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How do I get a real estate license in New York?

If you've never held a New York license, you take approved courses, pass a written exam and name the broker you'll work with. The statute asks for at least seventy-seven hours of courses before you apply. Brokers have other rules.

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The rule, fact by fact

Course hours
At least seventy-seven hours of approved real estate courses, before the applicationThis is the minimum the New York statute sets for a salesperson. The secretary of state approves the courses, so ask a school whether its course counts.
Verified. New York Real Property Law · Section 441, application for license (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Agency
The department of state, at its office in AlbanyYou file your application with this office. The statute calls it the department, and so does this page.
Same source and date as above
Online accepted
The department may approve distance-learning coursesOnline isn't a plain yes or no. Ask the school whether its course counts with the department.
Same source and date as above
Valid for
A salesperson's first license term is two yearsThe statute calls it the initial two-year licensing term for real estate salespersons. Renewal comes after it.
Same source and date as above
Who needs it
A license is required to act as a broker or salesperson in this stateThe statute covers brokers and salespersons. This page follows the salesperson path.
Verified. New York Real Property Law · Section 440-a, license required (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check the basic rules. You need a license to act as a real estate salesperson in New York, and a salesperson applicant must be over the age of eighteen years.

  2. Step 2. Take the real estate courses. Finish at least seventy-seven hours of courses the secretary of state approves, and do it before you apply. Ask the school whether its course counts before you pay.

  3. Step 3. Pass the written exam. The department sets it and tells you when and where to take it. It checks that you're trustworthy and competent to do the work in a way that protects the public.

  4. Step 4. Name your broker. The application asks for the name and business address of the broker you'll be associated with. Line one up before you file.

  5. Step 5. Plan for renewal. Your first license term is two years.

Before you pay

We couldn't read the Department of State's own pages, so this page rests on the New York statute alone. The statute leaves the course content and the exam to the department.

Before you pay a school, ask how long your access lasts. Ask whether the course counts with the department, and check that, the fee and the exam details on its own pages.

Questions

Can I take the courses online?

Maybe. The statute lets the department approve distance-learning courses if the provider can monitor and verify your participation. It may also require some subjects or hours in a classroom. Ask the school whether its course counts, and check the department's own pages.

Do I need work history for a New York license?

The salesperson application asks what you did in the two years before you apply and how long you've been in real estate. None of the salesperson steps above asks for years of work. A broker applicant needs at least one hundred fifty-two hours of approved courses, plus two years as a licensed salesperson under a broker or at least three years of equivalent experience.

Does a criminal record stop me?

Not always. A conviction for a crime in New York or elsewhere bars a license unless the secretary finds that it doesn't. That finding has to meet the statutory requirements, including article twenty-three-A of the correction law. Ask the department before you pay for courses.

I held a New York license before. Do I start over?

Not necessarily, but the exam may come back. You have two years from the date the license expired to apply for renewal. After that, the department must require the written exam, unless you couldn't renew because you were inducted or enlisted in the armed forces of the United States.

What to do next

Start with the New York statute on applying for a real estate license. Then look for the Department of State's own pages on courses and fees.

www.nysenate.gov

Sources we read