How to Get a Real Estate License in Louisiana (2026): Cost & Steps

What a Louisiana real estate license costs

Exam, both parts

$81

Initial license fee

$45

Fingerprints

$60.75

Required fees, total

$186.75

The Commission is allowed to charge these fees under Louisiana law. Check its current fee page when you apply, because fees can change.

Build your Louisiana startup budget

Sources: Louisiana Real Estate Commission: salesperson requirements (18 or older, high school diploma, 90 hours, E&O proof); Louisiana revised statutes, fees ($45 initial salesperson license, $35 renewal); Louisiana Real Estate Commission: fingerprint review ($60.75 fingerprints); Pearson VUE Louisiana candidate handbook ($81 exam, question counts); Louisiana revised statutes, post-license education (45 hours within 180 days, 12 hours of annual continuing education). Fees and rules checked October 10, 2026. Exam and background-check prices can change, so confirm the total when you book.

Who can get a Louisiana salesperson license

Most people call it a real estate agent license. In Louisiana it is a salesperson license, and it lets you work under a sponsoring broker. Opening your own brokerage is a separate broker license.

The Louisiana Real Estate Commission says you need to be at least 18, have a high school diploma or GED, finish 90 hours of approved education, pass the exam, pass the background check and be supervised by a licensed broker. You also need proof of errors and omissions insurance before your license is issued.

Already licensed in another state? Louisiana has a reciprocal route, and the Commission’s application is designed for resident, nonresident and reciprocal applicants. Read its rules before you pay for a course.

The steps, in order

1. Take the 90-hour course. Use a school the Commission approves.
2. Send your application to the Commission. Use the Part A and Part B forms with your fee. The Commission mails them in or takes them in person.
3. Get fingerprinted. Schedule through IdentoGO from the link on the Commission’s website. The in-state digital fee is $60.75.
4. Pass the exam. After the Commission approves your application, Pearson VUE emails you to schedule. The exam is $81 for both parts and has 135 questions in 240 minutes. A passing score is good for one year.
5. Get a supervising broker and E&O proof. Both are required before your license is issued.
6. Finish 45 hours of post-license courses within 180 days. This is required after your license is issued.

What Louisiana agents earn

Median pay, Louisiana agents on payroll

$45,850

Middle half earns

$31,110–$62,350

Top 10% earn over

$86,590

Louisiana agents on payroll

1,940

The bottom 10% of Louisiana payroll agents earn under $20,210. The national median is $52,830. E&O and post-license tuition belong in the startup budget, not just future overhead. Use the broker's compensation agreement to estimate what a completed transaction leaves after office charges and your own business expenses.

Source: U.S. Labor Department pay survey, May 2025, Louisiana real estate sales agents. Covers agents on a payroll only. Checked October 10, 2026.

Bring the broker, E&O and post-license plan together

Louisiana needs a supervising broker and E&O proof before issuing the license. Use the 90-hour course and application-review period to settle both. Ask the broker to show you the process for reviewing a new salesperson’s disclosures, offers and closing documents.

Your first 180 days include 45 hours of post-license education. Select a training schedule before appointments begin filling the calendar, and compare the office’s mentoring support with its full fee schedule. Ask who handles a contract question when your usual supervisor is unavailable.

Set up your Louisiana agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Agree on the entity and commission-payee arrangement with the supervising broker, then set up the business records around that decision. The Louisiana LLC guide covers Louisiana LLC registration. If you choose that route, ZenBusiness can prepare the filing alongside the remaining licensing paperwork.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Arrange E&O early enough to include proof before license issuance. Explore E&O quotes from Simply Business, then confirm that the policy offered fits Louisiana’s licensing requirements and the services you plan to provide. Compare the deductible and coverage with the supervising broker’s arrangement before selecting a policy.

Keep business records from day one

Put the 180-day post-license date and annual renewal on your calendar from the start. Track the required course tuition, insurance and office expenses in separate categories so your operating budget covers the first year as well as opening day.

See Louisiana business registration and tax requirements for the wider registration and tax checklist.

Prepare a complete ownership-cost conversation

Work through an actual listing with your supervising broker, including the inspection process and the insurance information a buyer should obtain. Practice explaining which costs are known and which need property-specific quotes. Use that preparation to help a prospect make a concrete next decision, such as arranging a viewing or lender conversation.

Resources for preparing client conversations

• what homeowners insurance costs by state
• the cost of renting versus owning
• flood insurance deadline
• state comparison of agent and brokerage businesses
• mortgage lock-in study
• Plan your first client conversations and follow-up

Finish your post-license course and renew every year

You owe 45 hours of post-license courses within 180 days after your license is issued. Louisiana law lets up to eight of those hours count toward your first-year continuing education.

Louisiana salesperson licenses renew every year. State law lists a $35 renewal fee and requires 12 hours of continuing education each year, including a required topic that changes. Check the Commission’s current notices each year.

Louisiana agent questions