Get a California salesperson license from the Department of Real Estate: take three approved college-level courses, pass the state’s 150-question exam, clear a Live Scan fingerprint check, and then hang your license with a responsible broker. Filing the exam and license together costs $450 in DRE fees, and California residents pay a separate $49 fingerprint fee to the Live Scan provider (DRE, Fees page, checked September 24, 2026).
The license works statewide, so Concord has no extra step. What’s local is where you study, how you get to the exam, and what your first clients here will ask. Let’s take it in order.
Who can apply?
Anyone 18 or older can be issued a license, per the DRE. Honesty is a stated requirement too, and the DRE warns that a past conviction can be grounds to deny a license (DRE, Requirements to Apply for a Real Estate Salesperson License, checked September 24, 2026). Out-of-state applicants have their own process on the same page.
One tip: disclose everything the application asks for. Leaving something off tends to cause more trouble than the thing itself.
Which courses do I take?
Three courses: Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, and one elective from the DRE’s approved list. Electives include Real Estate Finance, Legal Aspects of Real Estate, Real Estate Appraisal, Property Management, Escrows and Common Interest Developments, among others. Each course must be three semester units or four quarter units at the college level (DRE, Requirements page, checked September 24, 2026).
Your Practice course must now cover implicit bias and fair housing, with an interactive part where you play the consumer and then the agent (same DRE page). Pay attention in that one. Fair housing is the part of the job that protects your clients and your license.
Where can I take the courses near Concord?
Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill is the closest community college option. Its business real estate program lists a Certificate of Accomplishment in Real Estate Salesperson (Diablo Valley College, Business Real Estate page, checked September 24, 2026). Check DVC’s class schedule for how and when each course is offered.
Getting there is easy without a car. County Connection Route 20 runs between Concord BART and DVC along Willow Pass Road, weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., every 15 to 30 minutes, and Route 320 covers it on weekends. An adult Clipper fare is $2.00 (County Connection Routes and Fares pages, checked September 24, 2026).
Private real estate schools work too. Before you enroll anywhere, check that each class counts under the DRE’s course rules.
How much does a California real estate license cost?
Here are the DRE fees for a salesperson, from the DRE Fees page (checked September 24, 2026):
| Fee | Amount | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| Exam | $100 | DRE |
| License | $350 | DRE |
| Combined exam and license filing, total | $450 | DRE |
| Live Scan fingerprints, California residents | $49 | Live Scan provider |
| First rescheduled exam | $40 | DRE |
| Re-exam | $100 | DRE |
| On-time renewal | $350 | DRE |
Tuition is extra and set by the school. The DRE also says its fees are nonrefundable.
What’s on the exam?
It’s 150 multiple-choice questions in three hours, and you need 70% to pass (DRE, Taking the Exam page, checked September 24, 2026). The DRE breaks the content into seven areas. The three biggest are Practice of Real Estate and Disclosures at about 25%, Laws of Agency and Fiduciary Duties at about 17%, and Property Ownership and Land Use Controls at about 15% (DRE, Salesperson Examination Content page, checked September 24, 2026).
Study those three first. They’re also the parts you’ll use every week once you’re working.
Where do I take the exam from Concord?
Oakland is the closest DRE exam site, at the Elihu M. Harris State Office Building, 1515 Clay Street, Room 703, 7th floor (DRE, Exam Sites page, checked September 24, 2026). The DRE also tests in Fresno, La Palma, Sacramento and San Diego.
You can ride there. BART’s weekday schedule shows Yellow Line trains from Concord reaching 12th St. Oakland City Center in 32 minutes with no transfer, and the adult Clipper fare is $5.35 each way (BART schedule and fare data for Thursday, October 1, 2026, checked September 24, 2026). Look up the walk from the station to Clay Street before test day, and leave early. The DRE asks examinees to show up 30 minutes ahead.
What happens after I pass?
Filed the exam application by itself? Then the DRE wants the Salesperson License Application (RE 202), a completed Live Scan Service Request (RE 237) and the license fee. No fingerprint results, no license (DRE, Once You Pass the Examination page, checked September 24, 2026).
