Real Estate Salesperson · Texas: Licensing · 9 min read
Getting and keeping a Texas sales agent license
- Identify the eligibility, application, background check, and initial education requirements to obtain a Texas real estate sales agent license.
- Explain the post-licensing, first renewal, and subsequent continuing education requirements alongside the renewal fees and deadlines.
- Describe the rules governing broker sponsorship, inactive license status, license reactivation, and business practice standards.
Eligibility, Background Checks, and Initial Application
To start your journey as a Texas real estate sales agent, you must meet basic eligibility standards established by Texas law. You must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.354(1)(A)). Texas rule clarifies that the removal of disabilities of minority does not affect the requirement that an applicant be 18 years of age (22 TAC §535.51(b)(2)). You must also be a citizen of the United States or a lawfully admitted alien at the time of application (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.354(1)(B)), and you must satisfy the Texas Real Estate Commission regarding your honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.354(2)).
Each applicant for a broker or sales agent license must submit an application on a form prescribed by the commission (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.352(a)). On this application, you must disclose whether you have entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a felony, or been convicted of a felony with elapsed appeal time or an affirmed conviction (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.352(b)). This felony disclosure must be provided even if an order has granted community supervision suspending the imposition of the sentence (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.352(c)). If you have concerns about your past background before spending money on courses, a person may request that the commission determine the person's fitness before applying for a license by paying the required fee (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.353(a)). The commission shall notify the person of its fitness determination not later than the 30th day after the date it makes the determination (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.353(b)). For example, Maria wants to know if a prior legal matter will bar her from licensing, so she requests a fitness determination from the commission before formally applying.
Communication rules require you to keep your records current. An applicant shall provide the commission with a current mailing address, telephone number, and business email address if available (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.352(d)). Furthermore, an applicant shall notify the commission of any change in mailing address, email address, or telephone number while the application is pending (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.352(d)). To verify criminal background history, an applicant for a license or renewal of an unexpired license must submit a complete and legible set of fingerprints to obtain criminal history record information from the Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.3521(a)). The commission shall refuse to issue a license to or renew a license on active status of a person who does not comply with fingerprinting requirements (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.3521(b)).
You must observe deadlines set by Texas commission rules during the application process. An application terminates if the applicant fails to satisfy education, experience, or examination requirements within one year from the date the application is filed (22 TAC §535.51(c)(1)). An application also terminates if the applicant fails to provide fingerprints to the Department of Public Safety within one year from the date the application is filed (22 TAC §535.51(c)(4)). Additionally, an application terminates if the applicant fails to submit a required fee within 20 days after the commission makes a written request for payment (22 TAC §535.51(c)(2)).
Common mistakes
- Believing that inactive license holders are exempt from paying renewal fees. Under Texas law, an inactive license holder must still pay regular renewal fees to prevent the license from expiring (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.366(d)(2); 22 TAC §535.121(e)).
- Assuming that a sales agent can continue practicing after their broker passes away or loses their license. In Texas, a sales agent’s license becomes inactive upon the sponsoring broker’s death or the expiration, suspension, revocation, or inactivation of the sponsoring broker’s license.
- Thinking you can renew an expired license after seven months by paying a higher fine. Under Texas Occupations Code Section 1101.451(f), a license expired for six months or longer cannot be renewed, requiring a person to start over with an original application.
- Assuming you can use a nickname or alternate name in advertisements right away without telling the state. Texas rules require you to register any alternate name with the commission before using it in advertising (22 TAC §535.154(b)(1)).
Key points
- An applicant must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted alien, satisfy honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity standards, disclose guilty or nolo contendere pleas to a felony and felony convictions for which the appeal period has elapsed or the conviction has been affirmed on appeal, and provide fingerprints.
- Initial sales agent licensure requires 180 qualifying course hours; the application terminates if specified education, experience, examination, documentation, or fingerprint requirements are not met within one year of filing, or if a required fee is not submitted within 20 days after the commission’s written request (22 TAC §§535.51(c), 535.55(a)).
- The commission may issue a license for a period of 24 months; for the first renewal, a sales agent must complete an additional 90 qualifying classroom hours by the initial license’s expiration, including the required brokerage course and legal-topic hours, and the commission may not waive the first-renewal requirements.
- Unless an exemption applies, a license holder subject to §1101.455 must complete the number of continuing education hours prescribed by commission rule, at least 15, including at least eight hours on specified legal topics; daily classroom segments must be between one and 10 hours.
- Licenses expired 90 days or less renew at 1.5 times the fee, licenses expired between 90 days and six months renew at 2 times the fee, and licenses expired six months or longer cannot be renewed (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.451(e), (f)).
- An inactive sales agent cannot practice without active broker sponsorship; sponsorship termination is effective when received in writing by the commission with any applicable fee (Tex. Occ. Code §1101.367(a); 22 TAC §§535.55(c), 535.120, 535.121(d)).
- Alternate names must be registered with the commission before being used in advertisements (22 TAC §535.154(b)(1)).
The full lesson continues with 3 more sections with exam tips, audio in English and Spanish and 5 Check yourself questions.
See Real Estate plansAlready a member? Log in
Original lesson written for Real Estate Salesperson practice · updated October 31, 2026. Exam names are trademarks of their owners; tests.global is not affiliated with them.