Pennsylvania Real Estate CE Requirements (2026): 14 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
The Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission requires 14 hours of continuing education per biennial renewal cycle, which runs on a May 31 expiration date in even-numbered years. For the 2024-2026 cycle, mandatory topics are 2 hours of Fair Housing and 3 hours of Agency Relationship, with the remaining 9 hours as electives. Mandatory topics may change each cycle at the Commission's discretion.
First-time renewing salespersons follow a different track: 14 hours of Commission-developed modules (a General Module plus a Residential or Commercial Module) instead of the standard topic-based CE. Requirements also vary by licensure date within the cycle — those licensed between December 1, 2023 and November 30, 2025 take two 7-hour courses, while those licensed on or after December 1, 2025 owe no CE for the current cycle.
A critical Pennsylvania-specific detail: providers do not report course completions to the state. Licensees must maintain their own certificates of completion for potential audit. Renewal is online-only through PALS with no paper applications accepted.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Housing | 2 | Every renewal | 2 hours in Fair Housing required each renewal cycle. Adopted at July 10, 2024 commission meeting for 2024-2026 cycle. |
| Agency Relationship | 3 | Every renewal | 3 hours in Agency Relationship required each renewal cycle. |
Renewal Pathways
Exemptions
- Inactive — Inactive licensees not reactivating are exempt from CE requirements.
- Reciprocal — Reciprocal license holders are exempt from CE requirements.
- Specialty Licenses — Cemetery brokers/salespersons, builder-owner salespersons, timeshare salespersons, campground membership salespersons, and rental listing referral agents with standard licenses are exempt.
- New Licensee Late Cycle — Licensees licensed on or after December 1, 2025 have no CE requirement for the current cycle but must renew.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Pennsylvania CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Pennsylvania that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — No carry-over provisions mentioned. Coursework must be completed within the 2-year renewal cycle (e.g., June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2026).
- Pennsylvania uses a 2-year renewal cycle expiring May 31 of even-numbered years.
- Mandatory topics may change each renewal cycle as determined by SREC at their meeting.
- First-time renewing salespersons take Commission-developed modules instead of standard CE.
- Requirements vary by licensure date within the cycle (licensed before Dec 1 2023, between Dec 1 2023 and Nov 30 2025, or after Dec 1 2025).
- Providers do not report course completions; licensees must maintain certificates for audit.
- Renewal must be done online through PALS; no paper applications accepted.
- Reactivation after less than 5 years requires 14 hours; these hours cannot count toward subsequent renewal.
- Reactivation after 5+ years requires retaking and passing the licensing examination.
Provider Requirements
Providers approved by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission. Providers do not report course completions to the state; licensees maintain certificates for audit purposes.
Tips for Pennsylvania Real Estate Agents
- Keep your CE completion certificates — Pennsylvania providers do not report to the state, and you may be audited.
- Check the Commission's announcements each cycle for the current mandatory topics, as they change every two years.
- Renew online through PALS only — paper applications are not accepted.
- If reactivating after less than 5 years, you need 14 hours that cannot double-count toward your next renewal; after 5+ years, you must retake the licensing exam.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission (SREC)'s official rules and continuing-education sources and recorded with the exact source excerpt. Last verified Mar 2026. Read how we compile and verify this data.