Real estate license in Louisiana: cost, hours and steps
Louisiana is cheap to enter, $186.75 in fees, but it renews every year, with continuing education each time.
Real estate license fees in Louisiana
$187
paid to the state and its exam and fingerprint vendors
| Application and license | $45 |
| Exams | $81 |
| Fingerprints and background check | $61 |
| Training: 90 pre-licensing course hours | about 6 weeks |
| Renewals in 5 years, every 1 year | 5 × $35 = $175 |
Real estate salesperson license. Fees read on official pages, October 20, 2026.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial salesperson license (La. R.S. 37:1443) | $45 |
| Sales combo state & national, first attempt (Pearson VUE) | $81 |
| State and federal digital fingerprint submission (IdentoGO) | $61 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the totals are built · Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC) · read October 20, 2026
A Louisiana real estate salesperson license costs $186.75 in the fees counted here: $45 for the initial license under La. R.S. 37:1443, paid to the Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC), $81 for the combined state and national exam at the first attempt with Pearson VUE, and $60.75 for the state and federal digital fingerprint submission through IdentoGO. That ranks Louisiana 9th of the 20 states priced here from the cheapest, below the median of $203. Candidates complete 90 hours of commission-approved education before licensure and a forty-five-hour post-license course afterward. Applicants must be at least 18. Two things set Louisiana apart: the license is renewed every year, by December 31, for $35 with 12 hours of continuing education, and errors and omissions insurance through the commission's group policy is required before the license is issued, at a premium not counted here.
Three payees
Every step runs through the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, which issues the salesperson license to applicants at least 18 years old. The exam booked with Pearson VUE is the combined version, so the state and national portions are taken in one sitting and paid with one fee, rather than booked and billed separately as two tests.
The initial salesperson license is $45, an amount written into the license law itself. The exam goes through Pearson VUE: the Louisiana handbook lists $81 for the combined state and national sales exam at the first attempt and a higher price for a repeat. Fingerprints are taken by IdentoGO, and the commission's criminal history page sets the state and federal submission at $60.75; applicants fingerprinted outside Louisiana pay more.
Insurance before the license
Louisiana requires every licensee to carry errors and omissions coverage, and new salespeople join the commission's group policy before the license is issued. The premium is set under that policy rather than in the fee schedule, and it was not on the pages read, so the $186.75 total does not include it. Ask the commission for the current premium when you apply.
Education in two parts
The commission asks for 90 hours of approved real estate education before the exam, about 6 weeks at 15 hours a week, then a forty-five-hour post-license course once licensed. The post-license hours are a cost of the first year, not of the application, but they belong in any budget.
Louisiana license with a renewal every year
Real estate license in Louisiana, 5 years
$362
| First license | $187 |
| Renewals | 5 × $35 |
| Continuing education | 60 hours |
Renewing each December
All Louisiana licensees renew by December 31, every year. The active salesperson renewal under the license law is $35, and continuing education runs 12 hours a year. A yearly fee looks small, but it adds up: five years after licensure the fees paid to the state total $362, including 5 renewals. A state with a longer cycle, such as Georgia, charges more per renewal but less often. The renewal guide lines up every state's cycle.
Every real estate fee in Louisiana, with its source
| Fee | Amount | In the total | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial salesperson license (La. R.S. 37:1443) | $45 | counted | source |
| Sales combo state & national, first attempt (Pearson VUE) | $81 | counted | source |
| State and federal digital fingerprint submission (IdentoGO) | $60.75 | counted | source |
| Sales combo state & national, repeat attempt (Pearson VUE) | $96 | only if you retake | source |
| Renewal | Value |
|---|---|
| Cycle | every 1 year |
| Fee | $35 |
| Continuing education | 12 hours per cycle |
| Required training | 90 pre-licensing course hours. 90 hours of LREC-approved real estate education; 45 hours post-license. |