Individual Appraiser Residential
Individual Appraiser License
Trainee Real Property Appraiser
A Trainee Real Property Appraiser’s scope of practice is as defined in Minnesota Statute §82B.093.
- Complete the required pre-license education. Pre-license course providers can be found on www.pulseportal.com
- All education must be completed within the five-year period prior to the date of your application submission and must be electronically uploaded by your provider.
- Basic Appraisal Principals (30 hours)
- Basic Appraiser Procedures (30 hours)
- 15-hour National USPAP Course (15 hours)
- Minnesota Supervisor/Trainee Appraiser Course (6 hours)
- Submit fingerprints for a criminal background check.
- Obtain a supervisor.
- You can obtain a list of licensed Certified Residential and Certified General Appraisers from the Minnesota Bookstore at 651-201-3206 (there is a fee for this service). PLEASE NOTE: You will need to contact one or more of the appraisers on the list yourself to see whether they will be your supervisor.
- You will need the name and license number of your approved supervisor when you apply for your license.
- Apply for your license on www.pulseportal.com
- After completing your online application, you must email your course completion certificates to the Department of Commerce. Please put "Appraiser Licensing" in the subject field. licensing.commerce@state.mn.us
Licensed Residential Real Property Appraiser
A Licensed Real Property Appraiser licensee may perform appraisals for federally related transactions.
- Complete the required prelicense education. Course providers can be found on www.pulseportal.com. You will need to upload the course completion certificates during the application process.
- Basic Appraisal Principals (30 hours)
- Basic Appraiser Procedures (30 hours)
- 15-hour National USPAP Course (15 hours)
- Minnesota Supervisor/Trainee Appraiser Course (6 hours)
- If you hold a valid Trainee Real Property Appraiser license you do not need to repeat the courses listed above.
- Market Analysis and Highest and Best use (15 hours)
- Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach (15 hours)
- Sales Comparison and Income Approaches (30 hours)
- Report Writing and Case Studies (15 hours)
- Complete the Experience Verification Form documenting 1,000 hours of licensed appraiser experience in no fewer than 6 months.
- You will need to upload this completed document during the application process.
- Register for an examination account with Pearson VUE and receive an examination account number.
- The beginning of the account number will be the letters MNCOMM.
- Your account number is unique to you; do not give it to anyone else.
- You will not be able to register for the examination itself yet.
- Submit the license application on Pulse Portal www.pulseportal.com
- On the application, you will have to provide the examination account number.
- Enter your examination account number in the comment area for that question on the application.
- After your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by the Commerce Department to confirm that your education and experience meet the requirements for obtaining the license.
- If the requirements are not met, you will be notified via email how to check the status of your application.
- Once your education and experience meet the requirements for obtaining the license and any other issues with your application have been resolved, you will be notified by Pearson VUE by email that you are authorized to schedule your examination.
- Schedule your examination through Pearson VUE and pay the exam fee.
- Take the examination at your scheduled date and time.
Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser
A Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser licensee may perform appraisals for federally related transactions.
- Complete the required education. Course providers can be found on www.pulseportal.com. You will need to upload the course completion certificates during the application process.
- Basic Appraisal Principals (30 hours)
- Basic Appraiser Procedures (30 hours)
- 15-hour National USPAP Course (15 hours)
- Minnesota Supervisor/Trainee Appraiser Course (6 hours)
- If you hold a valid Trainee Real Property Appraiser license you do not need to repeat the courses listed above.
- Market Analysis and Highest and Best use (15 hours)
- Appraiser Site Valuation and Cost Approach (15 hours)
- Sales Comparison and Income Approaches (30 hours)
- Report Writing and Case Studies (15 hours)
- If you hold a valid Licensed Residential Real Property Appraiser license you do not need to repeat the courses listed above.
- Statistics, Modeling and Finance (15 hours)
- Advanced Residential Applications and Case Studies (15 hours)
- Appraiser Subject Matter Elective (20 hours)
- In addition to the courses listed above, the applicant must obtain the college-level education specified in the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria. Refer to the Summary of Changes document to see the available options.
- You will email proof of meeting this requirement to licensing.commerce@state.mn.us after you apply for your license.
- Complete the Experience Verification Form documenting 1,500 hours of licensed appraiser experience in no fewer than 12 months.
- You will need to upload this completed document during the application process.
- Register for an examination account with Pearson VUE at https://home.pearsonvue.com/mncommerce and receive an examination account number.
- The beginning of the account number will be the letters MNCOMM.
