Florida Appraiser License: Education, Experience, Exams, and Fees

To become a real estate appraiser in Florida, you apply to the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board (FREAB) through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) for one of four credentials: Registered Trainee, Licensed Appraiser, Certified Residential, or Certified General. Each level has its own education, experience, and (for the certified levels) college-degree and exam requirements. The Florida appraiser license requirements scale from 100 classroom hours and no field experience at the trainee level up to 300 classroom hours, a bachelor’s degree, and 3,000 hours of supervised experience for a Certified General appraiser.

Pick the Credential That Matches the Work You Want To Do

The right credential depends on what you plan to appraise.

A Registered Trainee cannot appraise independently. The credential exists so you can work under a certified supervisor and log the experience hours you need for a higher credential. Trainee registration stays active for up to four years.

A Licensed Appraiser can independently appraise non-complex residential properties of one to four units where the transaction value stays below $1,000,000. Complex residential appraisals above $400,000 require a certified appraiser.¹

A Certified Residential Appraiser handles one-to-four-unit residential properties with no cap on value or complexity.²

A Certified General Appraiser can appraise all property types, including commercial, industrial, and vacant land, with no restrictions on value or complexity.

Qualifying Education Hours

Every credential requires classroom hours from an approved provider: a nationally or state-recognized appraisal organization, an accredited college, a career center, or a permitted proprietary school.³ Courses can be in person or through distance learning, and each classroom hour is 50 minutes out of every 60-minute segment.

Registered Trainee — 100 hours: 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Principles, 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Procedures, the 15-hour National USPAP course, and 25 hours of appraisal electives that must include 3 hours of Florida laws and rules and 3 hours of a Supervisor and Trainee course. All coursework must be completed within five years of applying.⁴
Licensed Appraiser — 150 hours of AQB-approved qualifying education, building on the trainee core with additional electives.
Certified Residential — 200 classroom hours of approved pre-licensing education.²
Certified General — 300 classroom hours, including the 15-hour National USPAP course.⁵

Supervised Experience Hours

Experience must be gained under a certified appraiser, documented on completed appraisal reports, and compliant with USPAP. Only experience obtained after January 30, 1989, counts.² A supervising appraiser can carry no more than three trainees at a time as primary or secondary supervisor, so open slots can be competitive.⁶

Registered Trainee: none required.
Licensed Appraiser: 1,000 hours over at least six months.
Certified Residential: 1,500 hours documented on at least 150 appraisal reports, over a minimum of 12 months.²
Certified General: 3,000 hours over at least 30 months, with a minimum of 1,500 of those hours in non-residential appraisal work.⁵

The 30-month minimum for Certified General is a floor. Logging 3,000 hours faster does not let you apply sooner.

College Requirements for Certified Credentials

Registered Trainee and Licensed Appraiser require only a high school diploma or equivalent. The certified credentials add college coursework on top of the appraisal education.

For Certified Residential, you must satisfy one of the following:

A bachelor’s degree or higher in any field
An associate’s degree from an accredited college or university
30 semester hours of college-level courses covering specific subject areas identified in FREAB rules
Passing 30 hours of College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams covering those same subject areas
Any combination of the college coursework and CLEP options above²

For Certified General, a bachelor’s degree is required, with no associate’s or CLEP alternative.⁵

The Exams

Registered Trainees do not take an exam. Applicants for Licensed, Certified Residential, and Certified General must pass two: the Florida Supplemental exam covering state-specific laws and regulations, and the appropriate National Uniform exam (Residential or General depending on the credential).⁷

Both exams are administered by Pearson VUE, and you schedule directly with them online or by phone.⁸ The Florida Supplemental exam requires 75% or higher. The National exam uses a scaled 0–110 score with a minimum passing score of 75, and results come back as pass/fail rather than a numeric score.

The content covers valuation principles, appraisal methodology, data sources, depreciation, capitalization methods, appraisal math, USPAP standards, and conduct that can trigger discipline. Depth scales with credential level, so the Certified General exam is the broadest and most complex.⁷

Applying and What It Costs

You submit your application to the DBPR through the online portal or by mailing a printed application to the Central Intake Unit in Tallahassee.⁷ Include your personal information, proof of completed education, and (above the trainee level) documented experience hours signed off by your supervising appraiser.

Under Florida Administrative Code 61J1-2.001, DBPR fees are:

Registered Trainee: $50 application fee, $175 biennial fee
Licensed Appraiser: $175 biennial fee
Certified Residential: $58 application fee, $175 biennial fee
Certified General: $46 application fee, $175 biennial fee⁹

Budget for other costs too. The Appraisal Subcommittee charges a $40 annual National Registry fee that states collect on your behalf.¹⁰ Pearson VUE charges its own exam fees. Fingerprinting through a Livescan provider registered with FDLE is required for the background check, and those costs fall on the applicant. Results go directly to the DBPR.

Military veterans, their spouses, and Florida National Guard members may qualify for a fee waiver, reimbursement, or discount on DBPR fees.²

Keeping the Credential Active

Every Florida appraiser must complete 30 hours of continuing education during each two-year renewal cycle.¹¹ At least 7 of those hours must be a board-approved USPAP update course, and all courses must be AQB-approved.¹² The biennial renewal fee is $175 at every level.⁹

Renew through the DBPR online portal and submit course completion certificates. Miss the deadline and your credential reverts to inactive status automatically. You can stay inactive for up to four years; after that the credential expires and you generally have to start over.

Out-of-State Appraisers Doing a Florida Assignment

If you already hold an active appraiser credential in another state and need to appraise a Florida property in a federally related transaction, you don’t have to obtain a full Florida credential. You can register for a temporary practice permit instead. The assignment must be temporary (a single appraisal for the time needed to complete it), and you must be a non-resident of Florida.¹³

To register, file FREAB Form 13 with the board, pay the required fee, and provide certified copies of your out-of-state credential along with records of any disciplinary actions (or a certification that none exist). You also sign a notarized statement confirming you have read and will follow Florida’s appraisal laws and rules. The DBPR issues a numbered temporary permit, and that number must appear on any appraisal report produced under it.

1
eCFR. 12 CFR 34.43 – Appraisals Required; Transactions Requiring a State Certified or Licensed Appraiser
2
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Certified Residential Appraiser Initial Application
3
Florida House of Representatives. 2025 Florida Statutes Title XXXII Chapter 475 Section 617
4
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Registered Trainee Appraiser Initial Application
5
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Application for Certification as General Appraiser
6
Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board. Rule 61J1-4.010 Supervision and Training of Registered Trainee Appraisers
7
MyFloridaLicense.com. Real Estate Appraisal – Licensure Information
8
Pearson VUE. Appraiser Examination Candidate Handbook
9
Cornell Law School. Florida Administrative Code 61J1-2.001 – Fees
10
Federal Register. Modification of the Annual National Registry Fee
11
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Renewal Information for Real Estate Appraisers
12
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Real Estate Appraisal – Education
13
Cornell Law School. Florida Administrative Code 61J1-7.005 – Temporary Practice