California Real Estate License Lookup — DRE

Search DRE by the licensee’s name in last-name, first-name order, by company name, or by license identification number. The mailing-address city filter is optional and may differ from the main or branch office city. Use DRE’s separate address lookup when searching for a broker or corporation by office address. Prepaid Rental Listing Services have a separate lookup route.

Read the license status together with any administrative-action comments. DRE uses H-prefixed numbers for formal administrative actions and R-prefixed numbers for recovery claims. Comments may describe pending or final action; consult the exact entry rather than assuming every comment means the same outcome. For an H-number action, contact DRE’s Sacramento office at (916) 737-4535. For an R-number recovery claim, contact the Consumer Recovery Account Unit at (916) 576-5531. Have the H or R number and license identification number ready.

Use Certified License History Request RE 293 when a receiving agency or other purpose requires a certified history. Complete the requested licensee identification, license type, expiration date, mailing destination and requester contact information clearly; DRE returns incomplete or unclear requests. Select one history type: another state, or general/legal purposes. Histories normally cover the preceding five years; request a different period in the comments. DRE cannot certify statutory course information because it does not maintain that record. Before choosing the mailing destination, ask the receiving state whether the certification must be sent directly to it. Submit a new form and fee for each state. RE 293 directs users to the current RE 206 fee schedule. Pay by check, cashier’s check, money order or credit card; credit card payment requires RE 909, and cash is not accepted. Mail the request and fee to DRE, 651 Bannon Street, Suite 504, Attn: Flag Section, Sacramento, CA 95811. Check DRE’s current processing-time page before planning around delivery.

For a salesperson, broker or officer, enter the last name, a comma and part of the first name. If that fails, try the first few characters of the last name; at least three letters are required. Periods and spaces between initials do not affect the search. A licensed broker employed by another broker or corporation does not appear in the affiliated-salesperson list and must be searched individually by name.

California residency is not required for a real estate license, but California has no reciprocity agreement that waives its licensing requirements. An applicant must qualify for the appropriate California written examination and meet the other requirements. Out-of-state coursework may count if the institution has the required regional accreditation and each course provides three semester units or four quarter units; foreign higher-education courses require evaluation by a DRE-approved service. Nonresident applicants must submit the notarized Consent to Service of Process, RE 234, with the original or renewal application. A broker doing business in California must maintain a California business address. A broker not doing business in California must also file RE 235, the Out-of-State Broker Acknowledgement. Salespersons doing business in California must be licensed with a California broker. Out-of-state applicants also submit acceptable fingerprints directly to DRE with the original application and applicable fees.