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

What a Oregon real estate license costs

Application, nonrefundable

$300

Exam, both parts

$75

Fingerprints at the PSI site

$61.25

Required fees, total

$436.25

Your passing exam scores and your background check clearance are each good for one year, and the Agency can only issue a license while both are valid. We didn’t confirm the current renewal fee, so check the Agency’s page before you budget.

Build your Oregon startup budget

Sources: Oregon Real Estate Agency: broker licensing ($300 application, 150 hours, steps); PSI Oregon real estate candidate bulletin ($75 exam, $61.25 fingerprints); Oregon Real Estate Agency: continuing education for brokers (30 hours, first-renewal course). 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 Oregon broker license

Most people call it a real estate agent license. In Oregon the entry-level license is simply called a broker license, and you work under a managing principal broker. Opening your own firm is a separate principal broker license.

The Oregon Real Estate Agency says you need to be at least 18 and have a high school diploma, GED or equivalent. You apply online, finish 150 hours of approved education, pass both sections of the exam and clear a fingerprint background check.

Already licensed in another state? The Agency has a separate page for out-of-state licensees. Read it before you pay for a course.

The steps, in order

1. Apply online and pay $300. Create an account in the Agency’s eLicense system. You get an applicant ID by email.
2. Take 150 hours of approved courses. Give your school your applicant ID and full name, and the school makes you eligible for the exam.
3. Schedule and pay for the PSI exam. It costs $75. Passing scores are good for one year.
4. Get fingerprinted at the PSI test site. The $61.25 fee is paid to PSI at the exam site.
5. Get your license and a principal broker. The Agency issues your license once your background check clears and you are associated with a managing principal broker.

What Oregon agents earn

Median pay, Oregon agents on payroll

$61,610

Middle half earns

$40,960–$81,400

Top 10% earn over

$105,020

Oregon agents on payroll

1,940

The bottom 10% of Oregon payroll agents earn under $37,100. The national median is $52,830. Include the initial application payment and first-renewal training in the business plan. Use the office's written commission agreement to estimate retained income, then deduct the recurring costs of serving and finding clients.

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

Choose a managing principal broker before license issuance

Oregon starts with the online application and applicant ID, which your school uses for exam eligibility. Use the 150-hour program to meet managing principal brokers and see how their offices train a newly licensed broker.

License issuance depends on both background clearance and association with a managing principal broker. Arrange that affiliation while completing the exam process. Compare the cost of joining with hands-on support for consultations and contracts, and ask how the office helps new brokers plan the first-renewal courses.

Set up your Oregon agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Build your registration and banking plan around the arrangement approved by the managing principal broker. Confirm the permitted entity and commission-payee details, then use the Oregon LLC guide to explore an LLC setup. ZenBusiness can prepare the filing once you have chosen the business structure.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Arrange E&O with the same care as your office affiliation. Request E&O quotes from Simply Business for your planned real estate services and compare the terms with the brokerage policy, including covered work and the deductible. Record how to report a potential claim before you begin handling transactions.

Keep business records from day one

Save the applicant ID, school certificate, exam results and fingerprint receipt together. Put the first-renewal advanced-practices courses into your education budget, separate from later continuing-education spending.

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

Use the course hours to prepare for the first client conversation

Ask your managing principal broker to review a practice consultation based on a property in the area you want to serve. Work through the buyer’s goals, viewing plan and investigation questions. Build a simple record of contacts and next actions so you can follow through reliably once the license is issued.

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

Renew your license and finish your first-renewal course

Oregon licenses renew every two years. The first time you renew an active license you take a 26- or 27-hour Broker Advanced Practices course, plus the 2-hour Fair Housing course and the 2- or 3-hour law and rule course.

Later active renewals need at least 30 hours of continuing education, including those two required courses. Inactive licenses need none.

Oregon agent questions