Where to take Colorado's 168 hours
Colorado's 168 hours are split into six named subjects with their own hour floors, so a package has to match the rule block for block. Both schools below sell the full prescribed set.
The CE Shop
- Sells all six prescribed subject blocks as one 168-hour purchase, so nothing in the Commission's rule is left uncovered
- Also sells the individual blocks separately — useful if you need to fill one gap rather than start again
- Carries the 120-hour package for salespeople licensed in another state for under two years, which is a different legal requirement, not a discount
- Uses Colorado's actual licence name throughout, so what you buy matches what you are applying for
Colibri Real Estate
- Sells the full 168 hours across four package tiers, so you can decide how much exam prep to pay for
- Self-paced online, which Colorado permits for every one of the 168 hours
- Its Colorado requirements page correctly describes the broker licence and the 168-hour total
- Its checkout pages call the outcome a "salesperson" licence — Colorado does not issue one, so read past the wording
How to get your Colorado licence
Five steps — and there is a cost in step four that most budgets for Colorado leave out entirely.
Complete 168 hours in six named subjects
48 hours of Real Estate Law and Practice, 48 of Colorado Real Estate Contracts, at least 32 of Practical Application, at least 24 of Real Estate Closings, and at least 8 each of Trust Accounts and Record Keeping and Current Legal Issues. You cannot mix and match your way to 168.
Pass both portions with PSI
Eighty national questions and seventy-four state questions, scored separately. A pass on either portion is good for one year, so do not let a gap open between them.
Submit fingerprints for a background check
A Colorado and national fingerprint-based criminal history check through the CBI. The Division names its approved vendors but does not set the price, which is charged by the vendor rather than the state.
Buy errors and omissions insurance
Colorado requires E&O cover by statute, and the Division is explicit that the policy must be in place before an active licence is issued. Minimums are $100,000 per claim, $300,000 in aggregate and a deductible no higher than $1,000.
Apply, and find an employing broker
The $83 application buys you an Associate Broker licence, which by rule works under the supervision of an Employing Broker. Two years on active status is the price of practising independently after that.
From C.R.S. § 12-10-203 and § 12-10-204, Colorado Real Estate Commission Rules 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 2.6, 3.9, 4.1 and 4.2 (4 CCR 725-1), the Division of Real Estate, its broker insurance requirements and fee schedule, the Division's 2025 first-time pass rate report, and the PSI Colorado candidate bulletin, verified August 2026. We have not published a fingerprint fee — it is charged by private vendors, not the Division. Note that Colorado publishes no expiry for completed qualifying education; the one-year clock applies to exam passes, not coursework, and several sites conflate the two.
Colorado FAQs
Why is Colorado 168 hours when most states are under 100?
Because Colorado does not license salespersons. The last Colorado salesperson licences were issued on or before 31 December 1996; since then the entry-level credential has been a broker licence, and the education requirement is scaled to that. Commission Rule 2.1.A.2 sets it out block by block: 48 hours of Real Estate Law and Real Estate Practice, 48 of Colorado Real Estate Contracts, not less than 32 of Practical Application, not less than 24 of Real Estate Closings, and not less than 8 each of Trust Accounts and Record Keeping and Current Legal Issues. The hours are prescribed, not fungible — a package that totals 168 but omits a block does not qualify.
Do I really have to buy insurance before I can work?
Yes, and it is the cost most Colorado budgets miss. C.R.S. § 12-10-204(1) requires that every licensee other than an inactive broker "shall maintain errors and omissions insurance to cover all activities contemplated" under the licensing statute, and the Division states plainly that you must have a current policy in place before obtaining an active licence. Rule 3.9 sets the floor: at least $100,000 per claim, a $300,000 annual aggregate, a deductible no higher than $1,000, and at least $25,000 of lock-box coverage. Any cost breakdown that lists only the $83 application and the $44.95 exam is incomplete.
Can I work independently once I'm licensed?
Not for two years. The licence you get is an Associate Broker licence, and Rule 1.6 defines an Associate Broker as one who "works under the supervision of an Employing Broker". Rule 2.5.B then requires two years holding that licence on active status before you can apply for an Independent Broker licence and run your own shop. There is no experience requirement to get the first licence — the requirement sits between the first licence and independence.
I'm already licensed in another state. Do I need all 168 hours?
Probably not, and the saving is large. If you have held an active licence elsewhere for at least two years, Rule 2.6.E states there are no prescribed educational requirements — you sit the exam and submit fingerprints and a certified licence history. Under two years, or with an expired licence, a salesperson needs 120 hours and a broker 72. Attorneys licensed to practise law need 12. Check which category you fall into before buying a full course.
When does my Colorado licence renew?
On a fixed three-year calendar cycle, not on your licensing anniversary — Colorado moved off anniversary dating on 1 January 2018 and a lot of pages have not updated. Your first licence expires on 31 December of the year it was issued, unless it was issued between 1 November and 31 December, in which case it runs to 31 December of the following year. That short first period comes with a benefit: Rule 4.1.B exempts brokers renewing a licence that expires in its year of issue from the continuing education requirement. After that it is 24 hours per three-year cycle, half of which must be three different versions of the four-hour Annual Commission Update Course.
Can I take all 168 hours online?
Yes. Rule 2.1.A.2 permits "one hundred sixty-eight (168) hours of classroom instruction or equivalent Distance Learning hours", and Colorado sets no minimum for live instruction and no cap on the self-paced share. What the state does regulate is the provider: qualifying education has to come from an accredited college or university, or from a school approved by the Colorado Department of Private and Occupational Schools.