Then pick your broker. You can hold a license without one, but the DRE says a salesperson without a responsible broker may not do anything that requires a license (DRE, Requirements page). That’s where choosing a team comes in.
What should a new Concord agent learn first?
The three things your first buyers and sellers will ask about:
- The Naval Weapons Station. On September 24, 2026, the city announced the Navy approved the Term Sheet for about 2,422 acres, with Brookfield leading a Specific Plan starting this winter (Concord Community Reuse Project, News Flash, September 24, 2026). Learn to answer from the city’s own updates, and never predict what it means for values.
- Two BART stations. Concord station on Oakland Avenue and North Concord/Martinez on Port Chicago Highway. Know which one a listing is closer to, and what parking costs.
- School boundaries. Mt. Diablo Unified has its district office in Concord. Assignments go by address, so always send buyers to the district to verify.
That’s where a team earns its keep. You learn these from agents who answer them every week, not on a live client. Shopping for a team? Start with our answer on how to pick a real estate team to join in Central Contra Costa County.
No team can promise what you’ll make. A good one can cut down the guesswork.
Questions people also ask
How long does it take to get a real estate license in California?
It depends mostly on how fast you finish three college-level courses. After that you file with the DRE, schedule the exam and complete Live Scan fingerprints. The DRE will not issue the license before your fingerprint results arrive, per its Once You Pass the Examination page, checked September 24, 2026. Plan your coursework first, then book the exam.
Can I take real estate classes near Concord?
Yes. The closest college is Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, whose business real estate program offers a Certificate of Accomplishment in Real Estate Salesperson, per its program page checked September 24, 2026. County Connection Route 20 runs from Concord BART to DVC on weekdays. Confirm any course meets the DRE’s rules before you enroll.
Where is the closest real estate exam site to Concord?
Oakland. The DRE tests in Room 703 of the Elihu M. Harris State Office Building, 1515 Clay Street, per the DRE Exam Sites page checked September 24, 2026. From Concord, BART’s Yellow Line reaches 12th St. Oakland City Center in about 32 minutes on weekday mornings, and the adult Clipper fare is $5.35 each way.
What score do I need to pass the California real estate exam?
You need at least 70% on the salesperson exam, which has 150 multiple-choice questions and a three-hour limit, per the DRE’s Taking the Exam page, checked September 24, 2026. The biggest content area is Practice of Real Estate and Disclosures, about 25% of the exam. A re-exam costs $100 if you need another try.
Your next step
In classes now, or just licensed? Let’s talk through what your first Concord files will look like and who will be in your corner. The Davis Team gives new agents leads, training, support, mentorship and systems. See what joining looks like at whythedavisteam.com or call (510) 949-5525.
More on Concord: Living in Concord, CA · Concord market update
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Concord, CA. Updated September 24, 2026.
Sources
- California Department of Real Estate, Fees page: dre.ca.gov/licensees/fees.html (checked September 24, 2026)
- California Department of Real Estate, Requirements to Apply for a Real Estate Salesperson License: dre.ca.gov/Examinees/RequirementsSales.html (checked September 24, 2026)
- California Department of Real Estate, Taking the Exam: dre.ca.gov/Examinees/TakingExam.html (checked September 24, 2026)
- California Department of Real Estate, Salesperson Examination Content: dre.ca.gov/Examinees/SalesExamContent.html (checked September 24, 2026)
- California Department of Real Estate, Exam Sites: dre.ca.gov/Examinees/ExamSites.html (checked September 24, 2026)
- California Department of Real Estate, Once You Pass the Examination: dre.ca.gov/Examinees/PassExam.html (checked September 24, 2026)
- Diablo Valley College, Business Real Estate: dvc.edu/academics/explore-our-programs/business-real-estate (checked September 24, 2026)
- County Connection, Routes and Fares pages: countyconnection.com (checked September 24, 2026)
- BART, official schedule and fare data (api.bart.gov) for Thursday, October 1, 2026 (checked September 24, 2026)
- Concord Community Reuse Project, News Flash posted September 24, 2026: concordreuseproject.org/CivicAlerts.aspx (checked September 24, 2026)