Duties and Obligations Under Rhode Island Licensing Law
Area I of the Rhode Island state outline is two of the sixty scored items. It covers who holds the licensing power and what the Real Estate Commission does with it.
Powers and authority of the Department of Business Regulation
The director of the Department of Business Regulation issues real estate broker and salesperson licenses under R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20.5-6(a) and may refuse, suspend or revoke one for cause under § 5-20.5-14. The work runs through the Real Estate Section of the Division of Commercial Licensing under regulation 230-RICR-30-20-2. The director also issues the rules governing licensee conduct, with the consent of a majority of the Real Estate Commission, and may order an unlicensed person to appear and show cause why a cease and desist order should not issue (§ 5-20.5-28).
Rhode Island Real Estate Commission
Section 5-20.5-12 creates the commission inside the Department: nine members appointed by the governor with at least one from each county, three of them brokers licensed at least five years, four of them members of the general public, plus the attorney general and the director as ex-officio voting members. Members serve five-year terms without compensation. Under § 5-20.5-12(e) the commission has a policy-making role in the preparation and composition of the licensing examinations and reviews them afterward to evaluate their effectiveness; it supervises the real estate division in an advisory capacity, and its policy is subject to the director's approval.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- Exam vendor
- Pearson VUE
- Prelicensing education
- 90 classroom hours
- Passing score
- Scaled score of 70
- Scored questions
- 140
- Time limit
- 240 minutes
Who regulates real estate brokers in Rhode Island?
The Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, through the Real Estate Section of its Division of Commercial Licensing, sets the qualification requirements and licenses real estate brokers and salespersons under R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 5-20.5 and regulation 230-RICR-30-20-2. A nine-member Rhode Island Real Estate Commission sits inside the Department and has a policy-making role in the examinations. The Department contracts with Pearson VUE to deliver the exams, and your license application must be filed within one year of the date you pass.
What experience and education do I need before the Rhode Island broker exam?
R.I. Gen. Laws 5-20.5-4(b) requires a broker applicant to have been engaged full time as a real estate salesperson for at least the two years immediately before applying, and to have completed at least 90 hours of approved classroom study. The 45 hours used to qualify for your salesperson license cannot be counted toward the 90, and classroom hours more than four years old do not count (230-RICR-30-20-2 s 2.7(C)). The application also needs the names of three unrelated Rhode Island residents who have known you for three years and will attest to your reputation for honesty.
How is the Rhode Island broker exam structured?
Two separately scheduled and separately scored parts: a national/general section of 80 scored items in 2.5 hours, and a Rhode Island state section of 60 scored items in 1.5 hours, so the full exam runs about four hours. Each part also carries unscored pretest items (5 national, 10 state). Scores are scaled and 70 passes at all exam levels. The state section is weighted 3% duties and obligations, 10% licensing requirements, 37% statutory requirements governing licensee activities, 30% additional topics, and 20% broker-only material.
Does Rhode Island require errors and omissions insurance?
Yes. R.I. Gen. Laws 5-20.5-25 makes carrying and maintaining errors and omissions insurance a condition of retaining a broker's or salesperson's license, and a certificate of coverage must be filed with the Department by each annual renewal date. Regulation 230-RICR-30-20-2 s 2.28 sets the minimum for an individual licensee at $50,000 per claim and $150,000 in the aggregate; if your coverage lapses you must stop all licensed activity immediately and notify the Department within five business days.
What continuing education do Rhode Island licensees need?
Twenty-four clock hours of Department-approved courses in each two-year renewal period. At least nine of the 24 must come from the listed core subjects, and at least three of those nine must be federal, Rhode Island and local fair housing law (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-20.5-6(b); 230-RICR-30-20-2 s 2.30). Licensees first licensed before 12 December 1984, and Rhode Island attorneys licensed under 5-20.5-4(d), are exempt.
Sources: https://dbr.ri.gov/real-estate-and-commercial-licensing/real-estate, https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/publications/094000.pdf, https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/publications/094001.pdf, https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE5/5-20.5/INDEX.htm, https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/230-30-20-2
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