Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees
Area III is 24 of the 40 state items — 60% of the DC portion in a single block. Its lettered subtopics run: 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, agency, property disclosures, and environmental issues.
Advertising, the broker relationship, commissions and conflicts
All advertising runs under the direct supervision of the principal or supervising broker and in the name of the firm, whose licensed name must appear clearly and legibly (17 DCMR § 2615.3); a salesperson's name may not be used without the brokerage's name and main telephone number (§ 2609.5–.6); and licensees may not send unsolicited commercial e-mail and answer for vendors who send it for them (§ 2615.6(g)). When a salesperson leaves or is discharged, the broker mails the license to the Mayor and notifies the salesperson within 15 calendar days (D.C. Official Code § 47-2853.186(b)), while supervision itself never converts an independent contractor into an employee (17 DCMR § 2614.5). Section 42-1705 requires a written listing contract for the sale of all real property and bars a commission without one, and 17 DCMR § 2609.12 bars compensation from more than one party without the other party's full knowledge and consent. Any ownership or financial interest of the licensee, an immediate family member, the firm or a member of the firm must be disclosed in writing to all parties (§ 2609.13), and a licensee managing property may not keep a commission, rebate or profit on the owner's expenditures without the owner's knowledge and consent (§ 2609.14).
Documents, monies, fair housing and the tenant's right to purchase
Copies of written agreements go to each party when that party signs (17 DCMR § 2609.7), and disclosure notices on a fully executed purchase contract are kept three years (§ 2613.3; D.C. Official Code § 42-1703(h)(4)). Trust money is deposited within 7 days in an insured account located in the District, kept in a separate account for money belonging to others, never commingled, and fully accounted for; the Commission is told the institution and account within 14 days; and no part of it may be taken as commission until the transaction is consummated or terminated (§ 42-1704). The DC Human Rights Act, § 2-1402.21, protects a much longer list of traits than federal law, including source of income, personal appearance, matriculation, political affiliation, family responsibilities, place of residence or business, sealed eviction record and homeless status. TOPA, § 42-3404.01 et seq., no longer applies to single-family accommodations except for the 3-day notice in § 42-3404.09(b) and the preserved rights of elderly tenants and tenants with disabilities who took occupancy by April 15, 2018; where it does apply, the right of first refusal runs 15 days from receipt of a valid third-party contract (§ 42-3404.08).
Agency, property disclosures and environmental issues
A licensee who has a substantive discussion with someone who is not the client must disclose the brokerage relationship in writing at the earliest practicable time and no later than when specific real estate assistance is first provided, an open-house chat aside (17 DCMR § 2613.2; D.C. Official Code § 42-1703(h)). Dual representation requires the written consent of all clients (§ 42-1703(i)); a relationship with no stated end date terminates after 90 days (§ 42-1703(g)(2)); and after it ends the licensee owes only accounting and confidentiality (§ 42-1703(g)(3)). The residential disclosure statement is delivered before or at signing, with a 5-day termination right if it comes late (§ 42-1302), and must address lead-bearing plumbing and lead water service line replacement (§ 42-1305(1)(A)). Altering the exterior of a building in a historic district needs a permit reviewed under § 6-1105. A condominium reseller furnishes the condominium instruments and a resale certificate by the 10th business day after contract, with a 3-business-day cancellation right (§ 42-1904.11). And the Building Energy Performance Standards reached privately owned buildings of 50,000 square feet in 2021, 25,000 in 2028 and 10,000 in 2034 (§ 8-1772.21(a)).
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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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