How to verify a real estate license in California

The five trades at a glance

Real estate agents and brokers

Under Business and Professions Code § 10130, no one may act as or advertise as a real estate broker or salesperson in California without a DRE license. Search the DRE’s Public License Lookup by name, company name or license ID.

The status line is what matters:

The DRE warns that impostors use real licensees’ names, so match the license ID to the person and brokerage on your agreement. If you are paying an agent, see how real estate commission works.

Mortgage loan originators (NMLS)

Every mortgage loan originator (MLO) in California is tracked in the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS). Which state agency licenses them depends on who employs them:

• DRE. A real estate broker or salesperson needs a separate MLO license endorsement (B&P § 10130). The DRE requires that the underlying real estate license be “Licensed” or “Licensed NBA” for the endorsement to renew.
• DFPI. The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation licenses all MLOs employed by finance lenders and brokers under the California Financing Law or by residential mortgage lenders and servicers under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. MLOs already licensed through the DRE are excluded.

How to check. Search the person’s name or NMLS ID on NMLS Consumer Access, a free public site. It is updated nightly on business days. Under the California license, look for “Approved.” DFPI states that a license marked “Approved – Inactive” does not allow the person to originate loans.

Renewal dates. DRE MLO endorsements and DFPI MLO licenses both renew each year between November 1 and December 31. A DRE endorsement not renewed by December 31 expires on January 1, and the person must stop MLO activity (DRE, as of October 2026).

Home inspectors

California does not license home inspectors. Chapter 9.3 of the Business and Professions Code (§§ 7195-7199, in force since January 1, 1997) defines a home inspection as a noninvasive physical examination, for a fee, of a one-to-four-unit home in connection with a transfer. It defines a home inspector simply as “any individual who performs a home inspection.” It contains no license, exam or registration.

What the law sets:

• Standard of care (§ 7196). An inspector who is not a licensed contractor, structural pest control operator, architect or registered engineer must use the care a reasonably prudent home inspector would use.
• Unfair practices (§ 7197). An inspector may not offer paid repairs on a home they inspected in the past 12 months, inspect a property they have a financial interest in, pay referral fees to owners or agents, or take a job whose fee depends on the conclusions.
• No liability caps (§ 7198). A contract clause limiting liability to the cost of the report is invalid.
• Four years to sue (§ 7199) for breach of duty, counted from the date of the inspection.

What to check instead. Ask which state licenses the inspector holds, then verify each one. The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) has a “Check a License” tool. The Structural Pest Control Board (SPCB) lets you verify a pest control company or licensee and search wood-destroying organism (termite) inspection records by property. Engineers are on the BPELSG lookup. Association membership is not a state license. See home inspection cost and California seller disclosure.

Appraisers (state board and national registry)

Under B&P § 11320, no one may perform federally related appraisal activity in California, or call themselves a licensed appraiser, without an active license. A willful violation can bring jail time or a fine of up to $10,000. BREA issues four levels: Trainee, Licensed Residential, Certified Residential and Certified General (BREA, 2026).

Two places to check:

1. BREA’s “Search for an Appraiser” shows the license and any disciplinary actions.
2. The ASC National Registry, run by the federal Appraisal Subcommittee, lets you filter by credentialing state and by certificate type: Certified General, Certified Residential or Licensed. Trainee is not a filter option.

BREA also opened a Real Estate Appraisal Recovery Account on July 1, 2026; its site explains who can apply. See home appraisal cost.

Land surveyors

Section 8725 of the Business and Professions Code makes it unlawful to practice or offer land surveying, or to set or remove a survey monument on land you have no legal interest in, without a license. BPELSG sends you to DCA Search for the current status of licensed engineers, land surveyors, geologists and geophysicists. Enter the license number as digits only, with no leading zeros. One number can belong to several license types, so check that the result says land surveyor. Prices are covered in land survey cost.

What to do if a license is expired or suspended

• Stop and ask. A status other than “Licensed” (DRE) or “Approved” (NMLS) means the person may not be allowed to do that work right now.
• Report it. The DRE investigates complaints against licensees and unlicensed people doing licensed work. Use form RE 519 or its online complaint system. The DRE cannot order refunds or cancel contracts; for that it refers you to an attorney. BREA takes appraiser complaints online.
• Get legal help if a deal is under way: see California real estate attorney and our Los Angeles page.