Iowa Licensing Qualifications

To obtain your Iowa real estate license, you must:

• Be 18 years of age. (There is no residency or citizenship requirement; you do not need to live in Iowa to have an Iowa license).
• Pass a state and national criminal background check.
• Have completed the Iowa 60-hour pre-licensing course from an approved provider.
• Show evidence that you have also completed the 36 hours of practical training: Buying Practices (12 hours), Listing Practices (12 hours), and Developing Professionalism and Ethical Practices (12 hours). These classes must be done in a classroom setting or live webinar, and may be completed in any order.
• Have passed the state and national portions of the examination. Exams are given by appointment by calling 1 (800) 733-9267. Exam fees are $95. Once you pass your exam, it remains valid until the last working day of the sixth month following the exam date. For example, a test passed on any day in June 2023 will be valid until December 31, 2023. You must file for your state license while the exam remains valid.
• Be sponsored by a broker after you pass your state exam. (You cannot apply for an inactive license.)
• Be a person whose application for licensure has not been rejected in Iowa or any other state or jurisdiction within 12 months prior to the date of application, and whose real estate license has not been revoked in Iowa or any other state within two years prior to date of application.
• Obtain Errors and Omissions Insurance.

State and National Criminal History Background Checks: An applicant for an initial real estate broker’s or salesperson’s license shall be subject to a national criminal history check through the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The commission shall request the criminal history check and shall provide the applicant’s fingerprints to the department of public safety for submission through the state criminal history repository to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The applicant shall authorize release of the results of the criminal history check to the real estate commission. The applicant shall pay the actual cost of the fingerprinting and criminal history check, if any. Unless the criminal history check was completed within the two hundred ten calendar days prior to the date the license application is received by the real estate commission, the commission shall reject and return the application to the applicant. The commission shall process the application, but hold delivery of the license until the background check is completed. The results of a criminal history check conducted pursuant to this subsection shall not be considered a public record under chapter 22.

As of September 11th, 2017, all applicants and/or licensees need to go to https://ia-plb.my.site.com/IPLB_login and create a login for “My Iowa PLB.” Once this account has been approved, they will receive an email confirmation. Once their account is active, they can then submit their request for a fingerprint packet electronically through the application named “General – Background Packet Request.” There is no fee for the packet. However, the fee to be submitted to the Iowa Real Estate Commission with the completed fingerprint card and waiver form is $51. If you have any issues or questions at that time or are looking to seek assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Commission staff at RealEstateCommission@iowa.gov or (515) 725-9022. The average turnaround time for processing once the Commission has received the fingerprint card, waiver form and fee, is 3 – 6 weeks.

Applying for state licensure in Iowa:

Applications are now submitted electronically through “My Iowa PLB.”

You will need to provide the following with your application:

• License fee of $125.
• Pass notice from the testing service, Psychological Services, Inc. (PSI), verifying that you have earned a passing score on the state exam. Remember, you must apply for your license within six months of passing your state exam and within 210 days of getting your background check completed. In addition, you must have completed all your pre-licensing courses within the 12 months prior to application.
• Completion certificates for the Iowa 60-Hour Pre-License and each of the 12-Hour Practical courses: Buying Practices; Listing Practices; Developing Professionalism and Ethical Practices.
• Proof of Errors and Omissions Insurance.

To find out more about Iowa licensing, click here for the Iowa Real Estate Commission’s FAQ page. Iowa PSI Real Estate candidates phone number: (855) 898-0712. Call center hours are: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 9:00pm CST and Saturday and Sunday 7:30am - 5:00pm CST