How to Start a Real Estate Business in Virginia: Salesperson $230, Broker $285, Firm License $370 (2026 Fees)

October 29, 2026

If you want to earn commissions in Virginia or run your own brokerage, you need a license from the Real Estate Board of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). The license you need depends on what you plan to do. A salesperson must work through a licensed broker. A broker can work independently and supervise salespersons. A firm license applies to some business structures but not all of them. Sorting that out before you pay a fee or file a form prevents most of the rework people run into.

This guide covers the real estate license Virginia requires for each path, how your business structure affects licensing, the entity and name filings with the State Corporation Commission (SCC), local license taxes, and the fee schedule that took effect on April 1, 2026. Confirm every figure with DPOR or the SCC before you act, because fees and rules change. This is informational content, not legal or tax advice.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these materials first. Having them ready keeps the process from stalling halfway through.

• Proof of a high school diploma or equivalent
• Your certificate or transcript for a principles of real estate course carrying at least 4 semester hours and not less than 60 hours of instruction
• For a broker application: transcripts for at least 12 semester hours of real estate courses, including a 3 semester hour brokerage course of at least 45 class hours
• For a broker application: records showing you were actively engaged as a salesperson for 36 of the 48 months immediately before you apply
• A confirmation of your experience from your principal or supervising broker
• For an entity: the SCC filing (Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation), your chosen business name, and a registered agent who meets Virginia requirements
• A budget for the exam. The exam fee is set by the testing vendor, not the regulation, so check the vendor's current price before you register.

Step 1: Choose the Right Path

Most people entering Virginia real estate start as a salesperson, then move up to a broker license once they meet the experience and education requirements. Know the differences before you spend money:

• Salesperson: You can represent buyers and sellers, but your license must be held through a licensed broker.
• Broker: You can operate on your own, supervise salespersons, and run a brokerage.
• Firm license: Required for certain business structures, covered in Step 5.
• Branch office license: Required for each additional place of business.
• Business entity salesperson license: Required when a team operates as a business entity.

Step 2: Complete Salesperson Education

Under Va. Code 54.1-2105, a salesperson applicant needs a high school diploma or equivalent and a principles of real estate course carrying at least 4 semester hours and not less than 60 hours of instruction. Keep your course completion certificate. You will need it to qualify, and you may need it again if your application is reviewed.

Choose a course provider that the Board recognizes. Ask the provider in writing whether its course meets the statutory hour and credit requirements before you pay for it.

Step 3: Pass the Exam and Hold Your License Through a Broker

After your education is complete, you take the state licensing exam. Once you pass and apply, the license is issued to you, but it must be held through a broker. That broker supervises your work and is responsible for your transactions. Line up a sponsoring broker before you need the license, because you cannot practice on your own as a salesperson.

Plan ahead for your first renewal. Under 18VAC135-20-95, effective April 1, 2026, you must complete 30 hours of post-license education within the first year before your first salesperson renewal. Put that deadline on your calendar the day your license is issued.

Step 4: Meet the Virginia Real Estate Broker License Requirements

The virginia real estate broker license requires more education and experience than the salesperson license. You need all three of the following:

• A high school diploma or equivalent
• At least 12 semester hours of real estate courses, including a 3 semester hour brokerage course of at least 45 class hours (Va. Code 54.1-2105; 18VAC135-20-410)
• Experience as an actively engaged salesperson for 36 of the 48 months immediately before you apply, confirmed by your principal or supervising broker (18VAC135-20-35 C)

You will often see "180 hours" quoted as the broker education requirement. That is a conventional equivalent, not the statutory text. Check the Board's current education list before you enroll in any course. The Board can waive education or experience for equivalent background, so if your history is unusual, ask DPOR before you assume you do not qualify.

Expect the broker exam to be scheduled through the testing vendor. Exam fees are set by that vendor, so confirm the price and pass mark directly.

Step 5: Structure the Brokerage and License It Correctly

This is where most newly licensed brokers make errors. The way you hold the business decides whether you need a firm license. Brokerage is not the same as having a broker license.

• Broker-owned sole proprietorship: No firm license is required. The sole proprietorship may not use a fictitious name, so it operates under your legal name.
• Sole proprietorship not owned by a broker: Requires a firm license.
• Business entity other than a sole proprietorship (LLC, corporation, partnership): Requires a firm license under Va. Code 54.1-2106.1. Every managing member, officer or partner who actively participates in brokerage must hold a broker license.
• Team: Requires a business entity salesperson license.
• Additional office: Each additional place of business requires a branch office license. A second office does not mean a second firm license.

The firm license fee is $370, which includes the $20 Recovery Fund assessment. Before you pay it, confirm with your attorney or CPA that the entity structure fits your goals, including liability, ownership and how partners are admitted.

Step 6: Form the Entity and Register Your Business Name

Forming an LLC

Virginia LLCs file Articles of Organization (Form LLC1011) with the SCC for a $100 filing fee. File online through the SCC Clerk's Information System at cis.scc.virginia.gov. Your name must contain 'limited company', 'limited liability company', 'LC', 'L.C.', 'LLC' or 'L.L.C.' and must be distinguishable from names already on file. You can reserve a name for $10 for 120 days, renewable during the 45 days before it expires.

Online filings can be expedited. Next-day service costs $50 or $100 if submitted by 2:00 PM Eastern, with a response by 4:00 PM the next business day. Same-day service costs $200 if submitted by 10:00 AM Eastern, with a response by 4:00 PM. Expedited service is online only and nonrefundable.

Your LLC must have a registered agent who is a Virginia resident with a Virginia street registered office, available during business hours. The agent must be a member of the Virginia State Bar or a member, manager, officer, trustee or general partner of the entity. An entity cannot be its own agent.

