It’s that time of year for Connecticut appraisers when the once colorful leaves start to blanket the ground, there is a nip in the air, and the dreaded realization hits that the end of the continuing education (CE) cycle is nigh. While some appraisers squirrel away their CE elective hours over the two year CE cycle, others scurry around last minute to gather up their hours. No matter which category you fall in, there is one thing we all have in common: We must wait for the state of CT to approve the final curriculums for the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and the mandatory CT Real Estate Appraisal Law with Supervisory and Provisional Education (appraisal law) courses. 

This year it is important to note that the state of CT increased the required hours for the mandatory appraisal law course from three hours to four as of November 1^st. Following are the State of CT requirements for the May 1, 2018 – April 30, 2020 CE cycle for all state certified and provisional licensed appraisers.

State of CT CE Requirements for the May 1, 2018 – April 30, 2020 Cycle
The state of CT requires that state certified and provisional licensed appraisers have 28 hours of CE for the May 1, 2018 – April 30, 2020 cycle. The 28 hours must include one 7-hour USPAP course taught by a certified USPAP instructor and a mandatory appraisal law course. The remaining 17 hours must be credit hours approved by the Connecticut Real Estate Appraisal Commission (CREAC).

Change to the CT Appraisal Law Course
The mandatory appraisal law course is moving from a three credit hour to a four credit hour class. During the May 1, 2020 – April 30, 2022 license period, the 4-hour appraisal law course will be required for all licensees. The course has been updated to expand the supervisor and provisional education component. The total number of CE hours required will remain at 28 during the 2020 renewal period. Eleven credit hours of mandatory CE courses (including the 4-hour law course) and 17 credit hours of elective CE courses will be required.

In anticipation of this change, schools will offer the 4-hour appraisal law course as of November 1^st. If you have already taken the 3-hour appraisal law course during this CE cycle, you do not need to take the 4-hour appraisal law course prior to April 30, 2020. 

15-Hour USPAP Course and 7-Hour USPAP Update Course
It is important to note that the successful completion of the 15-hour USPAP course cannot be used in place of the 7-hour USPAP. The 7-hour USPAP course is mandatory for the State of CT; the 15-hour USPAP course can be used as an elective.

Reciprocal Appraisal Licenses
If you received your license via reciprocity, you still must comply with the State of CT CE requirements, which includes the 4-hour mandatory appraisal law course. The 28 hours of CE must be completed during the May 1, 2018 – April 30, 2020 CE cycle.

CE Certificate Requirement for License Renewal
Keep your CE certificates on-hand; the state of CT online license renewal process requires appraisers to upload all CE certificates at the time of renewal.

CT Chapter Course Offerings
The CT chapter has several offerings for the 7-hour national USPAP Update and 4-hour CT Real Estate Appraisal Law with Supervisory & Provisional Education courses. Additional offerings will be scheduled prior to the April 30, 2020 state of CT CE renewal deadline. 

Registration for classes are done directly through the chapter website: www.ai-ct.org. 

If you have any questions regarding the registration process, please contact the chapter’s executive director Jackie Beauchaine at [email protected].

Laurie Mentz Nichols, SRA, AI-RRS, is the 2019 and 2020 president of the CT Chapter of the Appraisal Institute, and senior residential appraiser at Advisra Valuation Group, Milford, Conn.