                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

GENERAL POWERS OF REAL ESTATE BOARD; REGULATIONS; EDUCATIONAL AND EXPERIENCE
REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE (§ 54.1-2105)

A. The Board may do all things necessary and convenient for carrying into effect
the provisions of this chapter and may promulgate necessary regulations.

B. The Board shall adopt regulations establishing minimum educational
requirements as conditions for licensure. Board regulations relating to initial
licensure shall include the following requirements:

   1. Every applicant for an initial license as a real estate salesperson shall
   have:
   				a. At a minimum, a high school diploma or its equivalent; and
   				b. Completed a course in the principles of real estate that carried an
   academic credit of at least four semester hours, but not less than 60 hours of
   classroom, correspondence, or other distance learning instruction, offered by
   an accredited institution of higher education, high school offering adult
   distributive education courses, or other school or educational institution
   offering an equivalent course.

   2. Every applicant for an initial license as a real estate broker shall have:
   				a. At a minimum, a high school diploma or its equivalent; and
   				b. Completed not less than 12 semester hours of classroom or
   correspondence or other distance learning instruction in real estate courses
   offered by an accredited institution of higher education or other school or
   educational institution offering equivalent courses.

   3. Every applicant for a license by reciprocity as a real estate salesperson
   or real estate broker shall have:
   				a. Completed a course in the principles of real estate that is comparable
   in content and duration and scope to that required in subdivision 1 or 12
   semester hours of classroom or correspondence or other distance learning
   instruction in real estate courses that are comparable in content and duration
   and scope to that required in subdivision 2; and
   				b. If currently licensed by another state as a real estate salesperson or
   broker, passed Virginia&#8217;s examination.

C. The Board may waive any requirement under the regulations relating to
education or experience when the broker or salesperson is found to have
education or experience equivalent to that required. No regulation imposing
educational requirements for initial licensure beyond those specified by law
shall apply to any person who was licensed prior to July 1, 1975, and who has
been continuously licensed since that time, except that licensure as a
salesperson prior to such time shall not exempt a salesperson who seeks to be
licensed as a broker from the educational requirements established for brokers.

D. The Board shall establish criteria to ensure that prelicensure and broker
licensure courses meet the standards of quality deemed by the Board to be
necessary to protect the public interests. For correspondence and other distance
learning instruction offered by an approved provider, such criteria may include
appropriate testing procedures. The Board may establish procedures to ensure the
quality of the courses.
			Noncollegiate institutions shall not be authorized to grant collegiate
semester hours for academic credit.
			The specific content of the real estate courses shall be in real estate
brokerage, real estate finance, real estate appraisal, real estate law, and such
related subjects as are approved by the Board.

E. The Board may establish criteria delineating the permitted activities of
unlicensed individuals employed by, or affiliated as an independent contractor
with, real estate licensees or under the supervision of a real estate broker.

F. The Board may take a disciplinary case against a licensee under advisement,
defer a finding in such case, and dismiss such action upon terms and conditions
set by the Board.

G. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Board shall not charge a fee
to a licensee for the transfer of such licensee between offices within a
licensed real estate firm, including from such firm&#8217;s primary place of
business to one of its branch offices, or from a branch office to another branch
office under the same primary place of business.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 54-740; 1974, c. 663; 1977, c. 3; 1980, c. 571; 1981, c.
117; 1984, cc. 201, 283; 1985, c. 116; 1988, cc. 9, 765; 1989, c. 244; 1991, c.
576; 1992, cc. 65, 446, 624, 717; 1995, c. 125; 1996, cc. 890, 903; 1997, c.
389; 1998, c. 268; 2000, c. 759; 2003, cc. 998, 1027; 2006, cc. 61, 627; 2007,
c. 809; 2010, cc. 373, 637; 2012, c. 750; 2016, c. 334; 2019, cc. 179, 395;
2025, cc. 122, 129.