A Florida broker license takes 24 months of active sales associate experience, Course II (72 hours), an application with fingerprints, the DBPR exam, and then 60 hours of post-licensing before the first renewal. Each step below has its rule and its source, including the ones that catch applicants out.
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Not affiliated with any state commission or test provider.
24 monthsexperience
72 hoursCourse II
60 hourspost-licensing
$106.75state + exam fees
The steps in order
1
Check eligibility
18 or older, high school diploma or equivalent. The applicant must also meet the character standard of chapter 475; pleas and withheld adjudications are disclosed on the application.
2
Meet the experience rule
24 months as an active sales associate within the last 5 years. Two other routes count: below.
3
Pass Course II
72-hour FREC Course II (50-minute hours), end-of-course exam 70%. Missing more than 8 hours of class means no certificate.
4
Apply to DBPR with fingerprints
Fingerprints:Electronic (Livescan) prints from an approved vendor, sent to FDLE and the FBI; the vendor sets the price. Fees as of Oct 2026: cost.
5
Book and pass the exam
100 multiple-choice questions, 75 of 100 to pass, test center only: exam facts.
6
Activate and complete post-licensing
60 hours before the first renewal, or the broker license becomes void.
Check yourself: 3 questions on the rules
Question 1 of 3 · Florida license law and FREC rules
Raul has attended all sessions of the 72-hour broker prelicense course. What must he achieve to receive credit for the course?
Answer and explanations
Incorrect: Eighty percent is not a passing grade set anywhere in the Florida broker education rules.
Incorrect: Course II ends with a required end-of-course exam; attendance alone earns no certificate.
Incorrect: Seventy-five is the passing score of the state broker exam and of post-licensing course exams, not of the prelicense course exam.
Correct: FREC rule 61J2-3.008 sets the passing grade for the Course II end-of-course exam at 70%.
Question 2 of 3 · Florida license law and FREC rules
How often must a Florida broker license be renewed, and when does it expire?
Answer and explanations
Incorrect: Florida does not use an annual cycle or the license anniversary date.
Correct: Florida real estate licenses run on a 2-year cycle and expire on one of two fixed dates, March 31 or September 30.
Incorrect: The 2-year cycle is right, but December 31 is not one of the two expiration dates.
Incorrect: Neither a 4-year term nor a birthday expiration applies to Florida real estate licenses.
Question 3 of 3 · Florida license law and FREC rules
Raul scores 66% on the end-of-course exam for the 72-hour broker prelicense course. Under FREC rules, when may he retake the exam without first repeating the course?
Answer and explanations
Incorrect: Unlimited next-day retakes describe the Pearson VUE state exam, which only needs a 24-hour wait, not the course exam.
Correct: A student who fails the Course II exam must wait at least 30 days and gets one retest within a year; after that the course must be repeated.
Incorrect: The waiting period is 30 days, and only one retest is allowed.
Incorrect: The rule allows one retest before the course has to be repeated.
The requirements, sourced
Checked Oct 24, 2026; sources are numbered and listed at the end of the page.
$77 every 2 years ($72 renewal fee + $5 unlicensed-activity fee); late fee $25sum of rule 61J2-1.011(4) and § 455.2281; the statute lets DBPR waive the $5 at renewal for a profession whose unlicensed-activity account is large enough
Mutual recognition (10 states): non-residents licensed by exam there take only the 40-question Florida law exam
DBPR: mutual recognition states (archived copy, Nov 2025) · Pearson VUE: Florida Real Estate and Appraiser fact sheet #091001 [9][10]
Florida law exam
40 questions, 30 points to pass, 1.5 hours, $15.75
DBPR: mutual recognition states (archived copy, Nov 2025) · Pearson VUE: Florida Real Estate and Appraiser fact sheet #091001 [9][10]
Mutual recognition states
Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island, West Virginia
DBPR: mutual recognition states (archived copy, Nov 2025) [9]
Experience: three ways to count 24 months
Section 475.17(2)(b) accepts any one of these, each for at least 24 months within the 5 years before you apply:
an active sales associate license under one or more brokers, in Florida or in any other US state, territory or foreign jurisdiction;
a current and valid sales associate license while employed by a government agency for a salary, doing the work of a licensee;
a current and valid broker license in another US state, territory or foreign jurisdiction.
The first route asks for an active license, so inactive months do not count there, and months older than the 5-year window drop off. Anyone licensed as a Florida sales associate in those 5 years must also have finished the sales associate post-licensing course (§ 475.17(2)(c)).
Education exemptions are narrower than they look
Exemptions:A 4-year degree or higher in real estate replaces Course II and post-licensing; Florida Bar membership exempts only the sales associate course. A law degree on its own exempts you from nothing on the broker side. Without the real estate degree, everyone takes Course II.
After the exam: broker or broker associate
Passing gives you a broker license, but you choose how to use it. Run your own brokerage and you are the broker of record, with the office, sign and escrow duties that come with it (brokerage and escrow). Work under another broker and you are licensed as a broker associate (§ 475.161). The general difference between the two licenses is on salesperson vs broker.
Either way, the first renewal hinges on post-licensing (60 hours): miss it and the license is void, and the way back to broker is Course II and the exam again. After that, the renewal rule is 14 hours of continuing education every 2 years, from the second renewal on.
Licensed in another state: mutual recognition
Florida has mutual recognition with 10 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island, West Virginia. A broker from one of them can get a Florida broker license by passing a law-only exam instead of this one (40 questions, 30 points to pass, 1.5 hours, $15.75), on DBPR’s conditions: you are not a Florida resident when you apply, and you hold an active license in good standing that you earned by education and exam, not by reciprocity. Brokers from Alabama and Arkansas also need 24 months of active licensure in the last 5 years. Post-licensing still applies before the first renewal.
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It renews every 2 years, and each renewal costs $77 as of Oct 2026 (cost). The 60 hours of post-licensing are due before the first renewal.
What is the difference between a broker and a broker associate in Florida?
Both pass the same exam. A broker runs a brokerage and holds its escrow accounts; a broker associate works under another broker, like a sales associate with a broker license.
Can a Florida Bar member skip Course II?
No. The Bar exemption covers the sales associate prelicense course only. For the broker license, only a 4-year degree or higher in real estate replaces Course II.
Does inactive license time count toward broker experience?
Not for the usual route: the rule asks for 24 months on an active sales associate license within the last 5 years.