Welcome to your 70/30 CE Exemption webpage
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- You are on this page because you clicked ... Yes ... your age will be 70 or more on expiration of your Department of Real Estate (DRE) license
- Thus, you likely do not need DRE continuing education (CE) to renew your license (CE)
- Scroll down for a full review of information and instructions on the DRE CE exemption
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The 70/30 CE Exemption
All DRE salespersons and individual brokers are required to complete 45 hours of continuing education (CE) every four years. [Calif. Business and Professions Code §10170.5]
However, a 70/30 CE Exemption rule, sometimes referred to as the senility statute, allows a licensee to avoid renewal CE education when:
- the licensee is aged 70 or more on or before the expiration date of their license; and
- their license has been in continuous good standing for at least 30 years. [Bus P & C §10170.8]
A license is in continuous good standing if it has:
- not been suspended, restricted or revoked by disciplinary action within 30 years prior to its expiration date; and
- always been renewed on-time or within a two-year grace period following the license expiration date. [DRE Regs. §3012.3]
Editor's note — A licensee may still qualify for the 70/30 CE Exemption when they delay their renewal submission to during their two-year grace period when they reach the age of 70 after their license expires.
For example, consider a sales agent who has been licensed in good standing for 30 years. Their license expires on March 10, 2020, at which time the sales agent will be 69 years of age. The sales agent's birthday is July 1. If the sales agent does not renew their license by March 10, they can wait until July 1 — when they reach age 70 — to qualify for the 70/30 CE Exemption. Thus, they submitted their renewal within the remainder of the two-year grace period ending March 10, 2022.
However, a licensee is not permitted to perform real estate services requiring a real estate license after their license expires and before it is renewed. Further, they will need to pay the higher late renewal fee.
Checking your eligibility for the 70/30 CE Exemption
To determine your eligibility for the 70/30 CE Exemption, visit the DRE's public look up here.
Enter your full name or DRE license number in the designated fields.
The system will provide your license number, expiration date, status, issue date and history, along with your address of record and broker information.
- 1. View the Expiration Date line to ensure your upcoming license expiration occurs on or after your 70th birthday (if not, you may still qualify for the 70/30 CE Exemption if you reach age 70 during the two-year grace period following the expiration date).
- 2. Review the License Issued line to determine whether the license was first issued at least 30 years prior to the license expiration date.
- 3. Confirm the Comment section does not reference any disciplinary actions. Any disciplinary action within the past 30 years disqualifies you from being able to use the 70/30 CE Exemption.
Renewing your license with the 70/30 CE Exemption
To request your 70/30 CE Exemption when you renew a license, submit:
- a broker or salesperson license renewal application [See RE Forms 208 or 209];
- the Continuing Education Exemption Request form [See RE Form 213];
- a copy of your birth certificate or driver's license to prove you meet the age requirement; and
- the appropriate renewal fee.
Editor's note — Form 213 instructs licensees to provide documentarian proving the number of years they have been licensed. However, the DRE no longer requires such documents from licensees when submitting an exemption request. Further, the DRE pairs all renewal forms with the RE 251: Continuing Education Verification form. When renewing with the 70/30 CE Exemption, ignore RE 251 appended to the PDF file.
Renewal fees for sales agents are:
- $245 when renewing on-time; and
- $367 when renewing late during the two-year grace period.
Renewal fees for brokers are:
- $300 when renewing on-time; and
- $450 when renewing late during the two-year grace period.
Payment may be completed with a check or money order — payable to the California Department of Real Estate — or with a credit card on a separate form. [See RE Form 909]
When you are applying for the 70/30 CE Exemption for the first time, submit all renewal and exemption paperwork by mail. When renewing on-time, all renewal paperwork is to be postmarked by the expiration date of your license. When renewing during the grace period, the renewal paperwork needs to be postmarked by the date the two-year grace period ends.
Once submitted, allow three to six weeks for the DRE to process the renewal paperwork and update your license status. Current processing times are posted on the DRE's website.
All subsequent renewals may be processed online through the DRE's online renewal processing system, eLicensing.