The Idaho Real Estate Commission: Duties and Powers
Area I of the Idaho state outline is 4% of the broker exam. It covers the Commission's general powers, its investigations, audits, hearings and appeals, and the sanctions it may impose.
Creation and general powers
Idaho Code 54-2005 creates the Idaho Real Estate Commission within the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses "for the purpose of administering this chapter." It has five members appointed by the governor, four of them licensees drawn one each from the northern, southeastern, southwestern and south central districts the section defines by county. Idaho Code 54-2007 charges the Commission with administering and enforcing the entire chapter and expressly vests it with power to make and enforce any reasonable rules it deems necessary.
Investigations, audits, hearings and appeals
Under Idaho Code 54-2058(1) the executive director investigates on a written complaint or on information received, reports in writing to the Commission, and the Commission decides whether the facts support filing an administrative complaint. Subsection (2) gives the Commission authority to conduct periodic inspections, surveys and audits of the transaction records and real estate trust accounts of every Idaho designated broker, and to order a complete CPA audit at the broker's expense where an irregularity cannot be resolved. A licensee must answer reasonable investigative questions and produce records at the licensee's own cost.
Sanctions: fines, suspension and revocation
Idaho Code 54-2059(1) lets the Commission temporarily suspend or permanently revoke a license, issue a formal reprimand, and impose a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 for a violation of the Idaho Code, the Commission's rules or a Commission order; the executive director may issue informal letters of reprimand without penalty. Section 54-2060 lists the grounds, from fraudulent misrepresentation and failure to account for money belonging to another through to gross negligence in a regulated transaction. Civil penalties are credited to the occupational licenses fund and spent on Idaho real estate education.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- Idaho Real Estate Commission
- Exam vendor
- Pearson VUE
- Prelicensing education
- 180 classroom hours (90 salesperson + 90 broker)
- Passing score
- 75 scaled score (0-100 scale, not a percentage)
- Scored questions
- 130
- Time limit
- 240 minutes
Who regulates real estate brokers in Idaho?
The Idaho Real Estate Commission licenses brokers and salespersons. Idaho Code 54-2005 creates the Commission inside the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, with five governor-appointed members, and 54-2007 charges it with enforcing the license law and making the rules. The Commission contracts with Pearson VUE to deliver the exams.
What education and experience do I need before the Idaho broker exam?
Idaho Code 54-2022 requires 90 classroom hours of prelicense education for a salesperson and a minimum of 90 additional classroom hours for a broker or associate broker, 180 in all. Idaho Code 54-2012(2)(a) then requires two years of full-time active experience as a licensed salesperson within the five years immediately preceding application. A designated broker must also complete a Commission-approved business conduct and office operations (BCOO) course within the three years before being designated.
How is the Idaho broker exam structured?
130 scored items: an 80-item national/general portion in 150 minutes and a 50-item Idaho state portion in 90 minutes, four hours in total, plus 5-10 unidentified pretest items in each portion. The Idaho state portion for brokers is weighted 4% Commission duties, 4% licensing, 30% license law and rules, 20% agency, 10% calculations and closing costs, 12% Idaho principles and practices, and 20% brokerage management - the last of which is broker-only and does not appear on the salesperson exam at all.
What score do I need to pass, and can I retake just one portion?
Idaho reports a scaled score on a 0-100 scale, which the candidate handbook says must not be read as the percentage of questions answered correctly. The passing point is 75 for the broker examination and 70 for the salesperson examination. A candidate who passes one portion and fails the other retakes only the failed portion, provided it is passed within one year of the date of the passed portion.
Sources: https://dopl.idaho.gov/rec/, https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/id/realestate.html, https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/publications/091300.pdf, https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/publications/091306.pdf, https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title54/T54CH20/
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