To run a California real estate license lookup, go to the Department of Real Estate’s Public License Lookup at www2.dre.ca.gov/publicasp/pplinfo.asp. The tool is free, requires no account, and shows an agent’s or broker’s license number, type, status, expiration date, and disciplinary history. Checking it before you sign a listing agreement or buyer representation contract is the fastest way to confirm the person can legally represent you.
How to Run the Search
The lookup accepts three kinds of input:
- Licensee name. Enter last name, then first name. This is the usual approach when you’ve just met an agent or been handed a business card.
- Company name. Enter the brokerage or corporation name to pull its license record.
- License ID number. The eight-digit number gives the most precise result. Many agents print it on cards and marketing materials.
If you want to check a brokerage by where its office sits rather than by name, the same page offers a separate search by main office or branch address.1Department of Real Estate. Public License Lookup
What the Record Shows
A matched result displays the eight-digit license number, the license type (Salesperson, Broker, Officer, or Corporation), the issuance and expiration dates, and the business address on file with the DRE.2Department of Real Estate. Record Format for Licensee and Examinee Data Files The field to read first is the license status. It tells you in one line whether this person can legally handle a real estate transaction for you today. If the DRE has taken disciplinary action, the record reflects that through a status code and may link to details of the order.
Reading the Status Codes
Every California real estate license carries a status. Only two statuses authorize the holder to practice.
Licensed means the person is authorized to perform real estate activities. For a salesperson, that means they’re affiliated with a responsible broker. For a broker or corporation, it means a current California main office address is on file.
Restricted means the person holds a probationary license issued after a DRE disciplinary action. They can still practice, but under conditions the department has set. A restricted agent isn’t barred from working with you, but the label reflects past misconduct serious enough for the DRE to impose terms.3California Department of Real Estate. Public License Status Codes
Every other status you might see means the person cannot lawfully perform real estate activities. Don’t proceed until it changes.
- Licensed NBA (No Broker Affiliation). The license is valid but non-working. A salesperson has no supervising broker, or a broker or corporation has no current main office address on file.
- Expired. The four-year term ended without renewal. Administrative, not disciplinary, but the effect on you is the same.
- Conditional Suspension. The licensee didn’t complete required continuing education. The license stays suspended until they do, and if the four-year term ends first they lose their renewal right entirely.
- Voided. Voided for failure to pay required fees.
- Revoked. Permanently removed through a disciplinary proceeding. This is the most severe status.
- Flag Suspended. Temporarily suspended through disciplinary action. No practice during the suspension.
- Withheld Denied. The license is withheld because the person failed to meet child or family support obligations under state law.3California Department of Real Estate. Public License Status Codes
A handful of other statuses appear less often, including Canceled Officer, Government Service, Military Service, and Deceased. None of them authorize real estate activity.3California Department of Real Estate. Public License Status Codes
Why an Expired Status Matters
California real estate licenses, for both brokers and salespersons, run in four-year terms.4California Department of Real Estate. 2026 Real Estate Law To renew, the licensee files an application, pays the fee, and shows completed continuing education.
After an expiration, the holder gets a two-year grace period to renew late at 150 percent of the normal fee. During that entire window they cannot legally perform any real estate activity. If two years pass without renewal, the license is gone and the person has to start over with a new application and exam.5California Department of Real Estate. FAQ – Real Estate Licenses So an “Expired” result doesn’t tell you the agent did anything wrong. It does tell you they can’t represent you until they renew.
Verifying a Mortgage Loan Originator Separately
Some California agents also hold a mortgage loan originator (MLO) endorsement so they can help with financing alongside the property side of the deal. The DRE lookup shows the real estate license, but the MLO endorsement lives in a different system. To check it, use NMLS Consumer Access at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.6NMLS Consumer Access. NMLS Consumer Access The tool is free and searchable by name, company, city, state, or NMLS ID; using the full ID gives the most accurate result.
Practicing as a mortgage loan originator without the proper license or endorsement is a crime in California, with individual fines up to $20,000.7California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 10139 If someone offers to handle both the purchase and the loan, verify both credentials.
If the Lookup Turns Up a Problem
If a person soliciting your business has an expired, revoked, suspended, or otherwise non-working license, you have two immediate options: walk away, or file a report.
Filing a Complaint
The DRE takes complaints against licensed agents and brokers, and also against unlicensed people performing real estate activities. You can file through the department’s Enforcement Online Complaint System or by mailing Form RE 519 to any DRE district office.8California Department of Real Estate. Filing a Complaint Include a written account of what happened, contact information for any witnesses, and copies of transaction documents.
Know the limit of what the DRE can do. It’s not a court. It cannot order refunds, cancel contracts, or award damages. It can investigate and impose administrative discipline that ranges from a citation with a fine up to $2,500 to full license revocation.9California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 10080.9 For your money back, the DRE points consumers to small claims court for disputes of $7,500 or less, or an attorney for larger amounts. If you’ve already obtained a final court judgment against a licensee for fraud, misrepresentation, or conversion of trust funds and can’t collect, California’s Consumer Recovery Account may pay a portion of the loss subject to statutory caps.10California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 10471
Penalties for Practicing Without a License
Anyone who acts as a broker or salesperson in California without a valid license faces up to a $20,000 fine, up to six months in county jail, or both.7California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 10139 The DRE also publishes lists of people and entities that have received Desist and Refrain Orders for unlicensed real estate activity, loan modification fraud, and short sale violations. Those lists are on the DRE’s Disciplinary Actions page and are worth cross-checking if a lookup returns nothing but the person is still holding themselves out as an agent.11California Department of Real Estate. Disciplinary Actions