Ohio Real Estate License Requirements

You’ve got everything you need to know about getting your Ohio real estate license right here. We’ll cover licensing requirements, exam details, fees, and the documents you need for both salespersons and brokers.

Crush Your Real Estate Exam!

Claim Your Spot Today!

What you need to get your real estate license in Ohio

Salesperson:

Must have a good reputation and be honest and truthful.
Be at least 18 years old.
Be sponsored by an Ohio Broker.
Be free of convictions of felonies or moral turpitude crimes. Must not have violated any real estate-related civil rights laws in the past two years, as determined by a court, nor any regulations set by the Ohio Division of Real Estate.
High school diploma or equivalent.
Complete the required pre-license education, which includes 40 hours in Real Estate Principles and Practices, 40 hours in Ohio Real Estate Law (covering civil rights, housing discrimination, and desegregation issues), 20 hours in Real Estate Appraisal, and 20 hours in Real Estate Finance.
Provide a complete set of fingerprints directly to the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation’s superintendent to conduct a criminal background check.

Broker:

Must have a good reputation and be honest and truthful.
Be at least 18 years old.
Be free of convictions of felonies or moral turpitude crimes. Must not have violated any real estate-related civil rights laws in the past two years, as determined by a court, nor any regulations set by the Ohio Division of Real Estate.
Provide a complete set of fingerprints directly to the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation’s superintendent to conduct a criminal background check.
Have held a broker or salesperson license for no less than 2 years.
Must have been actively employed as a broker or salesperson for an average of 30 hours per week for at least two of the five years directly before the application.
Must have either completed 20 real estate transactions or have comparable experience as specified by Ohio Real Estate Commission regulations.
No additional education is required for licenses issued before 1/01/1972. For licenses obtained between 1/02/72 and 1/03/84, a 120-hour course is necessary.
For licenses issued on or after 1/03/84, the following requirements apply:
- Ohio Real Estate Law: 40 hours
- Ohio Real Estate Principles & Practices: 40 hours
- Real Estate Appraisal: 20 hours
- Real Estate Finance: 20 hours
- Financial Management course
- Human Resources or Personnel Management course
- Applied Business Economics course
- Business Law course
- No less than two years of post-secondary education, or the equivalent of 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours.
- Courses 5–8 may count toward the post-secondary education requirement.

What is the passing score for the Ohio real estate license exam?

Both the salesperson and broker exams comprise 120 total questions. The national portion includes 80 questions, while the state-specific portion includes 40. A minimum score of 70% correct answers is required to pass the salesperson exam; for the broker exam, you must achieve a minimum score of 75% correct answers.

Upon completing your examination, you will receive an official results report.

What is the time limit for the Ohio real estate exam?

For both the salesperson and broker exams, the time limit is 180 minutes. You have 120 minutes to finish the national portion and 60 minutes for the state-specific portion.