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Georgia curriculum lesson 122 · State Laws and Rules

Georgia Real Estate License Exemptions

O.C.G.A. Section 43-40-29 lists narrow exceptions for specified owners and related persons, attorneys acting incidentally to law practice, attorneys in fact, court- or trust-authorized fiduciaries, government and utility personnel, certain employees, and other defined actors. The facts must fit the exact exception. A person who already holds a real estate license generally cannot use these exceptions to avoid license-law duties.

Facts checked against the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and GREC sources. Last reviewed August 2, 2026. Editorial standards.

What is the exam-ready answer?

O.C.G.A. Section 43-40-29 lists narrow exceptions for specified owners and related persons, attorneys acting incidentally to law practice, attorneys in fact, court- or trust-authorized fiduciaries, government and utility personnel, certain employees, and other defined actors. The facts must fit the exact exception. A person who already holds a real estate license generally cannot use these exceptions to avoid license-law duties.
Official syllabus mapping for Georgia Real Estate License Exemptions
Roadmap lesson122 of 500
Official syllabus topicState Laws and Rules: Required Licensure
Official PSI groupState Laws and Rules
Published group count16 of the 52 Georgia questions
Exam portionGeorgia salesperson supplement
Source editionPSI Georgia Candidate Information Bulletin dated July 1, 2026
Law checked throughAugust 2, 2026
Last verifiedAugust 2, 2026

The Rule

PSI publishes 16, 21, and 15 items for the three Georgia groups. It does not publish a guaranteed subtopic count. The statute, current GREC rule, contract, or other cited primary authority controls each lesson.

Complete lesson

Read these concepts as one Georgia decision system. A plausible national rule can still be the wrong answer when the stem supplies a Georgia statute, instrument, role, or procedure.

Owner-side exceptions

An owner, qualifying related person, or regular employee may perform specified acts concerning the owner's property, subject to the current statute and any special property rules.

Professional and fiduciary roles

A licensed practicing attorney acting solely incident to legal practice and a receiver, executor, administrator, guardian, or trustee acting under authority may qualify.

Employee limits

An employee exception depends on who employs the person, what property is involved, and which tasks are performed. Independent contractors do not become employees by label.

2025 amendment

HB 399 amended the owner-related exception and should be used instead of relying only on a pre-2025 code summary.

Decision rule

Match every fact to the current text of Section 43-40-29, including the 2025 amendment, and reject the exemption if a required fact is missing.

Georgia rule and national contrast

The Georgia exemption list is statute-specific and changed effective July 1, 2025. Older outlines may omit the family-member language or the separate requirements affecting nonresident landlords.

Worked Georgia example

Scenario. A licensed salesperson places the license on inactive status and accepts payment to lease homes owned by an unlicensed employer.

Reason it through. GREC Rule 520-1-.05 states that a licensee may not use inactive status to perform brokerage activity for an unlicensed person. The employee exception is not available to licensees in that way.

Answer. The inactive salesperson may not perform the paid leasing activity under the employee exemption.

Common exam traps

  • Assuming every owner employee is exempt
  • Applying an attorney exception to a separate brokerage business
  • Letting an inactive licensee claim an unlicensed-person exception
  • Using the 2024 exemption text without the 2025 amendment

Original practice questions with detailed explanations

These are original instructional questions mapped to the July 1, 2026 PSI outline. They are not copied from PSI or a live examination. Choose an answer before opening the explanation.

Question 1

Which statement best states the Georgia rule for Georgia Real Estate License Exemptions?

  1. A. Every employee of a property owner is exempt from licensure for every task.
  2. B. An inactive licensee may perform brokerage for an unlicensed employer.
  3. C. Read each exemption by actor, property relationship, employment status, authority, and scope. Never expand an exception beyond its stated facts.
  4. D. Any attorney may operate a brokerage without a real estate license.
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: C. Read each exemption by actor, property relationship, employment status, authority, and scope. Never expand an exception beyond its stated facts.

The correct choice states the controlling rule. The other choices either remove a required element, replace Georgia authority with a generic assumption, or expand an exception beyond the cited source.

Question 2

A licensed salesperson places the license on inactive status and accepts payment to lease homes owned by an unlicensed employer.

  1. A. Ignore the Georgia-specific fact because good intentions control.
  2. B. Apply the nearest national rule without checking Georgia authority.
  3. C. Let the participant with the strongest preference decide without following the required process.
  4. D. The inactive salesperson may not perform the paid leasing activity under the employee exemption.
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: D. The inactive salesperson may not perform the paid leasing activity under the employee exemption.

GREC Rule 520-1-.05 states that a licensee may not use inactive status to perform brokerage activity for an unlicensed person. The employee exception is not available to licensees in that way. The correct option follows that reasoning. The distractors ignore the controlling Georgia source, substitute intent for procedure, or give decision-making authority to the wrong person.

Question 3

When solving Georgia Real Estate License Exemptions, what should a candidate identify first?

  1. A. Match every fact to the current text of Section 43-40-29, including the 2025 amendment, and reject the exemption if a required fact is missing.
  2. B. The answer choice that sounds most ethical, without classifying the actor or document.
  3. C. One familiar deadline, applied to every Georgia transaction regardless of the source.
  4. D. A national default, even when the stem identifies a Georgia statute or GREC rule.
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: A. Match every fact to the current text of Section 43-40-29, including the 2025 amendment, and reject the exemption if a required fact is missing.

The decision rule identifies the facts that control this topic. The other choices reward tone, a memorized number, or a national default while skipping the Georgia actor, document, authority, or procedure.

Mastery tracking

Mark this Georgia lesson mastered only when every statement is true.

  • State the direct answer and decision rule without notes.
  • Explain all four concepts and identify the controlling Georgia source.
  • Solve the worked example after changing one important fact.
  • Reject every listed trap and explain what makes it tempting.
  • Answer all three original questions correctly and explain every distractor.
  • Repeat this topic in mixed Georgia practice on a later day.

Recommended next lesson

Continue with Georgia Salesperson, Associate Broker, Broker, CAM, and Firm Licenses. Continue through the roadmap from lesson 122.

Return to the State Laws and Rules hub for the complete official branch and every canonical lesson in this Georgia group.

Georgia Real Estate License Exemptions questions

Facts checked against the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and GREC sources. Last reviewed August 2, 2026. Editorial standards.

Is Georgia Real Estate License Exemptions on the Georgia real estate exam?

Yes. It maps to PSI's State Laws and Rules group, which has 16 of the 52 Georgia questions. PSI does not publish a guaranteed question count for this individual lesson.

What is the main Georgia rule for Georgia Real Estate License Exemptions?

Match every fact to the current text of Section 43-40-29, including the 2025 amendment, and reject the exemption if a required fact is missing.

How is this different from a national real estate rule?

The Georgia exemption list is statute-specific and changed effective July 1, 2025. Older outlines may omit the family-member language or the separate requirements affecting nonresident landlords.

How do I know I have mastered this Georgia lesson?

State the rule and source without notes, solve the scenario after changing a controlling fact, explain every distractor, and maintain accuracy when this topic is mixed with the other Georgia supplement groups.