 5. Pass the exam. The passing grade is 70, and you get three and one-half hours.
Step 6. Plan the post license course. A temporary salesperson license lasts one year. It lapses after that unless the holder finishes the 30-clock hour post license course, sends the original salesperson application and fee, and has the original license issued.
Before you pay
This page rests on the Commission's administrative code chapter on licensure. We haven't confirmed a course price, a fee, whether a course can be taken online, or how to book the exam.
Before you pay a school, ask how long your access lasts. Ask whether the course counts with the Commission, and check that, and any change to these rules, on its own pages.
Questions
What if I don't sit for the exam?
You still pay the exam fee for each scheduled exam, whether or not you take it, unless you are rescheduled under the Candidate Handbook. If you fail, you may retake the exam by following the application steps in that handbook.
Do I finish the course before the state exam?
Yes. You finish all course work, including passing the course final exam, before you take the state exam.
How long can my temporary license be active?
A temporary salesperson license may be on active status only during the six months after it is issued.
Which documents prove I finished high school in the United States?
A high school diploma, a transcript showing the graduation date, a GED certificate, a college diploma, college transcripts showing at least two full terms, a teaching certificate, or a DD-214 showing high school completion.
What if I finished school outside the United States?
You provide one of two documents. One is a transcript or diploma from a United States college. It must show your high school education was enough to be admitted to a post-secondary program. The other is a transcript or diploma translated into English. It comes from the high school or college you attended in another country.
I hold a license from another state. Which coursework do I show?
A reciprocal salesperson applicant shows proof of six hours of reciprocal prelicense coursework in the exam provider's database before scheduling the reciprocal exam.
What to do next
Start with the Commission's rules on licensure. Then look for the Commission's own pages on courses and fees.
Sources we read
- admincode.legislature.state.al.us › 790 X 2 · read Nov 13, 2026