You must have a licensed appraiser credential from the Colorado Division of Real Estate to practice as a real estate appraiser in Colorado. The licensed appraiser credential, though, is the lowest level of certification required to work as an appraiser in Colorado. As you gain more experience and education in the field, you can apply for certified residential appraiser and certified general appraiser credentials, which will allow you to appraise large commercial properties and residential properties of higher value.

Complete your educational requirements. You must complete a set of courses in real estate appraisal before you can begin working as an appraiser. You must complete a 30-hour course in basic appraisal principles, a 30-hour course in basic appraisal procedures and the 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course. You must take these courses with a training provider that the Colorado Division of Real Estate recognizes (see Resources).

Take your registered appraiser examination. You must pass this exam before you can get the registered appraiser credential, which is available to take at test centers around Colorado. As of 2011, the fee to write the exam was $75.

Apply to the Colorado Division of Real Estate for your registered appraiser certification. Once you have completed your education requirements and passed your exam, you can apply to be a registered appraiser. Find application forms on the Colorado Division of Real Estate website. As of 2011, the application fee for the registered appraiser certification was also $75.

Complete your experience requirements. Once you are a registered appraiser, you can work under the supervision of a licensed appraiser. You must gain at least 2,000 hours of work experience over a period of at least one year before you can apply to be a licensed appraiser.

Complete your required education courses. You must complete additional real estate appraisal courses as you complete your experience requirements. These courses cover market analysis, site valuation, sales comparison and report writing and must cover 75 hours of classroom time at minimum.

Take your licensed appraiser examination. Once you have completed your experience and education requirements, you can take your licensed appraiser exam. You must apply through PSI to take this exam. The exam consists of 150 questions and you have six hours to finish. As of 2011, the exam fee was $125.

Apply for your licensed appraiser credential. Once you have passed your exam, you can apply to be a licensed real estate appraiser. Find application forms on the Colorado Division of Real Estate website. As of 2011, the application fee for a licensed real estate appraiser credential was $100.