Appraiser Licensing Qualifications Changes

The Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) has adopted changes to the minimum licensing requirements. For those unfamiliar with the AQB, it sets the minimum licensing requirements for appraisers nationwide. States can impose licensing requirements in addition to those set by AQB, but must, at a minimum, meet AQB’s minimum licensing requirements.

In 2015, the AQB increased the education requirements for applicants seeking a residential license to a minimum of 30 college semester units or an Associate’s degree, and applicants seeking a certified residential or certified general license to a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Beginning on May 1, 2018, the AQB will change these requirements to the following: 1) remove the college-level education requirements for the residential license; and 2) provide alternatives to the Bachelor’s degree requirement for the certified residential license. Individuals will be able to apply to the Bureau under the new AQB education requirements on or after May 1, 2018. Final administrative language may vary; we will announce any changes or updates to these requirements.

The AQB also adopted a reduction to the amount of experience required to receive or upgrade a license to the following: 1) residential appraiser to 1,000 hours in no fewer than six months; 2) certified residential appraiser to 1,500 hours in no fewer than 12 months; and 3) certified general appraiser to 3,000 hours in no fewer than 18 months. The proposed regulatory changes to be consistent with AQB experience requirements have been noticed for public comment here. The notice period ends on August 23, 2019, after which the Bureau will obtain all necessary approvals and anticipates the changes will become effective in early 2020. Therefore, the experience hours currently required will remain the same until the Bureau implements these proposed changes.

We highly encourage our licensees, appraisal management companies, and other stakeholders to share this information with others in the industry. The Bureau uses multiple avenues to share updates and announcements including email blasts and social media pages.