Learn · North Carolina State Portion

Licensure: Who Needs a License and How to Keep It

Who must hold an NC broker license, the main exemptions, license statuses, and the 75-hour, 90-hour, renewal and CE rules that keep a license active.

7 minNorth Carolina State Portion
71

Licensure is tied with Landlord/Tenant as the smallest slice of the North Carolina State section (3 of 60 scored items), but it is the foundation for everything else: who needs a license, which license status lets you work, and the deadlines that keep a license alive.: who needs a license, which license status lets you work, and the deadlines that keep a license alive. These are pure-recall facts, and the exam likes to swap one number for another (18 months vs. 18 years, June 10 vs. June 30), so learn them precisely.

Who must be licensed

Under N.C.G.S. § 93A-1 it is unlawful for any person or business entity to act as a real estate broker, or to advertise or hold out as one, without first obtaining a license from the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. That is true even if the person is already licensed in another state and is working with an NC broker. A Virginia agent who wants to list a cottage in Boone needs an NC license first.

A "real estate broker" is anyone who, for compensation or the promise of it, lists, sells, buys, auctions, negotiates, leases, or rents real estate for others (§ 93A-2(a)). Doing this without a license is a Class 1 misdemeanor (§ 93A-8).

Common exemptions

Section 93A-2(c) lists people who may perform brokerage-type acts without a license. The ones tested most often:

  • A business entity acting as owner or lessor of its own property, plus certain W-2 officers and employees.
  • An attorney-in-fact under a power of attorney authorizing final consummation of a contract.
  • An attorney who is an active member of the NC State Bar, when the acts constitute the practice of law.
  • A receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, guardian, administrator or executor, or anyone acting under a court order.
  • A salaried employee of a broker-managed rental property whose work is limited to showing units, giving lease information, taking applications, completing preprinted form leases, and accepting security deposits and rent made payable to the owner or the owner's broker.
Exam trap

The salaried leasing employee is exempt only while staying inside that short list. The statute says the employee shall not negotiate deposits, rent, or leases, and an employee who does so is outside the exemption. The one carve-out is a vacation rental, where the employee may offer a rental price and term from a written schedule that the employing broker provides with the landlord's written authority.

License categories and status

Provisional broker
A broker who has not yet finished postlicensing education and must be supervised by a broker-in-charge for any act that requires a license (§ 93A-2(a2)).
Broker
The non-provisional or "full" broker status. One generally gets there by completing postlicensing education.
Broker-in-charge (BIC)
A broker designated as responsible for supervising provisional brokers at a particular office, with other duties set by Commission rule (§ 93A-2(a1)).
Firm license
Issued to a business entity. One owner, manager or officer must hold an active NC broker license and serve as the Qualifying Broker.

The old salesperson license is gone. Effective April 1, 2006, the Commission stopped issuing salesperson licenses and converted them to broker licenses on provisional status (§ 93A-4.3). Answers that offer a "salesperson" license are out of date.

Getting the license

Under § 93A-4(a), an applicant must be at least 18 and must have completed, within the three years before applying, at least 75 hours of prelicensing instruction through a Commission-certified provider (or equivalent education or experience). The applicant must also show the Commission the required competency, honesty, truthfulness, integrity and good moral character (§ 93A-4(b)).

Exam logistics come from the Commission's April 2026 Pearson handbook:

  • The passing score is 75, computed separately for the National and State sections.
  • Both sections must be passed within the same 180-day exam eligibility period. If the period expires, credit for a passed section is lost.
  • Most new licensees are first issued an inactive broker license on provisional status. Rule 58A .0504(b) likewise says a provisional broker's license is assigned to inactive status at initial licensure.

Keeping the license

Postlicensing. A provisional broker must complete 90 hours of postlicensing education within 18 months of initial licensure (§ 93A-4(a1)). Rule 58A .1902 splits it into three 30-hour courses (Postlicensing 301, 302 and 303). If the hours aren't done in time, the license is placed on inactive status.

Renewal. All licenses expire on June 30. A broker renews online within 45 days before expiration and pays a $50 renewal fee (Rule 58A .0503(a)).

Continuing education. A broker needs eight credit hours per year: four hours of electives plus a four-hour Update Course (Rule 58A .1702(a); Pearson handbook). CE begins with the second renewal after initial licensure (Rule 58A .1702(c)). The Pearson handbook gives June 10 as the CE deadline for renewing on active status.

Postlicensing vs. continuing education

Postlicensing is a one-time, 90-hour requirement for provisional brokers, due within 18 months. CE is an 8-hour requirement every year for all brokers who want to stay active. Don't mix up the two deadlines.

Inactive means no brokerage at all. An inactive broker may not do anything that requires a license, and that includes referring a buyer or seller to another broker for a fee (Rule 58A .0504(a)). The license still has to be renewed to keep it.

Reporting. A broker must report a felony or misdemeanor conviction, or discipline by another licensing agency, to the Commission within 60 days (Rule 58A .0113(a)).

Where this shows up on the exam

Licensure is 3 of the 60 scored State items in the Pearson NC outline (April 2026). Expect one or two direct-recall questions on the numbers above (18, 75, 90, 18 months, June 30, 8 CE hours) and possibly one scenario about an exemption or an inactive broker trying to collect a referral fee.

Quick Check
A provisional broker was first licensed on March 1 and has finished only Postlicensing 301 and 302 when the 18-month deadline passes. What happens to the license?

Sources

North Carolina law as published by the General Assembly and the Office of Administrative Hearings, checked 2026-11-05:

  • 21 NCAC 58A .0113(a)
  • 21 NCAC 58A .0503(a)
  • 21 NCAC 58A .0504(a)
  • 21 NCAC 58A .0504(b)
  • 21 NCAC 58A .1702(a)
  • 21 NCAC 58A .1702(c)
  • 21 NCAC 58A .1902(a)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-1
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-2(a)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-2(a1)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-2(a2)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-2(c)(1)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-2(c)(2)-(3)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-2(c)(4)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-2(c)(6)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-4(a)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-4(a1)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-4(b)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-4.3(a)
  • N.C.G.S. § 93A-8
  • Pearson VUE, Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina (April 2026), Continuing Education
  • Pearson VUE, Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina (April 2026), Examination Content Outline
  • Pearson VUE, Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina (April 2026), License Categories
  • Pearson VUE, Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina (April 2026), Passing Score
  • Pearson VUE, Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina (April 2026), Postlicensing Education
Now practice it

Try Licensure questions

5 free questions on this exact topic, no signup required.

Start free preview →