After you are licensed
Renewal and continuing education
This page is deliberately shorter than it could be. The figure everyone repeats for California continuing education is not one we have confirmed against a DRE licensee page, and unverified means unpublished here rather than hedged into the prose.
What we will not state
45 hours every four years is the figure in general circulation for salesperson renewal. It is not yet confirmed against a DRE licensee page, so it is not stated as settled anywhere on this site.
You will find that figure quoted confidently on many sites. It may well be correct. We have not verified it against a DRE page, so it does not appear here as settled, and you should confirm the current requirement directly with DRE before relying on it.
What we can say
A California real estate salesperson licence is issued for a term and must be renewed before it expires. Continuing education is required for renewal, and the specific hour requirement and subject breakdown should be taken from DRE's own licensee pages rather than from a third party, including us.
One point is worth restating from the examination side, because it catches people at the start rather than at renewal. Continuing education offerings do not satisfy the college-level course requirement to qualify for the salesperson examination. The two systems are separate: statutory courses qualify you to sit, and continuing education keeps a licence current afterwards. Buying the wrong one is an expensive and non-refundable mistake.
Renewal is handled through eLicensing, which is also where you schedule an examination, record a change of responsible broker, and print a licence.
Where to check
Why this page stays thin
It would be easy to fill this page with the circulating figure and a confident paragraph around it. Most sites do. The problem is that a candidate reading a renewal requirement is usually about to spend money on courses, and being confidently wrong about that is worse than being visibly incomplete.
When we verify the current requirement against a DRE licensee page, this page will grow and the change will appear in updates. Until then it says what it can and points you at the source. Our editorial standards explain the rule this follows.