Any of the 45-hour packages listed below will meet the renewal requirements for a California real estate Broker renewing their license for the first time.
Brokers Renewing for the First Time - 45 hours of DRE-Approved Courses
Completing courses in the following categories will satisfy the education requirements for any first time California Broker renewal:
Six separate 3-hour courses in the following subjects: Agency, Fair Housing, Trust Funds, Ethics, Risk Management, and Management & Supervision (AFTER and M&S); and
A minimum of 18 hours of Consumer Protection (CP) courses; and
The remaining hours required to complete the 45 hours of continuing education may consist of either Consumer Service (CS) or Consumer Protection (CP) courses.
All of the packages listed on this page satisfy these requirements.
All course materials are provided as PDF files that can be downloaded from your account immediately after purchase.
Exams are administered online and are accessed by logging in to your user account.
NOTE: DRE regulations limit credit for study time to 8 hours per day and do not allow more
than 15 credit hours of exams to be completed in a 24-hour period. Therefore it will take a minimum of 6 days to complete the entire 45-hour package.
M = Mandatory; CP = Consumer Protection; MS = Management & Supervision; S = Survey; AFTER = DRE-Required Topics: Agency, Fair Housing, Trust Fund Handling, Ethics, and Risk Management; E = Ethics;
Frequently Asked Questions for California Licensees
The California Department of Real Estate limits students to earning a maximum of 8 hours of study time per 24-hour period. Additionally, the DRE limits students to attempting a maximum of 15 credit hours of exams per 24-hour period. As such, the fastest all 45 hours can be completed in this format is 6 days.
After completing the continuing education, you may renew your license with the DRE anytime within 90 days of license expiration. Renew online using DRE eLicensing (learn to use eLicensing here)
If you fail to renew your license on-time (prior to license-expiration date), you may renew your license during the two year late renewal period immediately following your license-expiration date. However, you cannot perform activities requiring a real estate license until your license has been renewed.
If the license has been expired for over 2 year, the individual will have to re-qualify for the applicable license by meeting all of the then current and relevant requirements for licensure, pass the qualifying examination, and reapply and pay for the new license.
Approval Information
Empire Learning courses offered to California licensees are approved by the California Department of Real Estate (DRE Sponsor #5017) for continuing education credit. Each of the courses is individually approved and has a specific approval number that will be displayed on your completion certificate.
Our 45-hour continuing education packages are designed to meet the full renewal requirements for your specific license.
Note: The California Bureau of Real Estate (CalBRE) has changed its name back to the California Department of Real Estate (DRE) effective July 1st, 2018.