California Appraisal License Requirements

Qualifying Education:
150 QE Hours.
Basic Appraisal Principles - 30 hours.
Basic Appraisal Procedures - 30 hours.
15-hour Nat’l USPAP or Equivalent.
Residential Market Analysis & Highest and Best Use - 15 hours.
Residential Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach - 15 hours.
Residential Sales Comparison and Income Approaches - 30 hours.
Residential Report Writing and Case Studies - 15 hours.
*Laws and Regulations for California Appraisers – 4 hours.
**California Elimination of Bias & Cultural Competency for Appraisers - 1 hour

*CCR 3543. Effective 1-1-17, the application shall complete the laws and regulations course as a prerequisite to licensure. This amendment will ensure new licensees understand the laws and regulations before practicing.

**For an applicant for initial or reciprocal license submitting a completed application that is received by the bureau on or after January 1, 2023, at least 1 hour of instruction in cultural competency.  
 

2015 AQB Supervisor/Trainee Course Requirement: Both the Trainee Appraiser and Supervisory Appraiser shall be required to complete a course that, at minimum, complies with the specifications for course content established by the AQB. The course must be completed by the Trainee Appraiser prior to obtaining a Trainee Appraiser credential, and completed by the Supervisory Appraiser prior to supervising a Trainee Appraiser. Please read this important information from the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers to make sure your experience hours count.

Experience: N/A

College Education: N/A

Qualifying Education:
150 QE Hours.
Basic Appraisal Principles - 30 hours.
Basic Appraisal Procedures - 30 hours.
15-hour Nat’l USPAP or Equivalent.
Residential Market Analysis & Highest and Best Use - 15 hours.
Residential Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach - 15 hours.
Residential Sales Comparison and Income Approaches - 30 hours.
Residential Report Writing and Case Studies - 15 hours.
*Laws and Regulations for California Appraisers – 4 hours.
****California Elimination of Bias & Cultural Competency for Appraisers - 1 hour

*CCR 3543. Effective 1-1-17, the application shall complete the laws and regulations course as a prerequisite to licensure. This amendment will ensure new licensees understand the laws and regulations before practicing.
 

**For an applicant for initial or reciprocal license submitting a completed application that is received by the bureau on or after January 1, 2023, at least 1 hour of instruction in cultural competency.  
 

Experience: 1,000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience in not less than 6 months. Please read this important information from the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers to make sure your experience hours count.

College Education: No college-level education required. 

Qualifying Education:
200 QE Hours.
Basic Appraisal Principles - 30 hours.
Basic Appraisal Procedures - 30 hours.
15-hour Nat’l USPAP or Equivalent.
Residential Market Analysis & Highest and Best Use - 15 hours.
Residential Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach - 15 hours.
Residential Sales Comparison and Income Approaches - 30 hours.
Residential Report Writing and Case Studies - 15 hours.
Statistics, Modeling and Finance – 15 hours.
Advanced Residential Applications and Case Studies – 15 hours.
Appraisal Subject Matter Electives – 20 hours.
*Laws and Regulations for California Appraisers – 4 hours.
**California Elimination of Bias & Cultural Competency for Appraisers - 1 hour

* CCR 3543. Effective 1-1-17, the application shall complete the laws and regulations course as a prerequisite to licensure. This amendment will ensure new licensees understand the laws and regulations before practicing.
 

**For an applicant for initial or reciprocal license submitting a completed application that is received by the bureau on or after January 1, 2023, at least 1 hour of instruction in cultural competency.  
 

Experience: 1,500 hours of acceptable appraisal experience in not less than 12 months. Please read this important information from the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers to make sure your experience hours count.

College Education:

1) Bachelor’s Degree in any field of study;
2) Associate’s Degree in a focused field of study, such as business, economics, or real estate;
3) Successful completion of 30 college semester credit hours in specified topics;
4) Successful completion of College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)1 exams equivalent to a minimum of 30 semester credit hours in specified subject matter areas; or
5) Any combination of #3 and #4 above that includes all of the topics identified.
6) A LICENSED RESIDENTIAL appraiser who has been licensed for a minimum of 5 years and in good standing for at least 5 years with no disciplinary actions that would affect the individual’s ability to appraise may upgrade to CERTIFIED RESIDENTIAL without completing any college coursework. 
 

Qualifying Education:
300 QE Hours.
Basic Appraisal Principles - 30 hours.
Basic Appraisal Procedures - 30 hours.
15-hour Nat’l USPAP or Equivalent.
General Appraiser Market Analysis & Highest and Best Use - 30 hours.
General Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach - 30 hours.
General Appraiser Sales Comparison Approach - 30 hours.
General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies - 30 hours.
Statistics, Modeling and Finance – 15 hours.
General Appraiser Income Approach – 60 hours.
Appraisal Subject Matter Electives – 30 hours.
*Laws and Regulations for California Appraisers – 4 hours.
**California Elimination of Bias & Cultural Competency for Appraisers - 1 hour 

* CCR 3543. Effective 1-1-17, the application shall complete the laws and regulations course as a prerequisite to licensure. This amendment will ensure new licensees understand the laws and regulations before practicing.

**For an applicant for initial or reciprocal license submitting a completed application that is received by the bureau on or after January 1, 2023, at least 1 hour of instruction in cultural competency.  
 

Experience: 3,000 hours of acceptable appraisal experience in no less than 18 months. A minimum of 1,500 hours of the required experience must be in non-residential appraisal work. Please read this important information from the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers to make sure your experience hours count.

College Education: Must have a Bachelor’s degree or higher.