- Your account number is unique to you; do not give it to anyone else.
- You will not be able to register for the examination itself yet.
- Submit the license application on Pulse Portal www.pulseportal.com
- On the application, you will have to provide the examination account number.
- Enter your examination account number in the comment area for that question on the application.
- After your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by the Commerce Department to confirm that your education and experience meet the requirements for obtaining the license.
- If the requirements are not met, you will be notified via email how to check the status of your application.
- Once your education and experience meet the requirements for obtaining the license and any other issues with your application have been resolved, you will be notified by Pearson VUE by email that you are authorized to schedule your examination.
- Schedule your examination through Pearson VUE and pay the exam fee.
- Take the examination at your scheduled date and time.
Certified General Real Property Appraiser
- Complete the license application online at PULSE Portal.
- The total fee includes the $80 National Registry fee imposed by the Appraisal Subcommittee.
- Three hundred (300) total hours of Minnesota-approved pre-licensing appraiser education, including the 15-hour National USPAP Course, must be completed prior to submitting the application. If you hold a valid Trainee, Licensed Residential, or Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser license, this requirement is reduced (by 75 hours for Trainee, by 150 hours for Licensed Residential, and by 200 hours for Certified Residential), but you must complete the remaining specific core curriculum courses and hours.
- The applicant must also possess a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
- List of Required Core Curriculum Courses and Hours
- List of Pre-License Education Sponsors - Continuing education courses are not accepted for pre-licensing hours. Pre-licensing education and experience requirements must be completed prior to taking an appraiser license examination.
- An applicant for licensing as a certified general real property appraiser must submit evidence satisfactory to the commissioner that the person has obtained 3,000 hours of experience in real property appraisal obtained in no fewer than 18 months, of which 1,500 hours must be in non-residential appraisal work.
- Appraiser license examination results cannot be more than 24 months old at the time of your application for a license.
- After completing your online application, you must email documentation of your pre-license education, original passing results for the Certified General Real Property Appraiser examination, and a completed Experience Verification Form documenting 3000 hours of licensed appraiser experience (with at least 50 percent, or 1500 hours, in nonresidential appraisal work) to the Department of Commerce. Please put "Appraiser Licensing" in the subject field.
- A Certified General Real Property Appraiser licensee may perform appraisals for federally-related transactions.
Temporary Practice Appraiser
- Complete the license application online at PULSE Portal.
- You must email your Temporary Practice Appraisal Assignment form documenting the properties to be appraised to the department of Commerce. Please include “Temporary Practice Appraiser Processing” in the subject line of your email.
- A temporary practice appraiser license is valid for the lesser of (a) the time required to complete the assignment, or (b) 12 months. If more than 12 months is necessary to complete the assignment, a new temporary application and fee is required.
- A Temporary Practice Appraiser license is only valid for a single appraisal assignment within Minnesota; a single appraisal assignment may include one or more properties under one contract for a single client.
Reactivate an Expired License
Trainee Real Property Appraiser
- Complete the license application at PULSE Portal.
- If your license has been expired for less than 2 years, reactivation requires successful completion of all outstanding continuing education hours that would have been required if the license was in an active status, including the required most recent edition of a 7-hour National USPAP Update Course.
- If your license has been expired for more than 2 years, you must meet current hourly requirements for experience and pre-license education.
Licensed Residential, Certified Residential, or Certified General Real Property Appraiser
- Complete a new license application at PULSE Portal.
- If your license has been expired for less than 2 years, reactivation requires successful completion of all outstanding continuing education hours that would have been required if the license was in an active status, including the required most recent edition of a 7-hour National USPAP Update Course.
- If your license has been expired for more than 2 years, you must meet current hourly requirements for experience and pre-license education, and must attach original passing results, no more than two years old, for the appropriate level Appraiser examination.
Fingerprinting
Under Minnesota law, an individual applying for an initial resident real estate appraiser license must consent to a criminal history record check and submit a fingerprint card.
There are two options for having your fingerprints taken:
- You may schedule a time to be fingerprinted electronically at one of the Pearson VUE test centers that provides fingerprinting services.
- You may go to any local police station or similar facility with manual fingerprinting capability to have your fingerprints taken manually.
Manual fingerprinting
You may go to any local police station or similar facility with manual fingerprinting capability to have your fingerprints taken manually. The facility will charge a processing fee. After your fingerprints are taken, the fingerprint card will be given back to you in a sealed envelope. Do not fold it. Put it into another envelope along with a fully completed “Resident Insurance Producer/Insurance Adjuster/Real Estate Appraiser License Background Check Consent Form” and a check for $33.25 made out to “Minnesota Department of Commerce” and mail it to:
Administration Division
Attn: Licensing
Minnesota Department of Commerce
85 – 7th Place East, Suite 280
St. Paul, MN 55101
Who is required to submit fingerprints?
