How to Renew a Real Estate License in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania real estate license renewal comes due May 31 of every even-numbered year. The last deadline was May 31, 2026, and the next is May 31, 2028. If you renewed, this guide is your two-year plan. If you didn't, your license is expired right now, there's no grace period, and the reactivation path is further down this page.

Either way, here's the full picture: deadlines, CE requirements, fees, and the traps that catch agents who let a license lapse. Everything is verified against the Pennsylvania Department of State as of July 2026.

When does a Pennsylvania real estate license expire?

Every Pennsylvania real estate license expires May 31 of even-numbered years, so the current cycle runs June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2028. Per the Department of State, the commission emails renewal notices about 60 days before expiration to the address on your PALS account, and there is no grace period. Practice on an expired license and you're practicing unlicensed.

One housekeeping move worth doing today: log into PALS and confirm your email is current. Miss the notice, and the deadline doesn't move.

How do you renew? The 4-step process

Renewing a Pennsylvania real estate license takes 14 hours of continuing education and an online application through PALS. Here's the sequence:

1. Complete your 14 CE hours. RELRA Section 404.1(a) requires 14 hours of commission-approved continuing education every two-year cycle. Finish before you file, because the application asks you to certify completion.
2. Log into PALS. All renewals are online. The commission no longer accepts paper renewal applications.
3. Submit the renewal application. Have your CE course records ready in case the commission audits your certification.
4. Pay the fee. $96 for salespersons and associate brokers, $126 for brokers, per the Department of State fee list. Your renewed license shows in PALS once approved.

What are Pennsylvania's CE requirements?

Pennsylvania requires 14 hours of commission-approved continuing education per two-year cycle, and the commission adds mandatory topics cycle by cycle. For the 2024–2026 cycle, the commission required 5 of the 14 hours in set topics: 2 hours of fair housing and 3 hours of agency relationships, per its July 2024 vote. Mandatory topics for the 2026–2028 cycle haven't been announced yet, so watch the commission's announcements page before you book courses.

Your requirements depend on where you are in your license life:

First-time renewers get a different assignment. Under 49 Pa. Code §35.384(b), new salespersons renewing for the first time complete the commission's required new-licensee courses (a general module plus a practice-specific module) instead of the cycle's mandatory topics. The Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission approves every course and provider, so stick to approved lists.

How much does renewal cost?

Budget about $200 to $325 all-in. The state fee is $96 for salespersons and associate brokers or $126 for brokers, per the Department of State, and commission-approved CE courses typically run $100 to $200 depending on provider and format.

That's the on-time price. Let the license expire and the real cost shows up: no active practice, a reactivation application, and CE hours that don't double-count (next section).

What if your license already expired?

An expired Pennsylvania license can't be renewed, it has to be reactivated through PALS, and the rules get stricter the longer you wait. Reactivation is the process of restoring an expired or inactive license through a new application, fee, and continuing education. Per the Department of State:

• Expired less than five years: submit a reactivation application with the fee and 14 hours of continuing education. Here's the trap: under 49 Pa. Code §35.382(b), CE used to reactivate a license cannot also count toward renewal in the same period. You'll owe another 14 hours before your next renewal.
• Expired or inactive five years or more: RELRA Section 501(b) requires you to pass the licensing exams again before the commission reissues your license. Your completed reactivation application must be received before your five-year mark. Received means in the commission's office, not postmarked, and not by fax or email.

Facing the retake? Our Pennsylvania real estate exam prep rebuilds your exam knowledge fast, and the full licensing guide shows what the current process looks like if you're starting from scratch.

Broker companies have a separate rule: since June 2022, an expired or inactive broker corporation, LLC, partnership, or rental listing referral agent license requires new initial applications for both the company and its broker of record.

The takeaway

Renewal in Pennsylvania is cheap and predictable: 14 hours, one PALS login, and $96 every two years. Expiration is neither. Put May 31, 2028 in your calendar now, confirm your PALS email, and knock out your CE early in the cycle so the mandatory-topic announcement never catches you short.

Ready to bank your 14 hours? Start your Pennsylvania continuing education courses and renew without the scramble.