Alabama Real Estate Commission

What Alabama Real Estate Commission does

The Alabama Real Estate Commission (AREC) is a state government regulatory agency established on January 1, 1928, that holds exclusive statutory jurisdiction over real estate licensing and discipline in Alabama under Title 34, Chapter 27 of the Code of Alabama 1975. The agency serves approximately 20,000+ real estate professionals — including salespersons, brokers, companies, and schools — across all 67 Alabama counties, in addition to Alabama consumers who rely on the Commission's license verification database and complaint process. The Commission is governed by nine commissioners appointed to represent the state's congressional districts and is operationally led by an Executive Director (Dr. Vaughn T. Poe) and Assistant Executive Director (Wendy Mae Alkire), supported by roughly 30 staff across accounting, investigation, communications, IT, licensing, education, and legal divisions.

The Commission's service portfolio is built on a digital technology stack including the Alabama Interactive online services portal (for license renewals, transfers, CE tracking, and payment processing), the CMap education management system (for schools and instructors), a public License Search verification database, a Course Search application, and a License Law Mobile App for Apple and Android. Core integrations include Pearson VUE for license exam administration, Fieldprint for applicant fingerprinting, Microsoft Teams for virtual Commission meetings, and the ARELLO international database for cross-jurisdiction license verification. The agency also publishes educational content including the Briefly Legal newsletter, The Educator newsletter, The Update newsletter, and tutorial videos on topics such as earnest money, audits, and disclosure requirements.

The Commission's revenue model is fee-based and statutorily defined. Company license original and renewal fees are $85 per year of the license period, license transfer fees are $25, and late renewal fees are $150 added to the renewal fee when licenses are not renewed by August 31. License periods run October 1 of each even year through September 30 of the next even year. As a state agency, AREC is publicly owned, operates from its Montgomery headquarters at 1201 Carmichael Way, and does not seek external funding or pursue growth beyond its mandated regulatory function.

Name

Alabama Real Estate Commission

Legal name

Alabama Real Estate Commission

Website

https://arec.alabama.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Alabama Real Estate Commission is a state government regulatory agency established in 1928 that licenses and disciplines Alabama real estate professionals across all 67 counties, serving approximately 20,000+ licensees and consumers through digital licensing, education, and verification services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Real Estate Licensing and Regulation

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate, Appraisal & Mortgage (Agent/Broker CE, Appraiser CE) (EDAAALAI)

Keywords

• Real estate licensing
• Real estate regulation
• License verification services
• Continuing education oversight
• Regulatory compliance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Montgomery

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Company License Fees: Company license fees are $85 per year for each year or portion of a year remaining in the respective license period. Renewal fee is $85 per year per license period.
2. License Transfer Fees: Transfer fee of $25 to transfer a license to another company or broker
3. Late Renewal Fees: $150 late fee added to renewal fee for licenses not renewed by August 31st deadline

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Alabama Real Estate Commission is a state government regulatory agency that licenses and regulates real estate professionals (salespersons, brokers, companies, and time-share entities) operating in Alabama. It administers pre-licensure examinations through Pearson VUE, manages license issuance, renewals, transfers, and inactivation, oversees approved continuing education courses and instructors, investigates complaints, and enforces Alabama Real Estate License Law. The agency also provides a public license verification database, an online services portal via Alabama Interactive, and consumer protection resources for all 67 Alabama counties.