Any individual applying for an initial resident real estate appraiser license.
What will my fingerprints be used for?
The Minnesota Department of Commerce (“Commerce Department”) will have the criminal history record check performed by requesting searches of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Computerized Criminal History system and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Justice Information Services system. The purpose of the criminal history record check is to assist the Commerce Department in determining your qualifications and eligibility for the license that you are applying for.
If you refuse to consent to a criminal history record check, your license application will not be processed.
I will be applying for a resident real estate appraiser license. What should I do to meet the requirement to submit fingerprints?
There are two options for having your fingerprints taken: you can schedule a time to be fingerprinted electronically at one of the Pearson VUE test centers that provides fingerprinting services, or you may go to any local police station or similar facility with manual fingerprinting capability to have your fingerprints taken manually.
What is the cost for the electronic fingerprinting performed at the test center?
The total cost is $67.25. This includes charges for background checks conducted by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI as well as vendor processing fees.
The fee may be paid by credit card, debit card, or electronic check.
Do I need to wait to submit my license application until the results of my background check have been received?
No. You can submit your application as soon as you have passed the examination and submitted your fingerprints.
Will the background check process delay the issuance of my license?
Yes. The FBI background check can take several weeks. Based on federal requirements governing real estate appraiser licensing, the Commerce Department will not issue a real estate appraiser license before receiving the background check results.
How long will my background check authorization and fingerprints remain valid?
Before your fingerprints are taken, you will need to sign a background check authorization form that expires one year after it is signed. Accordingly, if more than a year passes between the day your fingerprints are taken and the day you apply for your license, you will need to be fingerprinted again and pay another fee. Once you have become licensed, your fingerprints will remain valid as long as you hold an active appraiser license.
What happens if my fingerprints are not sufficiently legible or are rejected for some other reason and need to be retaken?
If the FBI rejects a set of fingerprints, the Commerce Department will be notified that the fingerprints are illegible, erroneous, or incomplete. The Commerce Department will then notify you that you must be reprinted.
What happens if I am physically unable to have my fingerprints taken electronically at the test center (for example, if my hand is in a cast)?
If the technician at the test center determines that a cast or other physical feature prevents your fingerprints from being taken electronically, you will not be charged the vendor processing fee. (In this case, you will pay $33.25 at the test center—for the BCA and FBI background checks—and an additional processing fee later at the manual fingerprinting site.)
You will receive an FBI fingerprint card, the “Resident Real Estate Appraiser License Background Check Consent Form,” and instructions to go to the nearest police station or similar facility with manual fingerprinting capability to have your fingerprints taken manually.
After your fingerprints are taken, the fingerprint card will be given back to you in a sealed envelope. Do not fold it. Put it into another envelope along with a fully completed “Resident Real Estate Appraiser License Background Check Consent Form” (see the last page of this document) and mail it to:
Administration Division
Attn: Licensing
Minnesota Department of Commerce
85 – 7th Place East, Suite 600
St. Paul, MN 55101
I am going to reactivate my license. Do I need to get fingerprinted?
Yes.
I am applying to upgrade my license. Do I need to get fingerprinted?
You do not need to get fingerprinted as part of the license upgrade process; however, if you have not previously submitted your fingerprints to the Commerce Department as part of an appraiser license application process, you will be required to get fingerprinted when you apply to renew your upgraded license.
My company has in-house fingerprinting services. Will you accept electronic fingerprinting directly from my firm?
No. Due to security requirements and data privacy concerns, fingerprints taken for Minnesota real estate appraiser licensing purposes may only be submitted electronically via the single transmission network authorized for the Commerce Department by the FBI.
Is my fingerprint data kept on file?
Under the law, your fingerprints and any criminal history record information obtained as a part of this licensing process must be treated and maintained as confidential, and security measures that are consistent with the standards specified by the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division for the electronic storage of fingerprints and necessary identifying information must be applied.
The data obtained from the criminal history record check will be confidential and, therefore, accessible only to the following: personnel who determine your eligibility for the license you are applying for; any appropriate person(s) or agency, if the Commissioner of Commerce determines that failure to make the data accessible is likely to create a clear and present danger to public health or safety; person(s) authorized by a court order; or any other person authorized by state or federal law.