California state-portion outline
| Topic | Weight |
|---|---|
| Property ownership and land use controls and regulations | 15% |
| Laws of agency and fiduciary duties | 17% |
| Property valuation and financial analysis | 14% |
| Financing | 9% |
| Transfer of property | 8% |
| Practice of real estate and disclosures (incl. specialty areas) | 25% |
| Contracts | 12% |
California license-law facts to memorize
| Rule | What the law says |
|---|---|
| License types | Salesperson, Broker (source) |
| Escrow / trust deposits | Trust funds must be deposited (to the principal, a neutral escrow, or the broker trust account) within three business days after receipt (Commissioner’s Regulation 2832) (source) |
| Agency disclosure | The agency disclosure form (Civ. Code 2079.16) goes to the seller before the listing agreement and to the buyer as soon as practicable before the buyer-broker agreement and offer (Civ. Code 2079.14) (source) |
| Recovery fund | Consumer Recovery Account: up to $50,000 per transaction and $250,000 per licensee for applications filed on or after Jan 1, 2009 (B&P 10474) (source) |
| Continuing education | 45 clock hours in the four years before each renewal (B&P 10170.5) (source) |
| Governing law | Real Estate Law, Business and Professions Code sections 10000 et seq.; Regulations of the Real Estate Commissioner, 10 CCR 2705 et seq. (source) |
Commonly confused rules
- Three business days. Trust funds go to the principal, a neutral escrow or the trust account within three business days of receipt. The exception is an uncashed offer check held on written instruction, with the seller told it is being held.
- Who gets the agency disclosure, and when. Seller: before the listing agreement. Buyer: as soon as practicable before the buyer-broker agreement and the offer.
- Recovery Account limits. $50,000 per transaction / $250,000 per licensee for applications filed since 2009 - the older $20,000 / $100,000 figures are a classic distractor.
- 45 hours / 4 years. CE is 45 clock hours in the four years before each renewal.
10 California state-portion practice questions
California real estate state-portion practice questions
Educational summary, not legal advice. Statutes and rules change - the linked official text controls.
Drill the California state bank
Hundreds of original state-law questions, sorted by the outline above.
Sources
- California Department of Real Estate (accessed 2026-09-23)
- California Department of Real Estate (accessed 2026-09-23)
- California Legislative Information (accessed 2026-09-23)
- California Legislative Information (accessed 2026-09-23)
- California Legislative Information (accessed 2026-09-23)
- California Department of Real Estate (accessed 2026-09-23)
- California Department of Real Estate (accessed 2026-09-23)