CE and Ethics Requirements

Continuing Education

Every two years, real estate licensees must complete 18 hours of CE to maintain their real estate license in the state of Wisconsin. The 18 hours include completion of 1-hour course topics listed below. Detailed course descriptions are located here.

Mandatory (licensees must take 12 hours)

• Course 1: Wisconsin Agency Law
• Course 2: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services Disciplinary Actions
• Course 3: Commissions in Wisconsin Agency Agreements, Offers of Compensation and Antitrust
• Course 4: The Inspection Contingency in the Wisconsin Offers to Purchase
• Course 5: Wisconsin Legislative Updates Related to Real Estate
• Course 6: Wisconsin Real Estate Case Law Update
• Course 7: Advertising for Wisconsin Real Estate Licensees
• Course 8: Default, Earnest Money, and WB-45 Cancellation Agreement and Mutual Release
• Course 9: Financing Commitment and Appraisal Contingencies in the Wisconsin Offers to Purchase
• Course 10: Fair Housing in Wisconsin Transactions
• Course 11: Agent-to-Agent Relationships
• Course 12: Seller and Licensee Disclosure in Wisconsin Transactions

Electives (licensees must take six hours)

• Elective 1: Short Sales and Foreclosures in Wisconsin
• Elective 2: Changing a Property’s Use in Wisconsin
• Elective 3: Other Wisconsin Approved Forms
• Elective 4: Closing of Buyer’s Property Contingency, Secondary Offer, and Bump Clause in the Wisconsin Offers to Purchase
• Elective 5: Drafting Contracts in Wisconsin Real Estate Transactions
• Elective 6: Risk Reduction for Wisconsin Licensees

WRA real estate CE information

WRA CE formats

As the leading expert in Wisconsin real estate practice, the WRA is your top choice for real estate education. The WRA offers various education formats to help you complete your requirements.

• 2023-24 CE live classroom courses
• 2023-24 online and self-study courses
• 2021-22 online and self-study courses (inactive licensees)
• 2021-22 dual-licensed Wisconsin & Minnesota self-study courses (inactive licensees)
• 2021-22 common questions and course descriptions

Additional information

CE exemption rule changes: All licensees are required to complete the 18 credit hours of CE, including for the biennium during which they were licensed. Thus, newly licensed individuals are not exempt from CE during the biennium they first receive their license. See Wis. Admin. Code § REEB 25: Education. However, one individual is exempt: a salesperson who receives a license after October 1 of the even year of the biennium is not required to complete CE for that biennium. Brokers do not receive any exemption.

Minnesota licensees: Per the Minnesota Department of Commerce, only eight credit hours of CE may be taken in a 24-hour period.

Minnesota licensees may only obtain credit once during the same licensing period for any particular CE course. This includes CE courses of the same title and biennium that may be released in a second, revised version during the same biennium. In this case, Minnesota licensees may not receive credit for both a pre- and post-revision version of the same course.

Inactive Wisconsin license: If your license is inactive and has been inactive for less than five years and you wish to renew your license, you must (1) complete the previous biennium of CE, (2) pay the license fee, and (3) pay the late fee.

Appraisal CE credits: Thereal estate CE courses do not qualify as approved appraisal CE course credit.

Code of Ethics Training

The National Association of REALTORS® requires 2-1/2 hours of ethics training between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024.

1. New REALTORS are required to complete New Member Code of Ethics Orientation offered through a local association or free through NAR (https://www.nar.realtor/coeeduc.nsf/findnrdsrecord?openform)
2. Existing REALTORS are required to complete Ethics offered through WRA sponsored CE4 or free through NAR (http://learninglibrary.com/COE/A/HOME?affiliateId=10868)

This NAR link is helpful too: Q&A: Ethics Training Requirements for New and Continuing Members

Options:

a) Licensees who complete all of the following WRA courses will satisfy the National Association of REALTORS®’ Code of Ethics requirements.

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services Disciplinary Actions

Commissions in Wisconsin Agency Agreements, Offers of Compensation and Antitrust

Advertising for Wisconsin Real Estate Licensees

Fair Housing in Wisconsin Transactions

Agent-to-Agent Relationships

1. b) NAR-Online