All Rhode Island real estate professionals are licensed by the Department of Business Regulation (DBR). The requirements for earning a real estate license are as follows:
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Must complete a minimum of 45 hours of Sales Pre-license training
- Must complete a 3-hour Lead Paint Hazards/Awareness Course
- Must pass the National portion and State examinations with PearsonVUE
- Complete a Salesperson application to the RI Department of Business Regulation including Criminal Background history.
Learn more
A licensed salesperson is a real estate professional who has taken and passed all required real estate classes, has met the state requirements and passed the real estate licensing exam. It is the most encompassing of the titles since it is the starting point for real estate professionals in Rhode Island.
A REALTOR® is a real estate licensee who is a member of the National Association of Realtors. To become a member, a real estate licensee has joined a local board of realtors and has agreed to abide by the association’s standards and uphold the code of ethics.
A real estate broker has met the state requirements and has passed the real estate brokers exam. Real estate brokers can work as independent real estate licensees or have other licensees working for them.
The biggest distinction between the three is that a broker can work on his or her own, while a salesperson or REALTOR® must work under a licensed broker to hold an active license with the state.
License renewal is through the RI Department of Business Regulation and the renewal deadline will depend on when you were licensed. Visit License Renewal Information & FAQs to learn more.
Not sure when you were licensed? Use the licensee lookup tool. Enter for your information and click ‘Detail’ next to your name to check your status and license expiration date.
Licensing is through the RI Department of Business Regulations. You can find the Salesperson or Broker reciprocal application at Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation: (ri.gov)
If your primary license is in a state with RI reciprocity, you will need to complete 3 hours of Lead Paint Hazards/Lead Paint Mitigation.
If your primary license is in Florida, you will also need to sit for the state law exam. Please refer to the DBR website for more information.
Yes. Anyone can take courses for CE with RI REALTORS®. Non-member rates vary depending on courses. Create an account or log in as a non-member.
