Alabama · salesperson license · checked Oct 24, 2026
How to get a real estate license in Alabama
To get a real estate license in Alabama you finish 60 hours of prelicense education, pass the exam within six months, apply within 90 days with a sponsoring broker, and then earn the license twice: a temporary license first, an original license after 30 hours of post-license education. The deadlines are what trip people up.
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Not affiliated with any state commission or test provider.
19minimum age
60 hoursbefore the exam
30 hoursafter the exam
$283exam plus license (Oct 2026)
Seven steps, in order
1
Check eligibility
19 or older, high school diploma or GED, US citizen or lawful permanent resident. A past conviction? Ask the Commission for a determination before paying for anything.
2
Take the prelicense course
60 clock hours, minimum course grade 70. The school reports completion, and the six-month exam window starts.
3
Book and pass the exam
Pearson VUE emails an authorization. Unlimited attempts within the 6-month authorization; after that, the prelicense course must be taken again.
4
Apply within 90 days
With a recent photo, proof of legal presence and residency, fingerprints for the background check, and a qualifying broker who signs a sworn statement for you.
5
Work on the temporary license
Active for 6 months from the first day of the month after issue, then inactive for 6 more; it lapses at 1 year unless the post-license course is done and the original license issued.
6
Take the post-license course
30 clock hours, started only after the temporary license is issued; finish within 6 months to stay active. Give the instructor your temporary license number.
7
Get the original license
Pay the original license fee. Renewal:every 2 years, filed by August 31 (or September 1–30 with a $150 penalty), with 15 hours of continuing education by September 30.
Requirements, sourced
Checked Oct 24, 2026; sources are numbered and listed at the end of the page.
Fact
Detail
Source
Checked
Age and schooling
19 or older, high school diploma or GED, US citizen or lawful permanent resident
Pearson VUE: Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook #093300 (Aug 2024, fees eff. Aug 1, 2025, rev. 02/2026) [1]
Pre-license education
60 clock hours, minimum course grade 70
Pearson VUE: Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook #093300 (Aug 2024, fees eff. Aug 1, 2025, rev. 02/2026) · Ala. Admin. Code ch. 790-X-1 (Real Estate Commission) [1][2]
Retake
Unlimited attempts within the 6-month authorization; after that, the prelicense course must be taken again
Pearson VUE: Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook #093300 (Aug 2024, fees eff. Aug 1, 2025, rev. 02/2026) [1]
Validity window
A passing score is good for 90 days: apply to AREC within that window
Pearson VUE: Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook #093300 (Aug 2024, fees eff. Aug 1, 2025, rev. 02/2026) [1]
Sponsoring broker
The temporary license application names a sponsoring qualifying broker
Pearson VUE: Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook #093300 (Aug 2024, fees eff. Aug 1, 2025, rev. 02/2026) · Ala. Admin. Code ch. 790-X-2 (licensing) [1][3]
Fingerprints
State and national criminal background check with fingerprints, required to issue a licensethe processing fee is not set in the Code
Code of Ala. §34-27-32 (license requirements, background checks) [4]
Temporary license
Active for 6 months from the first day of the month after issue, then inactive for 6 more; it lapses at 1 year unless the post-license course is done and the original license issued
Ala. Admin. Code ch. 790-X-2 (licensing) · Code of Ala. §34-27-33 (temporary and original salesperson licenses) [3][5]
Required course besides pre-license
30 clock hours, started only after the temporary license is issued; finish within 6 months to stay active
Ala. Admin. Code ch. 790-X-1 (Real Estate Commission) · Ala. Admin. Code ch. 790-X-2 (licensing) · Code of Ala. §34-27-33 (temporary and original salesperson licenses) [2][3][5]
License fee
$150 temporary license + $30 research and education fee + $30 Recovery Fund fee$180 if the temporary license is issued inactive (the Recovery Fund fee is paid on activation); the original license after the post-license course is $85 per year or part of a year left in the license period
Code of Ala. §34-27-35 (license fees, renewal, continuing education) · Code of Ala. §34-27-31 (Recovery Fund) · Code of Ala. §34-27-33 (temporary and original salesperson licenses) [5][6][7]
Renewal
Every 2 years, filed by August 31 (or September 1–30 with a $150 penalty), with 15 hours of continuing education by September 30the first renewal after the post-license course needs no continuing education
Code of Ala. §34-27-35 (license fees, renewal, continuing education) · Code of Ala. §34-27-33 (temporary and original salesperson licenses) [5][6]
Already licensed elsewhere
Reciprocal candidates take only the 40-question state portion ($53, 1 hour)after 6 hours of approved Alabama coursework; the state portion must be passed within 6 months of the course
Pearson VUE: Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook #093300 (Aug 2024, fees eff. Aug 1, 2025, rev. 02/2026) [1]
Temporary license dates, worked through
The clock starts on the first day of the month after the license is issued, not on the issue date. For a temporary license issued on April 20, 2026:
Calculation steps
1IssuedApr 20, 2026
2The six months startfirst day of the next monthMay 1, 2026
3Last day on active statusMay through OctoberOct 31, 2026
4Valid but inactivesix more monthsto Apr 30, 2027
=Lapses without the original licenseafter Apr 30, 2027
Active temporary license. You can work under your qualifying broker, but only once the certificate has actually reached you or your broker: until then you are not licensed (§34-27-33).
