Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements in Georgia: What Agents Need to Know in 2026

If you hold an active Georgia real estate license, continuing education is not optional — it is the non-negotiable foundation of keeping your license alive and your career on solid ground. Yet every renewal cycle, agents across Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and everywhere in between scramble at the last minute, discover they misunderstood the requirements, or miss deadlines that cost them real money. This guide covers every layer of Georgia's CE system so you can plan ahead, satisfy the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) with confidence, and use your required hours as a genuine competitive advantage — not just a checkbox exercise.

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What Are the GREC CE Requirements for 2026?

The Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) requires every active licensee with a license number above 100,000 to complete 36 hours of approved continuing education during each four-year license renewal cycle. That number has been in place since July 1, 2015, when GREC increased the requirement from 24 to 36 hours — and it remains the benchmark heading into 2026.

Within those 36 hours, GREC mandates:

- 3 hours of License Law education from a course specifically approved by GREC for that purpose. This requirement became effective July 1, 2016. Standard CE courses do not satisfy this requirement unless the provider has obtained explicit GREC approval for license law credit. - 33 hours of elective CE covering a wide range of real estate-related topics — contracts, finance, ethics, risk management, technology, fair housing, agency relationships, and more.

If your license number is below 100,000, you are grandfathered and exempt from the CE requirement. For virtually every agent who entered the industry in recent decades, however, the full 36-hour requirement applies.

Brokers face an additional layer in 2026. Under updated GREC rules, brokers must complete 18 hours of broker-specific CE as part of their 36-hour total. These broker-focused courses must be at least three credit hours each and must address topics such as:

- Training and supervising licensees - Reviewing and managing brokerage agreements - Running a real estate firm - Responsibilities unique to the principal broker role

In practice, this means a broker's CE plan looks like this: 3 hours of license law + 18 hours of broker-specific content + 15 hours of general electives = 36 total hours. Half of a broker's entire CE portfolio must directly address the operational and supervisory demands of running a brokerage.

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How Many Continuing Education Hours Do Georgia Real Estate Agents Need?

Let's break it down cleanly:

| License Type | Total CE Required | License Law Required | Broker-Specific Required | General Electives | |---|---|---|---|---| | Salesperson | 36 hours | 3 hours | None | 33 hours | | Broker / Associate Broker | 36 hours | 3 hours | 18 hours | 15 hours | | Community Association Manager (CAM) | 36 hours | 3 hours | None | 33 hours | | Grandfathered (license below 100,000) | 0 hours | N/A | N/A | N/A |

The renewal cycle itself: Your Georgia real estate license expires on the last day of your birth month, every four years. You can begin the renewal process up to 120 days (four months) before that expiration date. You do not need to wait until the final month to renew — and you absolutely should not. More on avoiding last-minute panic later.

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What Are the Post-License Requirements for New Georgia Agents?

If you just passed your Georgia real estate exam and activated your license, your first education milestone is not a standard CE requirement — it is post-license education, and missing it will lapse your license automatically.

The requirement: New salesperson licensees must successfully complete a 25-hour Salesperson Post-License course within their first year of licensure. This course must be:

- Specifically approved by GREC as a Salesperson Post-License course (not just any CE course) - Completed with a passing score of 70% or higher on the course exam

Failure to complete this course before the one-year anniversary of your license activation causes your license to lapse. There is no grace period. There is no extension. Your license simply becomes inactive, and you must go through a reinstatement process before you can legally practice real estate again.

What counts? The Georgia Association of Realtors (GAR) offers a path: new licensees can earn their Post-License credit through GAR's GRI program by completing both the GRI Core Course – Risk Management and the GRI Core Course – Skill Building. Once both are done, GAR posts the Post-License completion to your GREC record.

What does NOT count: Regular CE courses — even excellent, comprehensive ones — do not satisfy the 25-hour post-license requirement unless the provider has GREC's specific approval as a Post-License course. Confirm this before enrolling.

For agents in Fulton County, DeKalb County, Gwinnett County, and Cobb County — the metro Atlanta core — there are multiple GREC-approved post-license providers available both in-person and online. Agents in Chatham County (Savannah), Richmond County (Augusta), Muscogee County (Columbus), and Bibb County (Macon) should verify provider availability for their area, since local board offerings vary.

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When Is the CE Deadline for Georgia Real Estate License Renewal?

Your renewal deadline is the last day of your birth month, every four years. GREC opens your renewal window 120 days before that deadline, and the system is available 24/7 through GREC's Online Services portal.

Here is the most important thing to understand: your CE hours must be completed and posted to your GREC record before your license can be renewed. CE providers are required to report your completed hours electronically to GREC using GREC's Online Course Completion System. This reporting is not instant — it can take a few days. Finishing your final CE course the day before your renewal deadline is a recipe for stress and potential lapse.

Best practice: Complete all CE at least 30 days before your renewal date so any reporting delays are absorbed without putting your license at risk.