Product overview

The Alabama Real Estate Commission operates as a regulatory agency providing a suite of digital services for real estate licensee administration and public consumer protection. The core offerings include a License Search/Verification Database for public credential verification, an Online Services Portal (via Alabama Interactive) for licensees to manage renewals and updates, and an Education Management system (CMap) for course administration. Supporting services include Course Search for finding approved education, Exam Scheduling through Pearson VUE, a Consumer Complaint Filing System, and the License Law Mobile App. The Commission also publishes educational content including the Briefly Legal Newsletter, Educator Newsletter, and tutorial videos. These services are interconnected: licensees use the Online Services Portal for ongoing compliance after initial licensing through the exam system, while the Course Search and CMap support mandatory continuing education requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Salesperson License Licensing service for individuals seeking to practice as real estate salespersons in Alabama, including temporary license issuance, conversion to permanent license, post-license education requirements, and continuing education compliance tracking.
• Real Estate Broker License Qualifying broker license service covering broker eligibility, supervision requirements, and continuing education oversight for real estate brokers operating in Alabama.
• Real Estate Company License Company-level licensing service for Alabama real estate brokerages with $85 per year original and renewal fees, covering company registration, office audits, trust account compliance, and license transfer between brokers or companies ($25 transfer fee).
• Real Estate Time-Share Licensing Licensing and registration service for time-share entities operating in Alabama, including eligibility determination, license issuance, and oversight under the Time-Share Law.
• Real Estate Course and School Approval Approval and oversight service for real estate schools and prelicense, post-license, broker, reciprocal, and continuing education courses, including instructor certification through the CMap education management system and compliance with ARELLO distance education standards.
• License Law Mobile Application Free mobile application containing the complete Alabama Real Estate License Law, available for download on Apple and Android devices, providing licensees portable reference to state licensing regulations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Long-standing tradition since January 1, 1928
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Alabama InteractivecoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary online services platform provider enabling license renewals, applications, CE tracking, and payment processing through the Alabama Interactive portal (alabamainteractive.org).
• Pearson VUEcoreTechnology or IntegrationLicense examination administration provider for Alabama real estate licensing exams. Exams scheduled by calling 888-926-9488 or through home.pearsonvue.com/al/realestate.
• Fieldprint AlabamacoreTechnology or IntegrationFingerprint scanning and processing services for license applicants through Fieldprint's network of locations across Alabama.
• ARELLO (Association of Real Estate License Law Officials)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational association of real estate regulatory jurisdictions providing cross-jurisdiction licensee database access and certification standards for distance education (CDEI certification). ARELLO certifies online real estate courses to guarantee quality design and delivery.
• Auburn University Office of Professional and Continuing Education (OPCE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsors Commission instructor training programs and processes all registrations for instructor CE courses. Website: www.auburn.edu/outreach/opce/re/
• Alabama Realtors (AAR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association linked from Commission website providing industry resources and professional development for Alabama real estate professionals.
• Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business entity providing research and resources for Alabama real estate professionals. Website: acre.culverhouse.ua.edu
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides Microsoft Teams platform for virtual Commission meetings (Briefly Legal, Coffee With the Commission) and licensee engagement events.
• Approved Real Estate SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 60 licensed real estate schools and branches throughout Alabama and out-of-state providers offering approved prelicense, post license, and continuing education courses. Includes schools such as Academy of Real Estate, MY Real Estate School, The CE Shop, Inc., and others approved by the Commission.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Pearson VUE: Third-party exam administration partner for AREC and most state real estate commissions. Comparable as the vendor-of-record across the state real estate licensing ecosystem; included for ecosystem context rather than direct competition.
• ARELLO (Association of Real Estate License Law Officials): International association of real estate regulatory jurisdictions of which AREC is a member. Related ecosystem player rather than competitor — provides the cross-jurisdiction database AREC integrates with and certifies distance education programs.
• Alabama Realtors (AAR): Alabama's state-level trade association for realtors. Functions as an industry partner rather than a regulator; complementary to AREC since AAR advocates for and supports licensees while AREC regulates them.
• Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE): University of Alabama-affiliated research and education entity for Alabama real estate professionals. Comparable stakeholder in the continuing-education ecosystem and explicitly listed as a Commission resource partner.

Regional players

• Georgia Real Estate Commission: Neighboring Southeastern state real estate regulator. Peer in scope and scale (similar licensee base size to Alabama), with same licensing, education approval, and enforcement model under Georgia law.

Direct peers

• California Department of Real Estate: California's state-level real estate licensing and regulatory agency. Direct structural peer to AREC — issues real estate salesperson and broker licenses, enforces license law, and oversees education — but operating at much larger scale in California.
• New York Department of State — Division of Licensing Services: New York's state-level real estate licensing regulator. Comparable regulatory function for real estate salespersons and brokers; structurally similar to AREC in licensing, education oversight, and disciplinary authority.
• Texas Real Estate Commission: Texas's state real estate licensing and regulatory body. Most direct operational peer to AREC, with comparable scope over salespersons, brokers, and education providers; differs mainly in market size.
• Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR): Florida's state regulator for real estate and other licensed professions. Direct peer with shared mission of real estate licensing, education approval, and disciplinary enforcement; differs from AREC in covering multiple professions under one department.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ARECalabamagov
• YouTubeyoutube.com/ARECalabamagov
• Facebookfacebook.com/ARECalabamagov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alabama-real-estate-commission
• Instagraminstagram.com/arecalabamagov

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alabama Real Estate Commission