Real estate license in Colorado: cost, hours and steps
Colorado has no salesperson license: every new agent starts as a broker, after 168 hours of courses and $127.95 in state and exam fees.
Real estate license fees in Colorado
$128
paid to the state and its exam and fingerprint vendors
| Application and license | $83 |
| Exams | $45 |
| Training: 168 pre-licensing course hours | about 12 weeks |
| Renewals in 5 years, every 3 years | 1 × $252 = $252 |
Not counted, amount set by a vendor and not published: fingerprinting fee charged by the cbi-approved vendor. Real estate broker license (entry-level broker associate; Colorado has no salesperson license). Fees read on official pages, October 20, 2026.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Broker application | $83 |
| Broker examination (PSI) | $45 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the totals are built · Colorado Division of Real Estate / Real Estate Commission · read October 20, 2026
In Colorado the first real estate license is an entry-level broker license, often called broker associate, because the state issues no salesperson license. The fees counted here total $127.95: $83 for the broker application and $44.95 for the broker examination, both as listed on the Colorado Division of Real Estate fee page. Only 3 states of the 20 priced here cost less, against a median of $203. The catch is time: 168 hours of pre-licensing education in six courses, a load exceeded only by Texas. Fingerprints are also required, but the vendor's charge is not on the Division page and is not counted. Applicants must be 18 or older. The license renews every 3 years for $252, with 24 hours of continuing education per cycle.
A broker from day one
Most states separate the salesperson, who works under supervision, from the broker, who can run a firm. Colorado folds both into a single broker license with levels. A new licensee is a broker associate and still works under an employing broker, but the credential on the wall says broker. If you compare Colorado with a state such as Florida, line up the entry-level license in each, not the titles.
Six courses, 168 hours
The Division breaks the education into parts that add up to 168 hours: 48 h Real Estate Law and Practice, 48 h Colorado Contracts and Regulations, 8 h Trust Accounts and Recordkeeping, 8 h Current Legal Issues, 24 h Real Estate Closings, 32 h Practical Applications. The two long courses on law and practice and on Colorado contracts make up more than half of it, and the closings and practical applications courses are where most students spend their evenings. At 15 hours a week the whole program takes about 12 weeks, which is why a Colorado license usually takes longer to earn than to pay for.
Colorado course hours at your weekly pace
Real estate training in Colorado
12 weeks
| Required hours | 168 |
| Months at that pace | 2.6 |
| First-license fees | $128 |
Paying the Division and PSI
Only two amounts are counted. The broker application is $83 and the broker examination, delivered by PSI, is $44.95 on the Division's fee page, charged again for each attempt. A passing score is good for one year, so the application has to follow within that window. The Division says it processes applications in up to ten business days, but a new broker application cannot move until the fingerprint results come back, and the background check vendor sets its own price.
Renewal, and licensees from other states
The license runs on a 3-year cycle. The base renewal rate is $252, and active brokers complete 24 hours of continuing education in each cycle. Held for six years, the license costs $632 in fees: entry plus 2 renewals. Brokers already licensed elsewhere should read the Division's page on partial recognition agreements: Colorado has such agreements with some states, which can shorten the route, though not with every state.
Every real estate fee in Colorado, with its source
| Fee | Amount | In the total | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker application | $83 | counted | source |
| Broker examination (PSI) | $44.95 per attempt | counted | source |
| Fingerprinting fee charged by the CBI-approved vendor | not read on an official page | set by the vendor |
| Renewal | Value |
|---|---|
| Cycle | every 3 years |
| Fee | $252 |
| Continuing education | 24 hours per cycle |
| Required training | 168 pre-licensing course hours. 48 h Real Estate Law and Practice, 48 h Colorado Contracts and Regulations, 8 h Trust Accounts and Recordkeeping, 8 h Current Legal Issues, 24 h Real Estate Closings, 32 h Practical Applications. |