Does Georgia require real estate agents to carry E&O insurance?

Yes. Georgia requires active real estate licensees to carry errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, which is professional liability coverage that pays to defend and settle claims that a client lost money because of a mistake, omission, or bad advice in a real estate transaction. The Georgia Real Estate Commission administers this through a state-sponsored group program rather than leaving each agent to shop individually, and the program renews on an annual cycle set by the Commission.

This is one of the few Georgia professions where the E&O requirement is a direct licensing rule instead of something a client contract imposes. A salesperson or broker who lets that coverage lapse, whether from a missed payment or an administrative gap, can lose active license status. In practice, this means the license moves to an inactive or suspended state until coverage is restored and confirmed, which stops the agent from legally representing buyers or sellers during the gap.

Consider a broker who changes brokerages mid-year. If the transfer paperwork is not completed correctly, the enrollment record with the group E&O program can show a gap even if the broker believed coverage carried over automatically. That gap is what triggers the license consequence, not the broker's intent, which is why confirming enrollment status directly with the Commission after any brokerage change matters more than assuming the paperwork went through.

E&O coverage for real estate agents is a claims-made policy, meaning the policy in place when a claim is reported is the one that responds. The mechanics of that timing, including what happens if an agent switches carriers or leaves the business, are explained in what claims-made means on a Georgia professional liability policy. For how this state-sponsored real estate program fits into the wider Georgia professional liability landscape, see does Georgia require professional liability insurance and the state overview at Georgia professional liability insurance. General mechanics of E&O coverage, including what it pays for and what it excludes, are covered at professional liability insurance. A coverage review can check current enrollment status and whether supplemental limits above the state-sponsored program's minimum make sense for a given brokerage's transaction volume.