An inactive license isn’t a dead license. Plenty of good agents step away for a stretch: a new job, a move, a season of life that needed their full attention. Georgia makes the path back fairly simple, and the steps depend on one question. Is your license inactive, or has it lapsed?
Inactive or lapsed?
Inactive means your license is current with the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC), but you aren’t affiliated with a brokerage, so you can’t practice. Lapsed means the license expired because it wasn’t renewed on time. A lapsed license takes more work to fix, so check your status with GREC before you do anything else.
If your license is inactive
- Check your continuing education. Georgia licenses renew every four years, and salespeople need 36 hours of continuing education each cycle. Three of those hours must be a GREC-approved Georgia License Law course; a general course that covers legal topics doesn’t count. If your hours aren’t complete and posted, finish them first.
- Choose a brokerage. You can’t be active without a broker to hold your license.
- File the change with GREC. Submit a Change Application, your new broker signs off, and your license moves to active.
For most agents, the continuing education is the longest part. Online options like McKissock, The CE Shop and GeeWhizCE let you work at your own pace. For in-person classes, check the Cherokee Association of REALTORS and America’s Real Estate Academy in Woodstock.
If you’re a REALTOR, you also need the Code of Ethics course every three years. That’s a separate requirement from GREC’s continuing education.
If your license has lapsed
How you reinstate depends on how long the license has been expired:
- Less than 30 days: if your license was active before the deadline and all your continuing education is posted, you can reinstate online straight to active.
- More than 30 days: the license comes back as inactive. Once your continuing education posts, submit a Change Application to move it to active.
- More than a year: you can’t reinstate online. You’ll file a Reinstatement Application with GREC, and a late fee applies.
Late fees apply to any lapsed license. GREC may also ask for a secure and verifiable ID document and a notarized affidavit if they aren’t already on file. Plan for about five business days for GREC to update your record before you can reinstate online.
Choose where you land
Coming back is the best moment to rethink where you hang your license. Ask any brokerage what support you’ll get while you knock the rust off.
Moving from another brokerage? Your current broker releases your license through GREC, and you deactivate your FMLS and GAMLS accounts before you join your new one.
At Path & Post, agents with fewer than 20 closings work with a Success Coach, and everyone trains on The Path Way, our five-step process. You work buyers and sellers from day one, and as a Zillow Preferred partner, we connect agents with buyers who have already asked to talk to an agent. Renee put it this way: “I’ve had my best years financially and hit personal records in real estate, all while being able to take more time off.”
See what it’s like to work here
Meet the team, see how we train, and find out what makes our culture different.
Requirements can change. Confirm the current rules with GREC before you file.
Ready to get active again? We’ll help you plan the steps.
