North Dakota · ND
North Dakota Real Estate License Checklist (2026)
Every step, fee, and deadline on one page — designed to print cleanly to PDF and check off as you go.
Before you start
- You are at least 18 years old
- You hold a high school diploma or GED
- You can pass a criminal background check / fingerprinting
Education
Heads up: plenty of prep sites still describe North Dakota as '45 hours pre-exam plus 45 hours post-license.' That structure is gone. Effective January 1, 2021, NDREC requires a single 90-hour certified salesperson pre-licensure course completed before the exam, with no post-licensing hours afterward (confirmed on realestatend.org). You must apply for licensure within 2 years of finishing the course.
- Confirm you're at least 18 at the time of application — that's NDREC's minimum age.
- Enroll in a 90-hour NDREC-certified salesperson pre-licensure course from an approved education provider (list at realestatend.org).
- Complete the course and download your certificate of completion — you'll upload it (PDF preferred) with your online application.
- Watch the clock: you must apply for licensure within 2 years of the date on your course certificate, or the education expires.
Application & exam
- Submit the online application at realestatend.org with your documents uploaded and pay the nonrefundable $161.25 fee ($150 application + $11.25 credit history — one page of the NDREC site rounds the credit fee to $13, but the online checkout total is $161.25). NDREC runs both a credit check and a criminal history check.
- Schedule and pass the PSI exams ($131) — no test code from the Commission is needed anymore — and have your passing scores submitted to NDREC.
- Get fingerprinted at a law enforcement agency or qualified provider, then mail both sealed cards, the Fingerprint Verification Form, and a $40 check payable to the North Dakota Attorney General to NDREC. Results typically come back in 1-2 weeks.
- Upload your 90-hour course completion certificate (resident applicants).
- After NDREC approves your file, submit the Request to Issue Real Estate License along with the one-time $20 payment to the Real Estate Education, Research and Recovery Fund.
- Choosing active status? Provide proof of E&O insurance (NDREC negotiates an annual group rate through Rice Insurance) and have your broker sign off. You can also be issued inactive and hold that status indefinitely as long as you renew annually.
Budget
| Item | Estimate | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 90-hour pre-licensure course | $800 | |
| PSI exam fee (both portions, per attempt) | $131 | |
| Application + credit history fee | $161 | |
| Fingerprinting service + $40 ND Attorney General analysis | $65 | |
| Education, Research & Recovery Fund (one-time) | $20 | |
| E&O insurance (approx. annual, active license) | $130 | |
| Estimated total | $1,307 |
Key deadlines
- Heads up: plenty of prep sites still describe North Dakota as '45 hours pre-exam plus 45 hours post-license.' That structure is gone.
- Effective January 1, 2021, NDREC requires a single 90-hour certified salesperson pre-licensure course completed before the exam, with no post-licensing hours afterward (confirmed on realestatend.org).
- You must apply for licensure within 2 years of finishing the course.
- Annually — $125 salesperson renewal plus 12 hours of CE (mandatory-topic and elective hours) each year
- Watch the clock: you must apply for licensure within 2 years of the date on your course certificate, or the education expires.
- After NDREC approves your file, submit the Request to Issue Real Estate License along with the one-time $20 payment to the Real Estate Education, Research and Recovery Fund.
- Do I need a broker before I apply in North Dakota?