Virginia LLCs do not file an annual report. Instead, they pay a $50 annual registration fee. It is due the last day of the 12th month after the month the LLC was organized, then every year. The SCC assesses the fee about two months ahead. A late payment adds a $25 penalty, and the LLC is canceled at the end of the third month after the due date.

Forming a corporation

A corporation files Articles of Incorporation (Form SCC619) for a $75 filing fee. Its annual report and annual registration fee is $100 for up to 5,000 authorized shares, plus $30 for each additional 5,000 shares. Check the SCC's annual fee schedule for current amounts. The annual registration fee is due the last day of the formation month. The annual report is due the last day of the 12th month after formation and may be filed no earlier than three months before that.

Filing an assumed name (DBA)

If you operate under a name other than your legal name or entity name, file an Assumed Name Certificate with the SCC's Clerk's Office for $10. Virginia does not require a newspaper publication. You file with the SCC, not the circuit court. Fictitious names for entities are also filed with the SCC for $10. Remember that a broker-owned sole proprietorship cannot use a fictitious name at all.

Step 7: Check the Local Business License (BPOL)

Virginia has no general statewide business license, and the SCC issues none. The local license is the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL), a local license tax under Va. Code 58.1-3700 et seq. Each city or county administers its own BPOL, usually through the Commissioner of the Revenue.

Not every locality levies a general license. Va. Code 58.1-3704 lets a locality levy none. Stafford, Rockingham, Bedford County, Washington County, Montgomery County, Louisa and Fluvanna are examples of localities without a general county license, and some towns displace the county tax. Do not assume your area has one, and do not assume the rate is the same everywhere.

State law sets population-based floors. A locality with more than 50,000 people cannot require a license for businesses with gross receipts under $100,000. A locality with 25,000 to 50,000 people cannot require one for gross receipts under $50,000. A locality with fewer than 25,000 people has no floor. Localities with more than 50,000 people may waive the license up to $200,000 in gross receipts (verify this waiver ceiling with your Commissioner of the Revenue). Real estate falls in the financial, real estate and professional category, which is capped at 58 cents per $100 of gross receipts (Va. Code 58.1-3706). Localities set their own rates and filing deadlines, so confirm both with your own locality.

2026 Fee Schedule

These fees took effect April 1, 2026 under 18VAC135-20-15. Older fee figures still circulate online, so use only this schedule. Each figure that includes the Recovery Fund assessment shows the $20 separately.

License or service	Initial fee	Renewal	Reinstatement
Salesperson	$230 ($210 plus $20 Recovery Fund)	$100	$155
Broker	$285 ($265 plus $20 Recovery Fund)	$120	$180
Business entity license	$285	$135	$205
Firm license	$370 ($350 plus $20 Recovery Fund)	$240	$370
Branch office	$265	$135	$205
Transfer or activation	$90	Not listed	Not listed
Upgrade from salesperson to broker	$120	Not listed	Not listed
Concurrent broker license	$195	$80	$180

Budget for the entity filing fees on top of these figures. For an LLC, that means the $100 Articles of Organization filing, the $10 name reservation if you use one, and the $50 annual registration fee. Your exam fee is paid to the testing vendor and is not included here.

Managing Property for Others

Managing property for others for compensation is real estate brokerage under Va. Code 54.1-2100. A property management company therefore needs the same broker and firm licensing as a sales brokerage. Treat it as a regulated brokerage from day one, and confirm with DPOR how each staff member's role must be licensed for your specific operation.

Appraisers, mortgage brokers and insurance agencies are regulated by other agencies. If your plans touch those fields, read our guide to other regulated businesses in Virginia before you form the company.

Expected Results

Completing these steps in order is likely to leave you with a license that you can use in a brokerage, assuming your education, experience and fees are documented correctly. Licensing does not guarantee transactions or income. Many new agents take time to build a client base, and results depend on your market, your sponsoring broker, and your own work.

Processing times depend on DPOR, your exam scheduling and whether your documentation is complete. DPOR processing times vary, so check DPOR for current timing before you plan a start date.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming every brokerage needs a firm license. A broker-owned sole proprietorship does not.
• Using old fee figures. Fees changed on April 1, 2026. Use the table above and confirm with DPOR.
• Treating 180 hours as the legal requirement. The statute requires at least 12 semester hours, including a 3 semester hour brokerage course of at least 45 class hours.
• Opening a second office with only a firm license. Each additional place of business needs a branch office license ($265).
• Missing the 30-hour deadline. Your first salesperson renewal requires 30 hours of post-license education completed within the first year.
• Assuming an LLC files an annual report. Virginia LLCs pay a $50 annual registration fee and file no annual report.
• Skipping the local BPOL check. Your city or county may levy a license tax, may waive it, or may levy none.
• Using a name you have not reserved or filed. Check the name on the SCC business search, reserve it if needed, and file an assumed name certificate if you operate under a trade name.

Helpful Resources

• State Corporation Commission, Clerk's Office: scc.virginia.gov/businesses
• SCC Clerk's Information System (online filing and business search): cis.scc.virginia.gov
• Virginia Small Business Development Center network, for free or low-cost advice on forming a business: virginiasbdc.org

For license applications, education approvals and fee questions, contact the Real Estate Board of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation directly. For BPOL questions, contact your city or county Commissioner of the Revenue.

Important Notice

This article is informational content only. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and it does not create an attorney-client or accountant-client relationship. Virginia rules, fees and deadlines change. Before you choose a business structure, sign a brokerage agreement or take on partners, consult a qualified Virginia attorney and a CPA who can review your specific situation.