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How do I get a real estate license in Texas?
If you've never held a Texas license, you take courses, pass the exam and find a sponsoring broker before you can work as a sales agent. The Texas Real Estate Commission sets the courses. Former licensees have other rules. So do brokers.
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The rule, fact by fact
- Course hours
- At least 12 semester hours, or equivalent classroom hours, of qualifying coursesThis is what the Texas statute asks of a sales agent. The agency sets the courses by rule.
- Verified. Texas Occupations Code · Chapter 1101, Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
- Agency
- The Texas Real Estate CommissionThe Texas statute calls this body the commission. This page also calls it the agency.
- Same source and date as above
- Exam deadline
- Pass the exam within one year after the license application is filedThe clock starts on the day you file. Plan your exam date before you send the form.
- Same source and date as above
- Valid for
- The agency may issue or renew a license for 24 monthsThe statute says the agency may issue or renew a license for this period. A sales agent needs more courses at the first renewal.
- Same source and date as above
- Broker experience
- At least four years of active experience as a license holder in the 60 months precedingThis is the broker path, not the sales agent path. The count runs back from the day the application is filed.
- Same source and date as above
How to get it done
Step 1. Check the basic rules. The Texas real estate license law says you must be at least 18 and a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted alien. You must also show the agency that you are honest and trustworthy.
Step 2. Check whether the course rule applies to you. It may not if you apply for a sales agent license and held a Texas broker or sales agent license within the six months before you apply. A sales agent applicant who isn't subject to the usual education rules must still show the continuing education hours that a timely renewal would have needed in the two years before applying.
Step 3. Take the real estate courses the agency requires. The statute asks for at least 12 semester hours, or the same in classroom hours. The agency sets the courses by rule, so ask the school whether its course counts before you pay.
Step 4. Give your fingerprints. The agency requires a complete set, sent to the agency or to the Department of Public Safety, for a criminal history check.
Step 5. Pass the exam. The agency prepares it or contracts for it. You must pass it within one year after the date you file your application.
Step 6. Find a sponsoring broker. A sales agent can't do real estate brokerage without one, and you can't act as a sales agent until you receive your license.
Step 7. Plan for your first renewal. A sales agent must show at least 18 semester hours, or the same in classroom hours, of qualifying real estate courses.
Before you pay
We couldn't read the Texas Real Estate Commission's own pages, so this page rests on the Texas statute alone. The statute leaves the courses to the agency's rules. We haven't confirmed a course price, a fee, how many classroom hours the courses add up to, whether a course can be taken online, what the agency's rules say about licenses from other states, or how the agency decides on a criminal record.
Before you pay a school, ask how long your access lasts. Ask whether the course counts with the agency, and check that on its own pages.
Questions
Do I need a broker before I can work?
Yes. A sales agent may not do real estate brokerage unless a licensed broker sponsors the agent and the agent acts for that broker. Find a broker you want to work for before you plan to start.
Do I need work history for a Texas real estate license?
Not for a sales agent license. The statute asks sales agents for courses, not work history. A broker license is different. A broker must show at least four years of active experience as a license holder during the 60 months preceding the application. That rule doesn't apply to someone already licensed as a broker by another state with comparable license rules.
I don't live in Texas. Can I apply?
A nonresident applicant is subject to the same license rules as a resident. A nonresident must also file an irrevocable consent to a legal action against them in any Texas county where a cause of action may arise or where the plaintiff may live. Check the agency's rules on licenses from other states on its pages.
I held a Texas license before. Do I start over?
Maybe not. If you apply for a sales agent license and held a Texas broker or sales agent license within the six months before, the agency must waive the course rule. For some former sales agents, the statute instead asks for the education the old license would have needed without a break. The agency must also waive the exam if you held a Texas license before and apply before the second anniversary of the day the equivalent license expired.
Do I need a background check?
Yes. Texas requires a set of fingerprints for a criminal history check. You must also say on the form whether you pleaded guilty or no contest to a felony, or were convicted of one and the time for appeal has passed or an appeal court affirmed the conviction. You must say so even if a judge ordered community supervision. Check the agency's pages for how it decides.
What if I fail the exam?
If you fail three times in a row, you can't apply to retake it or send a new form until you show more education, as the agency prescribes. Keep the one-year deadline in mind.
What to do next
Start with the Texas statute on real estate licenses. Then look for the Texas Real Estate Commission's own pages on courses and fees.
Sources we read
- tcss.legis.texas.gov › Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 1101 · read Nov 13, 2026