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

What a North Dakota real estate license costs

Exam, both parts

$134

Application

$150

Credit history fee

$11.25

Fingerprint analysis

$43

Recovery fund, one time

$20

Required fees, total

$358.25

The Commission’s page lists the credit history fee as $13 in one place and $11.25 in another. We used $11.25, the amount in the card-payment instructions.

Build your North Dakota startup budget

Sources: North Dakota Real Estate Commission: how to apply (fees, steps, 90 hours); PSI North Dakota candidate bulletin ($134 exam, questions, passing scores). 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 North Dakota salesperson license

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

The North Dakota Real Estate Commission says you need to be at least 18, finish a 90-hour certified course, pass the North Dakota and national PSI exams, and pass credit and criminal history checks. Apply within two years of finishing the course.

Licensed in Minnesota, Iowa or Georgia and living there? North Dakota has reciprocity with those three states. Otherwise nonresidents take the North Dakota part of the exam.

The steps, in order

1. Apply online and pay $161.25. That is the $150 application plus the credit report fee.
2. Take the 90-hour course. Upload your certificate before the license is issued.
3. Pass the PSI exams. The fee is $134. Upload your score reports.

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4. Get fingerprinted and mail the cards. Send a $43 check or money order to the Commission for the Attorney General.
5. Join a broker and pay $20. Your broker approves your request for an active license, and you need insurance.

What real estate agents earn

National median pay, agents on payroll

$52,830

Middle half earns

$40,040–$82,020

Top 10% earn over

$123,590

Agents on payroll nationwide

193,370

The U.S. Labor Department does not publish a North Dakota pay figure we can trust: the head count is withheld or the numbers don’t add up. So we show national figures instead. Ask a few North Dakota brokers what new agents in your area really make.

Use the current education route when estimating costs, then add annual continuing education and office charges. For income planning, ask the broker to show how a completed transaction is divided and what other expenses you would pay.

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

Get the broker approval, fingerprints and insurance ready together

North Dakota starts with an application that includes a credit-report fee. Use the course period to find the broker who will approve your active-license request and explain how the office trains new salespeople.

Ask to see the process for reviewing a first offer and supporting a new agent at an appointment. Compare the entire compensation agreement, including recurring costs, before assembling the final score reports, fingerprint cards and insurance evidence. Agree who will confirm the license is active before you accept work.

Set up your North Dakota agent business

Register the business and organize payments

Coordinate your entity choice with the broker approving your active status. Confirm the permitted commission-payee name, then review the North Dakota LLC guide for the LLC registration steps. ZenBusiness can take care of that filing while the remaining licensing documents are completed.

Arrange errors and omissions (E&O) insurance

Insurance is part of the active-license route described above. Obtain E&O quotes from Simply Business, then check that the proposed E&O policy satisfies North Dakota’s requirements and fits your brokerage arrangement. Compare the deductible and reporting process, and save the coverage evidence with your license records.

Keep business records from day one

Keep the credit-report charge, fingerprint payment and active-license fee as separate entries. Under the current 90-hour route, plan for annual continuing education rather than adding the older route’s post-license course to your budget.

See North Dakota business registration and tax requirements for the wider registration and tax checklist.

Make the first client handoff deliberate

Ask your broker how inquiries are assigned and what a new salesperson should do in the first conversation. Practice gathering the client’s timing and goals, then arranging a specific next appointment. Use a manageable local area so you can follow through on showings and have experienced help available.

Resources for preparing client conversations

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

Renew every year

North Dakota salesperson licenses renew every year for $125. Each year needs 12 hours of continuing education, and you upload the certificates when you renew.

A separate post-license course doesn’t apply if you finish the current 90-hour pre-license course. The 15-hour post-license requirement applies only to people who used the older 45-hour route.

North Dakota agent questions