Duties and Powers of the DC Real Estate Commission
Area I of the District's state portion is 5 of its 40 items. It covers the Commission's general powers, its investigations, hearings and appeals, the disciplinary actions it can take, and the Real Estate Guaranty and Education Fund.
The Commission and its general powers
D.C. Official Code § 47-2853.06(h) establishes a Board of Real Estate of 9 members — 3 brokers, 2 salespersons, 2 property managers, a District bar member practicing real estate law, and a consumer member — and provides that it "shall regulate the practices of real estate brokers, real estate salespersons, and property managers." Mayor's Order 2009-11 re-designated it as the Real Estate Commission. Section 47-2853.08 lists the powers: setting the scope of practice and the requirements for licensure and renewal including continuing education, deciding reciprocity and endorsement, hearing protests from applicants denied a license, and receiving and deciding complaints against licensees. Under 17 DCMR § 2600.6 the Commission meets at least four times a year with notice published in the D.C. Register at least a week ahead, and § 2600.8 sets a quorum at five members.
Investigations, hearings and appeals
Before a license is denied, suspended or revoked, before a reprimand or civil fine, and before a course of remediation or probation, D.C. Official Code § 47-2853.22(a) entitles the licensee to a hearing. Notice goes by certified mail to the last known address at least 15 days before the hearing (§ 47-2853.22(d)), the licensee may be represented by counsel, the Commission may administer oaths and subpoena documents, and it must issue a written decision within 90 days of the hearing. Summary suspension without a hearing is available under § 47-2853.18 only where the Mayor finds the conduct presents an imminent danger, and then the licensee may demand a hearing within 72 hours. A final decision is appealed to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals under § 47-2853.23.
Disciplinary actions and the Guaranty and Education Fund
On a majority vote of members present and voting, the Commission may direct denial, suspension or revocation, a reprimand, a course of remediation or probation, or "a civil fine not to exceed $5,000 for each violation" (D.C. Official Code § 47-2853.17(c)). Criminal exposure is separate: § 47-2853.27 sets a fine of up to $10,000 and a year's imprisonment, rising to $25,000 on a later conviction, and § 42-1708(a) sets up to $3,000 and a year for knowingly filing a false document. The Real Estate Guaranty and Education Fund, established by § 42-1706 and funded by a sum every licensee pays on original licensure and renewal, pays actual and direct loss on unpaid final judgments for fraud, misrepresentation, conversion of trust funds and like grounds — capped at $50,000 per transaction regardless of the number of claimants (§ 42-1707(d)), with the licensee's license automatically suspended until the money is repaid with interest (§ 42-1707(g)).
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- District of Columbia Real Estate Commission (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection)
- Exam vendor
- PSI
- Prelicensing education
- 135 hours of broker pre-licensing education
- Passing score
- 75%
- Scored questions
- 115
- Time limit
- 210 minutes
Who regulates real estate brokers in Washington, DC?
The District of Columbia Real Estate Commission licenses brokers, salespersons, and property managers in the District. The Commission now sits within the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), which took over the licensing functions of the former Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) — older PSI bulletins and study guides still reference DCRA. The Commission contracts with PSI to deliver the licensing exams.
What experience do I need before the DC broker exam?
Broker applicants must complete 135 clock hours of approved broker pre-licensing education covering nine named subjects (17 DCMR § 2601.3) and must have been licensed and actively engaged as a real estate broker or salesperson, in the District or elsewhere, for the two years immediately preceding the application (D.C. Official Code § 47-2853.162(2); 17 DCMR § 2601.7). 17 DCMR § 2601.9(b) allows equivalent experience — two continuous years in the real estate business with at least six verified transactions a year as a builder, investor, developer, attorney, or in a closely related occupation. The separate 3-hour DCREC-approved DC Fair Housing course is required of reciprocity and endorsement applicants, not of first-time DC broker applicants; there is no separate property-management course requirement. 17 DCMR § 2601.5 gives a candidate six months after passing to pay the fee and file, or be reexamined.
How is the DC broker exam structured?
PSI bulletin 5587 (updated 6/3/2026) gives the broker exam as a 75-item national portion scored to 80 points in 120 minutes plus a 40-item DC state portion worth 40 points in 90 minutes — 115 scored items and 120 points in 210 minutes. The 120 is the POINTS total, not the item count: a note in the same table explains that national broker items can be scored up to two points. The 80-item general portion belongs to the salesperson exam. You must score at least 75% and pass both portions; up to 10 unscored pretest items may also appear, with extra time added for them.
What does the DC state portion actually test?
PSI bulletin 5587's State Portion Content Outline splits the 40 broker items four ways: Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission (5 items, 12.5%), Licensing Requirements (6 items, 15%), Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees (24 items, 60%) and Responsibilities Specific to Brokerage Practice, which is broker-only (5 items, 12.5%). Agency is not a top-level area — it is sub-item III.I, alongside advertising and technology, the broker/salesperson relationship, commissions, disclosure and conflict of interest, handling of documents, handling of monies, fair housing and ADA, the tenant's right to purchase, property disclosures and environmental issues. The tenant's right to purchase (TOPA) is one lettered sub-item, not a quarter of the exam.
Sources: https://dlcp.dc.gov/page/real-estate-commission, https://test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/5587
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