Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing
The Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing is a part of the Ohio Department of Commerce; the Division is the official licensing agency for all 53,000 real estate licensees in Ohio. The Division is staffed by 40 professionals in Columbus who carry out rules handed down during the monthly Real Estate Commission meetings.
Staffers process initial applications and renewals of more than 53,000 real estate licensees annually, monitor the quality of continuing education courses and ensure the necessary credit has been obtained by license renewals.
Ohio Real Estate Commission
The Ohio Real Estate Commission is a five-member group, appointed by the Governor, that meets once a month in the Division offices. Four of the five must be active brokers. Commissioners set licensing requirements, make rules concerning licensees, handle complaints about violations of state laws and regulations and suspend and revoke licenses. Commissioners also certify courses for continuing education credit and oversee the special Recovery Fund.
Ohio Real Estate Appraiser Board
The Ohio Real Estate Appraiser Board functions like the Ohio Real Estate Commission. The Board is the last stop for disputes over licenses and over licensees’ actions. It can choose to renew licenses for appraisers who miss renewal deadlines; it can revoke or suspend licenses when it determines appraisers violated appraisal laws.
The Board is a Governor-appointed panel with rule-making authority over the group it regulates--the appraisers. The state Legislature enacts laws concerning appraisers, such as how many hours the state requires for licensing and certification.