Illinois real estate license lookup and requirements
Open the official Illinois real estate license search, browse 578,604 Illinois license records in RELD, and pull the same data into your app through our REST API.
- Verify a single Illinois agent → Official Illinois license lookup (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation)
- Want to get a Illinois real estate license? → Apply through Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
License counts in Illinois
- Total licenses
- 578,604
- Active licenses
- 75,643
Official source
Official Illinois license lookup
- Agency
- Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
- Direct search URL
- https://online-dfpr.micropact.com/lookup/licenselookup.aspx
Use this link to verify a single Illinois license against the official state source. RELD is a separate REST API product for teams that need repeatable search, verification, and compliance workflows.
Licensing agency
Application resources
Use official agency pages for current application rules, fees, education hours, testing, and renewal instructions.
Official Illinois licensing requirementsIllinois licensing requirements
- Pre-license education hours
- 90
- Exam required
- Yes
- Background check / fingerprinting
- No
- Minimum age
- 18
- Renewal cycle
- Every 2 years
- Continuing education hours
- 12
- License types
- Broker; Managing Broker; Leasing Agent
Always confirm current rules with Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation before relying on these fields for eligibility, exam, fee, or renewal decisions.
License categories in Illinois
- Broker
- Managing Broker
- Leasing Agent
License attributes available for Illinois
- Illinois licenses what other states call "salespersons" as Brokers, and uses "Managing Broker" for the supervising role
- Attorneys admitted by the Illinois Supreme Court are exempt from the 90-hour pre-license requirement
- Brokers licensed on or after Nov 1, 2023 must complete 45 hours of Post-License Education instead of the 12-hour standard CE cycle
What makes Illinois different?
- Illinois renames the typical "salesperson" license as "Broker" — confusing if you're comparing to neighbors like IN or WI.
- New brokers (initial license issued Nov 1 2023 or later) owe 45 hours of post-license education by their first renewal, not the standard 12-hour CE.
Top cities by license count
- Chicago — 127,960 licenses
- Naperville — 11,415 licenses
- Rockford — 7,427 licenses
- Northbrook — 6,672 licenses
- Springfield — 5,911 licenses
- Schaumburg — 5,886 licenses
- Aurora — 5,562 licenses
- Des Plaines — 5,442 licenses
- Arlington Heights — 5,152 licenses
- Skokie — 4,876 licenses
- Oak Lawn — 4,780 licenses
- Park Ridge — 4,726 licenses
- Palatine — 4,658 licenses
- Evanston — 4,562 licenses
- Orland Park — 4,402 licenses
How to verify a real estate license in Illinois
If you need to check the status of a single Illinois agent right now, the official regulator lookup is the fastest path. If your team needs to verify licenses inside a product, CRM, onboarding flow, or compliance pipeline, RELD's REST API returns the same data as structured JSON with source attribution and refresh metadata.
Official Illinois license lookup (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation)
How to get a real estate license in Illinois
Requirements vary by state. See our how-to guide for Illinois for general steps and official application resources.
Related state license resources
FAQ
Illinois licensing questions
How do I look up a real estate license in Illinois?
Use the official Illinois license lookup operated by Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. RELD also exposes 578,604 Illinois license records through a REST API for teams that need programmatic verification.
What is the official real estate license search site for Illinois?
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation runs the official Illinois real estate license search. The link to that source is at the top of this page.
How often do real estate licenses renew in Illinois?
Illinois real estate licenses renew on a Every 2 years cycle. Confirm exact dates with Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
What continuing education is required in Illinois?
Illinois requires 12 continuing education hours per renewal cycle. Course content and approved-provider rules are set by Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
What license types exist in Illinois?
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation issues the following Illinois real estate license types: Broker; Managing Broker; Leasing Agent.
What makes Illinois different from other states?
Illinois renames the typical "salesperson" license as "Broker" — confusing if you're comparing to neighbors like IN or WI. New brokers (initial license issued Nov 1 2023 or later) owe 45 hours of post-license education by their first renewal, not the standard 12-hour CE.
Interactive coverage map
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Live states and territories are shaded by active licensee records. The panel starts with network-wide totals; click a region to pin that jurisdiction's counts and refresh cadence.
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