TITLE 18. PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING

REAL ESTATE APPRAISER BOARD

Final Regulation

Title of Regulation: 18VAC130-20. Real Estate Appraiser Board Rules and Regulations (amending 18VAC130-20-110, 18VAC130-20-210, 18VAC130-20-220, 18VAC130-20-230).

Statutory Authority: §§ 54.1-201 and 54.1-2013 of the Code of Virginia.

Effective Date: June 17, 2026.

Agency Contact: Anika Coleman, Executive Director, Real Estate Appraiser Board, 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 400, Richmond, VA 23233, telephone (804) 367-8552, fax (866) 826-8863, or email reappraisers@dpor.virginia.gov.

Summary:

The amendments conform the regulation to recent changes in federal standards contained in the Appraisal Qualification Board standards, The Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria. Effective January 1, 2026, education requirements on fair housing laws and regulations and valuation bias have been added for qualification of state certified and state licensed real estate appraisers. This action puts those federally required changes into the state regulation.

18VAC130-20-110. Qualifications for renewal.

A. As a condition of renewal, and under § 54.1-2014 of the Code of Virginia, all active certified general real estate appraisers, certified residential real estate appraisers, and licensed residential real estate appraisers are required to complete continuing education courses satisfactorily within each licensing term as follows:

1. All real estate appraisers must satisfactorily complete continuing education courses or seminars offered by a provider of not less than 28 hours during each licensing term.

2. All real estate appraisers may also satisfy up to one half of an individual's continuing education requirements by participation other than as a student in educational processes and programs approved by the board to be substantially equivalent for continuing education purposes, including teaching, program development, or authorship of textbooks.

3. Seven of the classroom hours completed to satisfy the continuing education requirements must be the National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) update course.

4. Aside from complying with the requirement to complete the seven-hour National USPAP update course, appraisers may not receive credit for completion of the same continuing education course within a licensing term.

5. As part of the required hours, all real estate appraisers must complete a minimum two-hour course on either fair housing or appraisal bias that meets the content requirements of the Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations Outline established by the Appraiser Qualifications Board. On or after January 1, 2026, the first time an appraiser completes this continuing education requirement, the minimum course length must be seven hours, unless the appraiser successfully completed an eight-hour course (seven hours plus a one-hour examination) as part of qualifying education. Each subsequent time an appraiser completes this continuing education requirement, the minimum course length must be four hours. Such course must be (i) a fair housing or appraisal bias course approved by the Appraiser Qualifications Board; or (ii) approved by the Real Estate Board in its fair housing category; or (iii) approved by the board in accordance with Part V (18VAC130-20-200 et seq.) of this chapter.

B. As a condition of renewal, all licensed real estate appraiser trainees must meet the continuing education requirements set forth in subsection A of this section.

C. All applicants for renewal of a license must meet the standards for entry as set forth in subdivisions 2 and 3 of 18VAC130-20-30.

D. Applicants for the renewal of a registration must meet the requirement for registration as set forth in 18VAC130-20-20.

E. Licensees applying to activate an inactive license must complete all continuing education requirements that would have been required in the current license term if the licensee was active prior to application to activate the license.

18VAC130-20-210. Standards for the approval of appraisal educational offerings for prelicensure credit.

A. Content.

1. Prior to licensure, applicants must have successfully completed the (i) the 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice course and (ii) an eight-hour valuation bias and fair housing laws and regulations course.

2. While various appraisal courses may be credited toward the classroom requirement specified for each classification of licensure, all applicants for licensure as an appraiser trainee or a licensed residential, certified residential, or certified general real estate appraiser must demonstrate that course work included coverage of the required topics listed in this subdivision.

3. All appraisal and appraisal-related offerings presented for prelicense credit must have a final, written examination. The examination may not be an open book examination.

4. Credit toward the classroom hour requirement to satisfy the educational requirement prior to licensure will be granted only where the length of the educational offering is at least 15 classroom hours, except for the eight-hour course on valuation bias and fair housing laws and regulations.

B. Instruction. With the exception of courses taught at accredited colleges, universities, junior and community colleges, or adult distributive or marketing education programs, all other prelicense educational offerings given after January 1, 1993, must be taught by instructors certified by the board. All courses in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice must be instructed by an Appraisal Qualifications Board certified instructor.

18VAC130-20-220. Standards for the approval of appraisal educational offerings for continuing education credit.

A. Content.

1. The content of courses, seminars, workshops, or conferences that may be accepted for continuing education credit includes those topics listed in 18VAC130-20-210 A 2 and this subdivision.

2. Any course related to appraisal valuation bias and fair housing laws and regulations designed to meet the requirements of 18VAC130-20-110 A 5 must be directly applicable to rendering of an opinion of value by an appraiser. Acceptable topics should consist of: a. Awareness and identification of appraisal bias; b. Effects of appraisal bias on consumers; c. Assisting consumers who may have been subjected to biased appraisals; d. Strategies to address appraisal bias; and e. Laws and regulations applicable to appraisal bias meet the content requirements of the Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations Outline established by the Appraiser Qualifications Board.

3. Courses, seminars, workshops, or conferences submitted for continuing education credit must indicate that the licensee participated in an educational program that maintained and increased the licensee's knowledge, skill, and competency in real estate appraisal.

4. Credit toward the classroom hour requirement to satisfy the continuing education requirements will be granted only where the length of the educational offering is at least two hours and the licensee participated in the full length of the program.

B. Instruction. Although continuing education offerings are not required to be taught by board-certified instructors, the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice course must be taught by an Appraiser Qualifications Board certified instructor who is also a state certified appraiser.

18VAC130-20-230. Procedures for awarding prelicense and continuing education credits.

A. Course credits will be awarded only once per license cycle for courses having substantially equivalent content.

B. Proof of completion of such course, seminar, workshop, or conference may be in the form of a transcript, certificate, letter of completion, or any such written form as may be required by the board. All courses, seminars, and workshops submitted for prelicensure and continuing education credit must indicate the number of classroom hours.

C. The board may request additional information in order to evaluate course content, including course descriptions, syllabi, or textbook references.

D. All transcripts, certificates, letters of completion, or similar documents submitted to verify completion of seminars, workshops, or conferences for continuing education credit must indicate successful completion of the course, seminar, workshop, or conference. Applicants must furnish written proof of having received a passing grade in all prelicense education courses submitted.

E. All courses, seminars, workshops, or conferences submitted for satisfaction of continuing education requirements must be satisfactory to the board.

F. Distance education courses may be acceptable to meet prelicense education and continuing education requirements provided the course is approved by the board. Such courses must meet the following standards:

1. The course is presented by an accredited college or university that offers distance education programs in other disciplines or the course has received approval of the International Distance Education Certification Center (IDECC) for the course design and delivery mechanism, and either the approval of the Appraiser Qualifications Board through its course approval program or the approval of the board for the content of the course.

2. The course meets the requirements for qualifying education or continuing education, as applicable, established by the Appraiser Qualifications Board;

3. The course meets classroom hour requirements.

a. For a prelicense education course, the course must be equivalent to the minimum of 15 classroom hours, except for an eight-hour course on valuation bias and fair housing laws and regulations.

b. For a continuing education course, the course must be a minimum of two classroom hours; and

4. The course provides for a written examination proctored by an official approved by the presenting college or university or by the sponsoring organization consistent with the requirements of the course accreditation, or if no written examination is required for accreditation, completion of the course mechanisms required for accreditation demonstrates mastery and fluency.