Connecticut Real Estate Licensing Requirements
Area I of the Connecticut state portion is worth 7 of its 45 items. It covers the Real Estate Commission's purpose and powers, what activities need a license and which are excepted, the license classes and their qualifications, renewal and continuing education, the Real Estate Guaranty Fund, discipline, and the registrations Connecticut now requires of teams and associate brokers.
The Commission and What Needs a License
C.G.S. Sec. 20-311a creates the Connecticut Real Estate Commission inside the Department of Consumer Protection: eight members appointed by the Governor, three brokers, two salespersons and three public members. Under Sec. 20-311b the commission authorizes the department to issue licenses and administers renewal, suspension and revocation. Sec. 20-311(15) defines engaging in the real estate business as acting for another, for a fee or other valuable consideration, to negotiate for or offer to list, sell, exchange, buy or rent an interest in real estate. Sec. 20-329 excepts owners and lessors acting for their own property, attorneys-at-law and attorneys-in-fact, fiduciaries, government employees, leasing agents and, in subdivision (11), an unlicensed clerical employee who may not negotiate terms, list property except on behalf of a licensee, be a signatory on the broker's trust account, or buy, sell or lease for another for compensation.
License Classes, Qualification and Renewal
Public Act 23-84 gave Connecticut three tiers. Sec. 20-311(27) defines the salesperson, Sec. 20-311(3) the associate broker — a broker affiliated with a supervising licensee who has authority to engage in the real estate business on that licensee's behalf — and Sec. 20-311(31) the supervising licensee. To sit the broker exam, Sec. 20-314(d)(1)(A) requires three years actively engaged as a licensed salesperson under a supervising licensee, at least 1,500 hours in the business, at least four closed transactions in those three years, and 120 classroom hours: 60 in principles and practices, 15 in legal compliance, 15 in brokerage principles and practices, and two 15-hour electives. Licenses expire biennially (Sec. 20-314(f)) — DCP renews broker licenses on 30 November of every even-numbered year — and the broker application fee is $120. Sec. 20-319(b) sets continuing education at not less than twelve hours of approved classroom study in each two-year period, plus an eight-dollar processing fee. A salesperson or associate broker who changes affiliation registers the transfer and pays $25 under Sec. 20-319a.
Guaranty Fund, Discipline and Registrations
The Real Estate Guaranty Fund (Sec. 20-324a) pays a person aggrieved by a licensee's embezzlement, false pretenses, forgery, fraud, misrepresentation or deceit, up to $25,000 in the aggregate for any one transaction or claim, no matter how many people were harmed. The claimant must first obtain a valid Superior Court judgment and exhaust collection (Sec. 20-324e), apply within two years (Sec. 20-324d), and the licensee gets no new license until the fund is repaid with interest. Sec. 20-320 lets the commission suspend or revoke and impose a fine of up to $5,000 per violation for thirteen listed grounds, and every fine collected goes into the Guaranty Fund. Since Public Act 21-167, effective 1 January 2022, each team registers with the department under Sec. 20-312(e): the initial registration is valid one year, costs $565, and renews at $375.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- Connecticut Real Estate Commission (DCP)
- Exam vendor
- PSI
- Passing score
- 75%
- Scored questions
- 120
- Time limit
- 180 minutes
Who regulates real estate brokers in Connecticut?
The Connecticut Real Estate Commission, within the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), licenses brokers and salespersons. The Commission contracts with PSI to deliver its exams.
What experience do I need before the Connecticut broker exam?
C.G.S. § 20-314(d) requires three years actively engaged as a licensed Connecticut salesperson under a supervising licensee, at least 1,500 hours in the business, and at least four closed transactions in those three years, plus 120 classroom hours: 60 in Real Estate Principles and Practices, 15 in Legal Compliance, 15 in Real Estate Brokerage Principles and Practices and two 15-hour electives. DCP waives the electives for an applicant with 20 transactions in the previous five years.
How is the Connecticut broker exam structured?
PSI bulletin 1007 gives the broker exam as 75 general questions in 120 minutes plus 45 Connecticut state questions in 60 minutes — 120 questions in 3 hours — and says "In order to pass the Broker examinations, you must receive a score of at least 75%." The 70% printed in the same bulletin is the salesperson standard, not the broker one.
Sources: https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/license-services-division/all-license-applications/real-estate-brokers, https://test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/1007
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