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What Happens If You Don't Complete CE on Time in Georgia?

Missing your CE deadline is not a slap on the wrist situation. Here is exactly what GREC does:

1. Your license goes inactive. You cannot legally practice real estate — list homes, represent buyers, negotiate contracts, or collect a commission — while your license is inactive.

2. Reinstatement with less than 30 days past due (and prior active status): If you renew within 30 days of your expiration date, had an active license before the deadline, and all CE credits are posted, GREC can reinstate you to active status.

3. Reinstatement in all other cases: Your license comes back as inactive. You must then complete all outstanding CE credits and apply again to move to active status. This is a two-step process that costs time and money.

4. Late fees: GREC charges late renewal fees on top of the standard renewal fee.

5. Deals at risk: If you are in the middle of a transaction when your license lapses, you face serious legal exposure. In Georgia, earning a commission without a valid active license is a statutory violation.

For agents in high-volume markets like Alpharetta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Marietta — where deals move fast and multi-contract weekends are common — a lapsed license at the wrong moment can cost you tens of thousands in lost commissions and potential legal liability.

The bottom line: treat your CE deadline like a hard contract deadline. It is.

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Where Can Georgia Agents Complete CE Courses?

Georgia agents have a wide range of GREC-approved CE providers to choose from. Here is a breakdown of the major options:

Georgia Association of Realtors (GAR) Education

GAR is one of the most comprehensive CE providers for Georgia licensees. As a state association, GAR offers courses that satisfy both the GREC CE requirement and specialized NAR membership requirements. Notable offerings include:

- License Law courses (satisfying the mandatory 3-hour requirement) - Code of Ethics courses (satisfying NAR's ethics training requirement) - GRI designation program (which can satisfy post-license requirements) - Fair Housing and anti-bias training

GAR's courses are available in classroom, live-stream, and online formats throughout the year. Check garealtor.com for the current schedule.

Atlanta REALTORS® School of Real Estate

The Atlanta REALTORS® Association (formerly known by its school name Capitus Real Estate Learning Center) offers a comprehensive lineup of GREC-approved CE courses for licensees in Fulton County, DeKalb County, Cobb County, Gwinnett County, and surrounding metro Atlanta markets. Courses are available in both in-person and online formats, covering license law, broker-specific requirements, ethics, contracts, and more.

The Atlanta REALTORS® Association also offers Code of Ethics training that satisfies NAR's membership requirement, with both classroom instruction and online options.

Savannah Board of REALTORS®

For agents working Chatham County and the broader Savannah market, the Savannah Board of REALTORS® offers locally oriented CE courses. Local board CE is particularly valuable because instructors frequently address regional market nuances — coastal real estate dynamics, disclosure requirements specific to tidal and flood zone properties, and transaction practices common in the Savannah area.

Local Boards Across Georgia

Athens Area Association of REALTORS® (Clarke County and the university market), Greater Augusta Association of REALTORS® (Richmond County and the CSRA region), Columbus Board of REALTORS® (Muscogee County), and the Macon Board of REALTORS® (Bibb County) all maintain CE programming. Many coordinate with GAR for access to broader course catalogs. Contact your local board directly for schedules.

Online GREC-Approved Providers

For agents who prefer self-paced study, the following national providers offer GREC-approved CE courses in Georgia:

- The CE Shop — Known for its clean, mobile-friendly interface and strong course design. Georgia CE packages available. - McKissock Learning — Broad catalog of Georgia-approved CE topics including broker-specific courses. - 360Training — Offers Georgia CE packages with the full 36-hour requirement available online. - Colibri Real Estate — Previously Real Estate Express; offers Georgia CE and pre-licensing content. - AceableAgent — Mobile-first platform popular for its intuitive design. - Barney Fletcher Schools — Long-established Georgia provider with both online and in-person classroom options.

FMLS CE Courses (First Multiple Listing Service)

FMLS (First Multiple Listing Service) — which serves the metropolitan Atlanta area — offers CE courses that are free to FMLS members and affiliates. These courses cover MLS-specific workflows (Matrix, tax records, CMA tools, listing uploads, document management) and are an excellent supplement to topic-based CE. FMLS also offers orientation courses for new brokers and office managers.

Georgia MLS Training Institute

GAMLS (Georgia Multiple Listing Service) serves agents across a broader statewide footprint, including markets in Middle Georgia, Southeast Georgia, and the Augusta corridor. The Georgia MLS Training Institute offers pre-licensing and CE content, with self-paced online courses starting at approximately $150.

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CE Provider Comparison: Cost, Format, and Topic Coverage

Use this table to evaluate your options based on budget, learning style, and availability:

| Provider | Format | Approx. CE Cost (36 hrs) | License Law Course | Broker-Specific | Best For | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | GAR Education | Online, classroom, live-stream | $100–$250 | Yes | Yes (via GAR programs) | Full CE + NAR compliance | | Atlanta REALTORS® School | Online, in-pe