Finished the course within the first six months. The original license is issued active and you keep working.
Finished later, within the year. The license sits inactive until the original is issued; no licensed work in the meantime.
Nothing by the one-year mark. The temporary license lapses and cannot be renewed (§34-27-33(c)(2)).
3 questions on the licensing steps
0 of 3 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 3 · Alabama license law · 15 items
An individual passes the exam on February 1 but does not apply for the temporary license until May 15. As a result of this delay, the individual must:
Answer and explanations
Correct: February 1 to May 15 is more than 90 days, so the passing score is void and the exam has to be taken again.
Incorrect: An inactive license is an option only for someone who applies in time.
Incorrect: A letter explaining the delay does not extend the 90-day life of the score.
Incorrect: Post-license hours come after a temporary license is issued; they cannot fix a missed application window.
Incorrect: No late penalty revives a score once the 90 days have run.
Question 2 of 3 · Alabama license law · 15 items
When applying for a temporary salesperson license in Alabama, which specific item must the Commission receive before it can issue the license?
Answer and explanations
Incorrect: The original license fee is paid after the post-license course, not before the temporary license.
Incorrect: No affidavit of transactions exists; a new applicant has none to report.
Incorrect: Post-license proof is needed later, for the original license, not for the temporary one.
Incorrect: Closings are not a licensing requirement for a salesperson in Alabama.
Correct: The Commission must have current state and federal criminal history results before it can issue any license.
Question 3 of 3 · Alabama license law · 15 items
Which of the following can the Alabama Real Estate Commission use as a ground to reject a license application?
Answer and explanations
Incorrect: Nineteen is the minimum age, so an applicant who has just turned 19 qualifies.
Incorrect: Nonresidents can be licensed; they sign an affidavit accepting the Commission's jurisdiction.
Incorrect: The education requirement is high school or a GED, so no degree is needed.
Correct: The Commission may reject an applicant convicted of, or who pleaded guilty to, a felony or a crime of moral turpitude; it is a ground, not an automatic bar.
Answer every question to see your score
Licensed in another state
Reciprocal candidates take only the 40-question state portion ($53, 1 hour), after 6 hours of approved Alabama coursework; the state portion must be passed within 6 months of the course. You need a current license from a state where you passed a full exam and a certification of licensure from that state, issued within 120 days of the Alabama license (r. 790-X-2-.01(4)). Other states’ rules are compared on license reciprocity.
Salesperson or broker
A broker license in Alabama needs its own 60-hour course and 24 months of active licensure within the last 36 (handbook, p. 3). The general difference is on salesperson vs broker.
Practice for the Alabama exam on your phone
Practice on your phone
5Alabama salesperson: practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app. Not affiliated with any state commission or test provider.
How old do you have to be to get a real estate license in Alabama?
At least 19; the age is proven with a driver’s license, passport or birth certificate (r. 790-X-2-.01).
How long does it take to get a real estate license in Alabama?
There is no fixed schedule. The hard limits are six months from the course to a pass, 90 days from the pass to the application, and one year from the temporary license to the original license.
Can I take the Alabama real estate course online?
Approved schools set the format. The handbook fixes the requirement itself, 60 clock hours, minimum course grade 70, reported by the school before you can book. Check a school’s approval with the Commission.
How much does it cost to get licensed?
$283 in exam and temporary-license fees as of Oct 2026, before course prices. Breakdown: Alabama license cost.