How to Renew an Ohio Real Estate License

The Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing doesn’t make it overly easy for real estate brokers and salespeople to figure out what’s required in order to renew their licenses. But that doesn’t mean the process has to be complicated. You just need to know what to do when.

Your first renewal is due on the first birthday after you get your license. But you don’t need to complete the continuing education requirement for that first renewal, so it should be fairly easy.

From there, you have three years between renewals, and the Division sets your deadline on your birthday every third year. If you’re not sure when your next renewal is due, you can use the License Lookup system to check your initial license issuance date and your due date.

Once you’re within 60 days of that date, you’ll be able to submit your renewal.

Step 1: Choose your method

You can renew via a paper form or online. All of the other steps are virtually the same either way, but you’ll have to mail a packet in if you choose the paper route. Also, if you choose the paper form, you can only pay via check or money order, while if you choose to renew online, you can only pay via Visa or Mastercard.

If you choose to renew online, log in with your user ID and password. Then, click the “Online Services” button in the top-right corner and click “Create/Resume a Renewal” to get started.

Step 2: Answer the ethical conduct and legal history questions

First up, it’s time to answer some questions about what you’ve been up to during the last three years. Answer honestly because you’ll certify that you’ve been truthful as part of the application process.

If you answer “yes” to any of the ethical conduct or legal history questions, give the Division an explanation, too. While you might be tempted to answer “no” if you’re not entirely sure about something, the Division specifically recommends answering yes when in doubt. This way, you can clear up any issues right away, rather than having something come back to bite you down the road.

Step 3: Submit your proof of continuing education

To be eligible for renewal, you need to complete 30 hours of Division-approved continuing education (CE) during each three-year renewal cycle. All brokers and salespeople in Ohio need nine of those hours to focus on Ohio-specific real estate law. This core course can include topics like:

Recently enacted real estate laws
Municipal, state, and federal civil rights laws
The state’s adopted canon of ethics for the real estate industry

If you’re a broker, a broker on deposit, or you act as a management-level licensee, three of your hours also need to focus on the duties of a principal broker and operating a real estate brokerage.

Whichever course types you need, you’ll be glad to know that you can take these hours online and on-demand. That means you can knock them out from your couch on your tablet or smartphone. To help you do just that, here are some Division-approved Ohio CE options:

Whenever you finish any of your hours, save the certificate of completion that you get. You’ll need to include a copy of it with your renewal application. If you don’t get that documentation in by your due date, the Division suspends your license.

Step 4: Pay the renewal fee

The Division has old info on their site here, but the current version of the Ohio Revised Code says that the cost to renew is:

$182 for salespeople
$243 for brokers

If you mail in the paper renewal form, include a check or money order for your fee made out to “The Ohio Division of Real Estate.” If you renew online, you’ll use a Visa or Mastercard during the renewal process to pay the fee. Note that the state doesn’t let you call in credit card payments — you’ll need to submit it online.

Step 5: Submit the renewal form

Last up, it’s time to get everything into the Division. Remember, you need to have this process completed by your birthday every three years.

If you’re mailing in your renewal, package up:

The completed and signed renewal form
Your CE certificates of completion
Payment for your renewal fee

Mail that all into:

Ohio Division of Real Estate

77 S High St., 20th Fl.

Columbus, OH 43215-6133

If you’re renewing online, continue through the online form until you get a confirmation that your renewal has been submitted. Have your credit card and CE certificates of completion handy so you can input all of the information needed to finish the process.

If you run into any issues, you can contact the Division at webreal@com.state.oh.us or (614) 466-4100.