How to Get a Real Estate License in Ohio

Ohio’s real estate market is a mix of busy urban neighborhoods, tight-knit suburbs, and smaller towns where agents often know their clients for years. Whether you picture yourself helping families settle into Dayton, working with investors around Columbus, or guiding first-time homebuyers in Toledo, the path to getting licensed in Ohio is clear–you just need to know what order to take things in. The process of becoming a licensed salesperson has a steady rhythm to it, and once you understand how Ohio lays out the requirements, it becomes much easier to move from one step to the next without feeling overwhelmed. 

Here’s a snapshot of the licensing process:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Complete 100 hours of required prelicensing education
• Choose a sponsoring broker
• Submit your application
• Complete fingerprinting and a background check
• Pass the Ohio real estate exam

Table of Contents

• Steps to Get Your Ohio Real Estate License
• Continuing Education and License Renewal in Ohio
• Reciprocity for Ohio Real Estate Salespersons

Steps to Get Your Ohio Real Estate License

Here’s how the licensing process typically unfolds for future salespersons in Ohio:

Step 1: Meet Ohio’s Basic Eligibility Requirements

Before you begin prelicensing coursework, Ohio asks that you meet a few baseline requirements. You must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Hold a high school diploma or GED
• Be honest, truthful, and of good reputation and character
• Be legally authorized to work in the U.S.

Step 2: Complete 100 Hours of Prelicensing Education

Your first major step is completing 100 hours of state-approved prelicensing education. Ohio allows you to take these classes either through an accredited college or university or through an approved real estate education provider, giving you flexibility in how you complete the requirement.

The curriculum includes four core courses:

• Real Estate Principles and Practices (40 hours)
• Ohio Real Estate Law (40 hours)
• Real Estate Finance (10 hours)
• Real Estate Appraisal (10 hours)

Most students opt for an approved provider because it’s easier to fit into a busy schedule. Once you finish all 100 hours, you’ll receive the completion documents needed for your application.

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H3: Step 3: Choose an Ohio Sponsoring Broker

With your coursework underway or completed, it’s time to select the brokerage where you plan to place your license. Ohio requires you to have a sponsoring broker before your license can become active, and their information appears on your application.

When comparing brokerages, consider:

• Training and mentorship for new agents
• Commission structure and fees
• Office culture and support
• Local market expertise

A good mentorship and support system can make a big difference in your first year.

Step 4: Submit Your Salesperson Examination Application

Once your education is finished and you’ve chosen your sponsoring broker, you’ll submit the Salesperson Examination Application to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing (ODREPL). 

Your application will include:

• Proof of your 100 hours of education
• Your sponsoring broker’s information and signature
• The required state application fee

After your application is approved, the ODREPL forwards your information to PSI so you can schedule your licensing exam. 

Step 5: Complete Your Fingerprinting and Background Check

Ohio requires all real estate applicants to complete a fingerprint-based state and FBI background check. You’ll handle this through a WebCheck® provider approved by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, and it must be done within 10 days after submitting your salesperson application to the state.

Bring the following to your appointment:

• A valid government-issued photo ID
• The correct reason codes for Ohio real estate licensing
• Your application details so the provider can submit results to the right agency

The fingerprinting vendor sends your results directly to the ODREPL, and your application won’t move forward until the background check has been received and reviewed.

Step 6: Schedule and Pass the Ohio Real Estate Salesperson Exam

Once PSI receives your information from the state, you can schedule your exam. The test includes two sections, national and state, and you must pass both.

On exam day, expect:

• Computer-based multiple-choice questions
• Separate time limits for national and state content
• Same-day pass/fail results

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Step 7: Receive Your License and Start Working With Clients

After you pass your exam and the ODREPL receives your completed background check, your Ohio real estate salesperson license will be issued. From there, you can begin working with clients under your sponsoring broker–holding open houses, helping buyers and sellers, and learning your local market firsthand. 

Continuing Education and License Renewal in Ohio

Once you’ve earned your Ohio real estate salesperson license, staying compliant matters as much as getting licensed. The ODREPL requires active licensees to complete continuing education (CE) and renew on a recurring basis. The key details vary slightly depending on whether it’s your first renewal cycle or a subsequent one.

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First-Time Renewal

If you’ve just received your Ohio salesperson license, your first-time renewal will fall on the licensee’s birthday in the year following the initial issuance. For that first renewal, you must file your renewal application, pay the fee, and complete the required 20-hour post-licensing course, which needs to be completed within 12 months of licensure. You do not yet have to complete the full 30-hour CE requirement. 

Subsequent Renewals

After your first cycle, all active Ohio real estate salespersons must complete 30 hours of CE every three years, finishing the coursework by their birthday in the renewal year. 

Your 30 hours must include:

• 3 hours of Ohio Civil Rights and fair housing
• 3 hours of Ohio Core Law
• 3 hours of Ohio Canons of Ethics
• The remaining 21 hours may be completed through elective courses

Licensees who are 70 years or older only need to complete the core requirements list above (9 hours total). All CE certificates must be kept for six years in case of an audit.

Renewal Process

When your renewal period arrives, you’ll take care of a few required tasks to keep your license active. You will:

• Complete all CE hours for that renewal cycle
• Submit your renewal through the ODREPL eLicense system
• Pay the required renewal fee

Reciprocity for Ohio Real Estate Salespersons

Ohio offers licensing pathways for real estate salespersons who are already licensed in another state, and the process you’ll follow depends on where you currently hold your license. The ODREP has one formal reciprocity agreement and several states that offer selective recognition or streamlined licensing options.

Formal Reciprocity Agreement

Ohio currently has a single formal, signed reciprocity agreement with Kentucky. This 2025 Memorandum of Understanding allows active licensees in good standing to apply in the partner state with fewer requirements. Most applicants still need to pass the state-specific law portion of the exam and meet Ohio’s standard application, background check, and broker sponsorship steps.

States with Recognition or Streamlined Licensing Pathways

Ohio also accepts applicants from several states whose licenses are considered “substantially similar.” These are not formal reciprocity agreements, but they may reduce certain requirements–often waiving the national exam portion or parts of the prelicensing education, depending on the state. 

States offering recognition or streamlined pathways include:

• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Mississippi
• Nebraska
• Oklahoma
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

Eligibility varies by state, and each application is reviewed individually by the ODREPL. 

How Out-of-State Applicants Get Licensed in Ohio

If you hold an active real estate license in another state, you will generally need to:

• Provide an official license history from our current licensing jurisdiction
• Demonstrate that your license meets Ohio’s “substantially similar” standard
• Pass the Ohio state law portion of the salesperson exam
• Complete Ohio’s application, fingerprinting, and background check requirements
• Affiliate with an Ohio sponsoring broker

Ohio evaluates every out-of-state candidate individually, so requirements may vary slightly depending on where your current license was issued.