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North Carolina Real Estate Broker — License Examination Requirements

US-NC · License preparation

This page provides licensing requirements, not a question bank. Review the applicable pathway and official sources below.

Licenses, application pathways and examination requirements

Each license and applicant pathway has its own requirements and exemptions. Choosing practice questions does not determine your eligibility.

Real Estate Firm License

Business entity broker license; individual licensees and the qualifying broker retain their own licenses.

Licensing authority: North Carolina Real Estate Commission

Activate inactive firm license
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Activation
Submit identifying information and active QB, satisfy BIC requirements under .0110. An inactive QB must independently satisfy individual activation requirements; examinations of that individual route are not examinations of the firm.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Firm licensure following a change in business form
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit firm application, trust-account and proposed BIC information, owner/principal disclosures, organization and authority documents, fee and any foreign-entity consent to service.
Conversion
Changed business form requires a new firm application and license except conversion under G.S. 55 Article 11A, which follows the rule’s information and duplicate-fee procedure.
Entity
Business entity other than sole proprietorship; organization documents and Secretary of State authorization as applicable.
Qualifying broker
A principal holds an active non-provisional broker license in good standing and serves as QB; employs and is directed by licensed broker personnel. Existing individual broker licensure is a condition, not a firm examination leaf.
Restriction
No principal with a pending Commission disciplinary case where probable cause has been found.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Initial firm licensure
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit firm application, trust-account and proposed BIC information, owner/principal disclosures, organization and authority documents, fee and any foreign-entity consent to service.
Entity
Business entity other than sole proprietorship; organization documents and Secretary of State authorization as applicable.
Qualifying broker
A principal holds an active non-provisional broker license in good standing and serves as QB; employs and is directed by licensed broker personnel. Existing individual broker licensure is a condition, not a firm examination leaf.
Restriction
No principal with a pending Commission disciplinary case where probable cause has been found.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Firm reinstatement over two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit firm application, trust-account and proposed BIC information, owner/principal disclosures, organization and authority documents, fee and any foreign-entity consent to service.
Entity
Business entity other than sole proprietorship; organization documents and Secretary of State authorization as applicable.
Qualifying broker
A principal holds an active non-provisional broker license in good standing and serves as QB; employs and is directed by licensed broker personnel. Existing individual broker licensure is a condition, not a firm examination leaf.
Restoration
expired, revoked or surrendered more than two years: new firm application under .0502
Restriction
No principal with a pending Commission disciplinary case where probable cause has been found.
Scope
Firm reinstatement is governed by .0505(g); individual examination alternatives in .0505(d) do not apply to an entity.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Firm reinstatement six months two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit firm application, trust-account and proposed BIC information, owner/principal disclosures, organization and authority documents, fee and any foreign-entity consent to service.
Entity
Business entity other than sole proprietorship; organization documents and Secretary of State authorization as applicable.
Qualifying broker
A principal holds an active non-provisional broker license in good standing and serves as QB; employs and is directed by licensed broker personnel. Existing individual broker licensure is a condition, not a firm examination leaf.
Restoration
expired for six months through two years, or revoked or surrendered no more than two years: reinstatement fee and complete application
Restriction
No principal with a pending Commission disciplinary case where probable cause has been found.
Scope
Firm reinstatement is governed by .0505(g); individual examination alternatives in .0505(d) do not apply to an entity.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Firm reinstatement under six months
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit firm application, trust-account and proposed BIC information, owner/principal disclosures, organization and authority documents, fee and any foreign-entity consent to service.
Entity
Business entity other than sole proprietorship; organization documents and Secretary of State authorization as applicable.
Qualifying broker
A principal holds an active non-provisional broker license in good standing and serves as QB; employs and is directed by licensed broker personnel. Existing individual broker licensure is a condition, not a firm examination leaf.
Restoration
expired for less than six months: submit reinstatement fee
Restriction
No principal with a pending Commission disciplinary case where probable cause has been found.
Scope
Firm reinstatement is governed by .0505(g); individual examination alternatives in .0505(d) do not apply to an entity.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Annual firm license renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Entity
Continue valid entity authority and active QB; retain any required BIC designation.
Renewal
QB renews the firm license, separately from individual licenses, within 45 days before June 30 expiration, paying the applicable fee.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Limited Nonresident Commercial Real Estate License

Restricted nonresident commercial broker license, tied to active qualifying-jurisdiction licensure and resident broker affiliation.

Licensing authority: North Carolina Real Estate Commission

Initial limited nonresident commercial licensure
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply with license-history certification and designated-vendor criminal report each issued within six months. Rule .1803 sets $105; the Board page still states $100. The rule controls.
No examination basis
April 2026 Commission booklet p. 15 explicitly lists limited nonresident commercial applicants among those not required to pass the licensing examination; .1803 exhaustively states issuance requirements.
Qualifying license
Resident outside NC, with no NC home/business/delivery address, active qualifying U.S. jurisdiction salesperson or broker license, and good character.
Supervision
Before any NC brokerage, enter declaration of affiliation and brokerage cooperation agreement with resident NC non-provisional broker. Limited to commercial transactions.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Annual limited nonresident commercial renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Practice
NC license remains active only while the qualifying license is active and salesperson supervision requirements are satisfied.
Renewal
June 30 expiration; renew under .0503 and retain active, good-standing qualifying-jurisdiction license. The .1805 reference to .1711 is retained as historical cross-reference; .1711 was repealed July 1, 2023.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Military-Trained Applicant or Military Spouse Temporary Practice Permit

Temporary provisional practice permit while a qualifying military applicant satisfies permanent licensure requirements.

Licensing authority: North Carolina Real Estate Commission

Temporary practice pending military permanent licensure
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
The temporary application contains identity and contacts, criminal report, occupational license history, liens or judgments, equivalence documentation, certification and signature.
Duration
Valid for the later of one year or the required renewal date, or until permanent licensure is granted, as G.S. 93B-15.1(f) states.
Fee
No initial application fee under G.S. 93B-15.1(k).
Pending complaints
A permit may be denied or revoked for a pending complaint after statutory notice.
Qualifying license
Military-trained applicant or military spouse licensed in another jurisdiction with substantially equivalent standards, pending permanent licensure under G.S. 93B-15.1(a) or (b).
Status
The permit holder remains provisional for the permit duration.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.