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

By StartBusinessByState · Fees and requirements checked October 10, 2026

UTAH REAL ESTATE LICENSE

To get a Utah real estate license you take a 120-hour course, pass the Pearson VUE exam, get fingerprinted and apply to the Division with a principal broker. The fees you pay the state and the exam company come to about $223: $69 for the exam and $154 for the Division. The course costs extra, and the exam company’s fingerprint appointment may add its own charge. Here are the steps in order, with every fee.

Already passed? Go to activation and getting ready for clients.

What a Utah real estate license costs

Exam, both parts: $69
License application and fees: $154
Required fees, total: $223.00

Fee	Amount	Who you pay and when
120-hour prelicense course	Set by the school	From a school the Division approves.
Exam, both parts	$69	Pearson VUE. You need to pass both the national and Utah parts.
License application	$154	Utah Division of Real Estate: $100 application, $12 recovery fund fee, $32 fingerprint processing and $10 for ongoing criminal record alerts.
Fingerprint appointment	Set by the vendor	The fingerprint vendor may charge its own fee. Check when you book.
Renewal, every two years	Set by the Division	The Division’s fee schedule we found ended in December 2025, so we can’t confirm the 2026 renewal fee. That older schedule listed $102: a $60 renewal fee, $32 for fingerprint processing and $10 for criminal record alerts. The last two are skipped if you are already enrolled in alerts. Check the Division’s current schedule.
Brokerage, Realtor association and MLS	Set by each office and association	Get every joining and monthly fee in writing before you sign.

The Division’s fee schedule we found said it was effective until December 31, 2025, so we can’t confirm renewal fees for 2026. Confirm every number when you apply.

Build your Utah startup budget

Sources: Utah Division of Real Estate: sales agent license (requirements and steps); Utah Division of Real Estate: fee schedule ($100, $12, $32, $10 and renewal); Pearson VUE Utah real estate ($69 exam). 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 Utah sales agent license

Most people call it a real estate agent license. In Utah the entry-level license is called a sales agent license, and it lets you work under a principal broker. Opening your own brokerage is a separate broker license.

The Utah Division of Real Estate says you finish 120 hours of approved education, pass the Pearson VUE exam, pass a background check with fingerprints and apply with a principal broker. You apply within 90 days of passing.

Already licensed in another state? Utah has a route for applicants licensed elsewhere. Read the Division’s page before you pay for a course.

The steps, in order

Take the 120-hour course. Use a school the Division approves.
Pass the Pearson VUE exam. It costs $69 for both parts.
Get fingerprinted. The Division uses the fingerprints for your background check.
Apply to the Division. Fees are $154 in all. Apply within 90 days of passing.
Join a principal broker. You need one to be active.

Track your deadlines

Apply within 90 days of passing the exam. The Division’s fees come to $154 for a new application.

What Utah agents earn

Median pay, Utah agents on payroll: $50,720
Middle half earns: $37,120–$60,090
Top 10% earn over: $82,790
Utah agents on payroll: 4,240

The bottom 10% of Utah payroll agents earn under $30,290. The national median is $52,830. Build your budget around the office's actual onboarding cost and commission deductions. Include the first-cycle new-agent course; use the pay figures as context rather than assuming a salary or a fixed number of months to the first sale.

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

Choose a principal broker before the 90-day application period

Use the 120-hour course to arrange conversations with principal brokers. By the time you pass, you should know which office can support your first contracts and how much that support costs. Utah’s 90-day application limit leaves less room for an open-ended search afterward.

Ask the office to walk through a new agent’s first two weeks: systems access, contract practice, supervised appointments and review of an offer. Compare the complete joining bill and commission agreement. Arrange the fingerprint and application work alongside affiliation, then confirm active status before working with clients.

Set up your Utah agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Prepare the business setup while your license packet is being assembled. Settle the permitted entity and commission-payee name with the principal broker, then consult the Utah LLC guide. If you select an LLC, ZenBusiness can handle the filing so business registration moves forward with your brokerage onboarding.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Ask for E&O quotes from Simply Business using the real estate services you intend to perform. Compare the quote with the principal broker’s E&O arrangement, especially the deductible and whether your work is included. Keep the coverage and claim contact with your first-transaction checklist.

Keep business records from day one

Start a course record for the first-cycle 12-hour new-agent program, separate from your prelicense certificate. Keep the current Division fees, office charges and insurance cost as distinct budget lines, and record each commission’s deductions.

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

Prepare a buyer-cost discussion for your chosen area

With your principal broker, compare a few homes in the area you can cover consistently. Practice explaining the asking price, recurring ownership costs and the information a buyer should obtain next. Use that preparation for a supervised consultation and follow up with the specific figures or documents the prospect requested.

Resources for preparing client conversations

Finish your continuing education and renew every two years

Utah sales agent licenses renew every two years. The renewal fee is set by the Division, and the schedule we found ended in December 2025, so check the Division’s current fee schedule before you budget.

Each cycle needs 18 hours of continuing education. New agents take a 12-hour new-agent course in the first cycle, along with other required hours.

Utah agent questions

How much does it cost to get a Utah real estate license?

The fees you pay the state and the exam company come to about $223: $69 for the exam and $154 for the Division. The 120-hour course and any fingerprint vendor fee are extra.

How long is the Utah course?

120 hours at a school the Utah Division of Real Estate approves.

What is the Utah exam like?

Pearson VUE gives a national part and a Utah part. Together they cost $69.

Can I work with clients as soon as I pass?

Not yet. You still need fingerprints, an application to the Division and a principal broker.

How long does a Utah license last?

Two years. You need continuing education to renew. The renewal fee is set by the Division, so check its current fee schedule.

I’m licensed in another state. Do I retake the exam?

Maybe only part of it. Utah has a route for applicants licensed in other states. Read the Division’s page first.

Does this cover opening a brokerage?

No. This guide is for the entry-level sales agent license, working under a principal broker. A broker license has its own requirements.

Your first move in Utah

Choose the approved 120-hour program and meet principal brokers during study. After passing, complete fingerprints, affiliation and the application within 90 days, with your first-cycle education plan already noted.

State resource: Utah licensing and education information.