Real estate appraiser

Become a Real Estate Appraiser

Steps to become a licensed real estate appraiser.

Requirements

  • Submit a completed application and the required fee to the Department of State.
  • Education is required of all applicants and is based on the category of license/certification for which you are applying.
  • Courses are listed on the application and in the Real Estate Appraiser Law book, 19 NYCRR Part 1103. It is recommended that residential courses be taken sequentially.
  • A written examination is required (not available for appraiser assistant).
  • Experience is required of all applicants and is based on the category of license/certification for which you are applying. Applicants not meeting the experience requirements may be eligible for an appraiser assistant license.

 

See FAQs for more information

Fees

There are fees associated a Real Estate Appraiser license. You may pay these fees by check or money order made payable to the Department of State or by MasterCard or Visa using a credit card authorization form. DO NOT SEND CASH. Application fees are nonrefundable. A $20 fee will be charged for any check returned by your bank.

Real Estate Appraiser:

  • $355 - Initial Application (includes $250 application, $80 federal registry and $25 examination application fees)
  • $125 - Written Exam (payable to test vendor)
  • $330 - Renewal
  • $200 - Late Renewal Penalty
  • $10 - Change of Personal Name and/or Address (No fee is required if a name change is the result of a change in marital status)
  • $10 - Duplicate License/Registration Request

Appraiser Assistant:

  • $250 - Initial Application
  • $125 - Written Exam (payable to test vendor)
  • $250 - Renewal
  • $200 - Late Renewal Penalty
  • $10 - Change of Personal Name and/or Address (No fee is required if a name change is the result of a change in marital status)
  • $10 - Duplicate License/Registration Request

 Temporary:

  • $125 – Initial Application

Reciprocal:

  • $330 – Initial Application

Course Providers

Course Providers offer the qualifying and continuing education courses for Real Estate Appraisers.

COURSE PROVIDERS

Written Exam

The Department of State has agreements with the Appraisers Qualification Board approved test providers to administer the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations in New York State.  Below is a brief description of the exam process.

Original appraiser applications require a $25.00 examination application fee in addition to the original application fee.  Once the original application is approved and the applicant's examination eligibility is determined, an examination admission notice is mailed to the applicant.  The admission notice will include all of the necessary information for the applicant to register and schedule an examination with an approved test provider.  In addition, at the bottom of the admission notice is an admission card.  This card must be presented to the test center personnel in order to be admitted into the examination.

Upon receipt of the admission notice, the applicant should verify that the exam eligibility indicated on the form conforms to the level of licensure/certification for which the applicant has applied.  (Note: It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the correct examination is taken at the test center) Once all of the information is verified, the applicant can contact any of the approved test providers listed on the admission notice to register for and schedule an examination.  The actual testing fees are established by the individual test providers and payable directly to them.  An applicant who requires special accommodations in order to test must inform the test provider when making an appointment.

The applicant will be provided with a score report at the test center location at the conclusion of the examination.

  • An applicant who has passed the examination will continue with the licensing/certification process.
  • An applicant who was not successful must obtain a new admission notice by submitting, to the Department, a new examination application and fee.

Apply

To apply for a Real Estate Appraiser license, submit a completed application to the NYS Department of State, Division of Licensing Services.

FAQs

Contact Contact the Division of Licensing Services

Have a question regarding your license? First, see if your questions are answered in the FAQs above. Otherwise, the quickest way to get in touch with us is through email: Contact us here!


Mailing Information: 
NYS Department of State Division of Licensing Services 
PO Box 22001 
Albany NY 12201-2001 

Please note: If you utilize express services or next day ground services such as UPS, Federal Express, DHL, etc. you should use the physical address of the building. 

Albany Physical Address
Division of Licensing Services 
1 Commerce Plaza 99 Washington Avenue, 6th Floor 
Albany, NY 12231

Phone Information:
General Information (518) 474-4429 
Security Guard and Armored Car Guard Information (518) 474-7569 

Call Center Representatives are available from 8:45am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday except on Legal Holidays.

Deaf, hard of hearing and speech-disabled callers, please use 7-1-1

For all other inquiries, email Licensing Services

Visitor & Customer Service Center Information:
Below is a listing of Licensing Customer Service Centers and the hours of operation. Please monitor this page for updates to office hours, guidelines and or any closures. 

Albany: This office is open for all services.
NYS Department of State Division of Licensing Services 
1 Commerce Plaza 99 Washington Avenue, 6th Floor 
Albany, NY 12231 

Customer Service hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am to 4:30pm
Apostille Service hours: Monday – Friday 9:00am to 4:15pm 

Albany Parking 
Limited on street metered parking is available for 1 Commerce Plaza in Albany. The Office of General Services has various parking lots throughout downtown Albany which have limited visitor parking. To find out more information about the OGS lots, please visit their website.   

New York City: This office is open for all services.
NYS Department of State 
Division of Licensing Services 
123 William St. 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10038-3804

Customer Service hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am to 4:30pm
Apostille Service hours: Monday – Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm  

Binghamton: Effective July 7, 2023, Licensing Customer Service Center will be closed until further notice. Licensing examinations will continue to be held as scheduled. 
NYS Department of State 
Division of Licensing Services 
State Office Building 
44 Hawley Street, Room 1506 
Binghamton, NY 13901-4455 
(518) 474-4429 

Buffalo: Effective November 10, 2022, Licensing Customer Service Center will be closed until further notice. Licensing examinations will continue to be held as scheduled 
NYS Department of State 
Division of Licensing Services 
295 Main Street, 8th Floor, Suite 821 
Buffalo, NY 14203 
(518) 474-4429

Hauppauge: Effective June 21, 2023, Licensing Customer Service Center will be closed until further notice. Licensing examinations will continue to be held as scheduled.

NYS Department of State 
Division of Licensing Services 
State Office Building 
250 Veterans Memorial Highway 
Hauppauge, NY 11788-5519 
(518) 474-4429

Utica: This office is open for all services.

NYS Department of State 
Division of Licensing Services 
State Office Building 
207 Genesee Street Utica, NY 13501-2812 

Customer Service hours: Monday – Friday 9:00am-12:00pm & 12:45pm-4:00pm