How to verify a real estate license in Colorado

Which agency licenses each trade?

Real estate agents and brokers

It is unlawful to act as a real estate broker in Colorado without a license from the Real Estate Commission (§ 12-10-202). The Commission must keep a record of licensees’ names and addresses (§ 12-10-209). Licensing is run through the state’s Division of Real Estate, part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies, so check the license there before signing a listing or buyer agreement.

Look for three things: the license is active, the broker is shown with the brokerage you expect, and there is no discipline. A broker who changes employer without telling the Commission has the license automatically inactivated (§ 12-10-211). Anyone may file a written complaint, and the Commission must investigate it. After a hearing it can fine a licensee up to $2,500 per offense, censure, place on probation, suspend or revoke a license (§ 12-10-217). Acting as a broker after a license was revoked or during a suspension is a class 2 misdemeanor (§ 12-10-223).

New in 2026. H.B. 26-1287 continues the Division and Commission until 2037, effective August 12, 2026. It lets the Commission inactivate licensees who miss continuing education and makes a revoked licensee wait two years, instead of one, to reapply.

Mortgage loan originators (NMLS)

An individual may not originate a mortgage in Colorado unless licensed by the board and registered with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry (§ 12-10-704(1)). Mortgage companies must register as well (§ 12-10-705). Each licensed or registered person must show the unique NMLS identifier on residential mortgage loan applications and other documents the board names (§ 12-10-729).

So ask for the originator’s NMLS number and search it in NMLS Consumer Access, the public lookup of the national system. Acting without a license, or after revocation or during suspension, is a class 2 misdemeanor, and each loan offered by an unlicensed person is a separate violation (§ 12-10-720). The law has some narrow exemptions, such as an individual financing no more than three properties a year that they own (§ 12-10-709). For what lenders and settlement providers charge, see closing costs in Colorado.

Home inspectors

I found no Colorado statute that licenses home inspectors. The titles I searched mention “home inspection services” only in a list of settlement services in the affiliated business arrangements section (§ 12-10-218). If no state license exists, nobody can verify one, so check other proof: ask for references, sample reports, proof of insurance and any membership in a professional association, and confirm it with that association. Legislatures change the rules, so ask the inspector whether any local or new state requirement applies. Our home inspection cost guide explains what a report includes.

Appraisers (state board and national registry)

Colorado law has four credential levels: certified general appraiser, certified residential appraiser, licensed appraiser, and licensed ad valorem appraiser, a category open only to county assessor staff and state property-tax staff, who may not appraise outside their official duties (§ 12-10-606). Performing a real estate appraisal without a license or certificate is a class 2 misdemeanor (§ 12-10-616). A broker’s opinion of value that is not represented as an appraisal falls outside the definition, within the limits in § 12-10-602.

The federal Appraisal Subcommittee keeps a national Appraiser Registry that can be searched by credentialing state, certificate type (certified general, certified residential, licensed) and name. Use it to confirm a Colorado appraiser’s credential, then check the state record for discipline. See home appraisal cost for what to expect.

Land surveyors

Only a licensed professional land surveyor may practice professional land surveying in Colorado or use the title, and the license comes from the State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (§§ 12-120-102, 12-120-305). The practice includes boundary determinations, land survey plats, easements and monuments (§ 12-120-302). Employees working under a licensed surveyor’s responsible charge are exempt (§ 12-120-303). A person who practices without an active license faces penalties under § 12-20-407. The land survey cost guide covers prices.

What if a license is expired, suspended or revoked?

Do not hire the person until the regulator confirms the license is active. For brokers, loan originators and appraisers, the statutes make unlicensed work, or work during a suspension or after revocation, a class 2 misdemeanor. For land surveyors, the board can have the practice stopped or the attorney general or district attorney can seek an injunction (§ 12-120-305(3)). You can report a broker in writing to the Commission, which must investigate (§ 12-10-217).