Real Estate Salesperson and Brokers

All NYS Real Estate Salesperson/Broker licensees are required to successfully complete 22.5 hours of approved continuing education, including at least 3 hours of instruction pertaining to fair housing and/or discrimination, 2 hours  of instruction pertaining to implicit bias awareness and at least two hours of cultural competency training, 1 hour of instruction pertaining to Law of Agency, two hours if it is your first licensing cycle, within the two-year period immediately preceding a renewal.

NEW LAW AS OF September 21, 2022

A new law regarding continuing education for real estate salespersons and brokers was recently adopted. Below is a summary of the major changes.

• The amendment changes the course requirements for renewal. Specifically, new mandatory hours of education now include: “at least 2.5 hours of instruction pertaining to ethical business practices, at least 1 hour of instruction pertaining to recent legal matters governing the practice of real estate brokers and salespersons in New York which may include statutes, laws, regulations, rules, codes, department of state opinions and decisions, and court decisions”. With this change, effective July 1, 2021, all licensees will be required to successfully complete 22.5 hours of approved continuing education. The education must include at least 2.5 hours on the subject of ethical business practices, at least I hour of recent legal matters, at least 3 hours of instruction pertaining to fair housing and/or discrimination in the sale or rental of real property or an interest in real property and at least 1 hour of instruction pertaining to the law of agency except in the case of the initial two-year licensing term for real estate salespersons, 2 hours of agency related instruction must be completed within the two-year period immediately preceding a renewal.

Exemption Removed July 1, 2021

• The amendment also REMOVES the 15 year real estate broker continuing education exemption and now requires all brokers who are currently exempted to complete continuing education starting July 1, 2021.

• Effective September 21, 2022, as part of the 22.5 hours of continuing education required to renew both real estate salespersons and brokers will be required to complete at least 2 hours of instruction pertaining to implicit bias awareness and at least two hours of cultural competency training.  Implicit bias is defined as the attitudes or stereotypes that affect an individual’s understanding, actions and decisions in an unconscious manner.  Cultural competency is defined as understanding cultural norms, preferences and challenges within our diverse communities.

• For the purposes of implementing the changes, the new requirements are effective on the actual date the license expires rather than the date the renewal application is submitted for processing. If the expiration date printed on your license is on or after September 21, 2022 you must meet the new requirement before you can renew.

• Real Estate Salesperson/Broker Continuing Education: Total hours of required topics if it’s your first renewal cycle is 12.5 hours, second or subsequent, renewal cycle is 11.5 hours.

Real Estate Appraisers

New York requires Assistant, Licensed and Certified Appraisers complete 28 hours of approved continuing education, to include the 7-hour USPAP Continuing Education Course, prior to license renewal every two years.

1. Effective January 1, 2026, the AQB added two continuing education requirements for Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations education.

Appraisers must successfully complete a course which meets the content requirements of the Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations outline, every two calendar years.

The first time an appraiser completes the continuing education requirement for this course, the course length must be seven (7) hours. If an appraiser successfully completed a seven (7) hour (plus 1 hour exam) course as part of their qualifying education, they have met this requirement.

Every two calendar years thereafter, the course length must be at least four (4) hours.

• The difference between the seven (7) hour course and the eight (8) hour course is the eight (8) hour course includes a required one-hour exam. Therefore, the eight (8) hour course is the same identical content as the seven (7) hour course, with one extra hour added to allow for an exam to be administered.
• The same outline is required for the seven (7) hour course, the eight-hour course (which is the seven-hour course plus a one-hour exam) and the four (4) hour course. However, the four-hour course will have less content on the topics of “Understanding Real Estate Bias” and “Federal Fair Housing Laws and Regulations” and more content on “Valuation Bias” and “Case Studies.”

This new Continuing Education requirement for Appraisers supersedes the January 1, 2022, regulation added to Title 19 of the NYCRR, 1107.33, mandatory Continuing Education in Fair Housing and Fair Lending.

Home Inspectors

Home Inspectors are required to complete 24 hours of approved continuing education within their two-year license renewal period prior to the expiration date in order to renew their license.

Sole Appointed Assessors & County Directors

An average of 12 continuing education credits are required to be completed each year by certified appointed and sole elected assessors as well as certified county directors of real property tax services in New York State. The 7 hour National USPAP Continuing Education Course is approved for the Assessor Ethics requirement.