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Georgia curriculum lesson 136 · State Laws and Rules

Maintaining, Renewing, Reinstating, and Changing a Georgia License

An individual Georgia license generally renews on the last day of the licensee's birth month in the fourth calendar year after issuance. Active renewal requires the applicable continuing education. A lapsed license cannot be used for brokerage. Reinstatement requirements increase with the length and reason for lapse, and a lapse longer than five years generally requires requalification as an original applicant. Address, legal-action, status, and affiliation changes have separate notice rules.

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?

An individual Georgia license generally renews on the last day of the licensee's birth month in the fourth calendar year after issuance. Active renewal requires the applicable continuing education. A lapsed license cannot be used for brokerage. Reinstatement requirements increase with the length and reason for lapse, and a lapse longer than five years generally requires requalification as an original applicant. Address, legal-action, status, and affiliation changes have separate notice rules.
Official syllabus mapping for Maintaining, Renewing, Reinstating, and Changing a Georgia License
Roadmap lesson136 of 500
Official syllabus topicState Laws and Rules: Qualifications and Fees; Substantive Regulations
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.

Renewal date

Individual licenses lapse on the last day of the birth month in the relevant fourth calendar year if renewal requirements are not met.

Active and inactive

Inactive licensees may not perform brokerage for others. Reactivation can require the CE that would have applied during inactive status or requalification.

Lapse windows

Within two years, two to five years, and more than five years lead to different reinstatement paths under Rule 520-1-.05.

Change notices

Specified final legal actions are reported within ten days, while mailing, residence, and maintained email address changes are reported within one month.

Decision rule

Identify the exact status, lapse reason, elapsed time, education history, affiliation, and event date before selecting the remedy.

Georgia rule and national contrast

Georgia uses detailed lapse windows and notice periods. Do not collapse renewal, reactivation, reinstatement, transfer, and original application into one process.

Worked Georgia example

Scenario. A salesperson's license has been lapsed for three years because renewal fees were not paid, and the person wants active status.

Reason it through. A lapse longer than two but less than five years falls in the prelicense-course reinstatement window, with the course taken within the required period plus applicable fees and process.

Answer. Paying the ordinary renewal fee alone is not enough; the Rule 520-1-.05 reinstatement path applies.

Common exam traps

  • Treating lapse as inactive status
  • Ignoring the reason for lapse
  • Using the same remedy for every lapse length
  • Mixing ten-day and one-month notices

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 Maintaining, Renewing, Reinstating, and Changing a Georgia License?

  1. A. Calculate status from the license record first, then apply the rule for renewal, reactivation, reinstatement, transfer, or required notice.
  2. B. A lapsed license authorizes brokerage while reinstatement is pending.
  3. C. Every lapsed license can be restored by paying one renewal fee.
  4. D. All reportable changes have the same deadline.
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: A. Calculate status from the license record first, then apply the rule for renewal, reactivation, reinstatement, transfer, or required notice.

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 salesperson's license has been lapsed for three years because renewal fees were not paid, and the person wants active status.

  1. A. Ignore the Georgia-specific fact because good intentions control.
  2. B. Paying the ordinary renewal fee alone is not enough; the Rule 520-1-.05 reinstatement path applies.
  3. C. Apply the nearest national rule without checking Georgia authority.
  4. D. Let the participant with the strongest preference decide without following the required process.
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: B. Paying the ordinary renewal fee alone is not enough; the Rule 520-1-.05 reinstatement path applies.

A lapse longer than two but less than five years falls in the prelicense-course reinstatement window, with the course taken within the required period plus applicable fees and process. 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 Maintaining, Renewing, Reinstating, and Changing a Georgia License, what should a candidate identify first?

  1. A. The answer choice that sounds most ethical, without classifying the actor or document.
  2. B. One familiar deadline, applied to every Georgia transaction regardless of the source.
  3. C. Identify the exact status, lapse reason, elapsed time, education history, affiliation, and event date before selecting the remedy.
  4. D. A national default, even when the stem identifies a Georgia statute or GREC rule.
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: C. Identify the exact status, lapse reason, elapsed time, education history, affiliation, and event date before selecting the remedy.

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 Practice Boundaries and Unauthorized Practice of Law. Continue through the roadmap from lesson 136.

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

Maintaining, Renewing, Reinstating, and Changing a Georgia License questions

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

Is Maintaining, Renewing, Reinstating, and Changing a Georgia License 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 Maintaining, Renewing, Reinstating, and Changing a Georgia License?

Identify the exact status, lapse reason, elapsed time, education history, affiliation, and event date before selecting the remedy.

How is this different from a national real estate rule?

Georgia uses detailed lapse windows and notice periods. Do not collapse renewal, reactivation, reinstatement, transfer, and original application into one process.

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.