Most brokers here have a clause in their ICA requiring agents to join the Board and the MLS and they must keep their dues paid to the state, local and national boards as well as MLS. If any agent does not comply, the broker will usually terminate the ICA.

Failure to join and keep your dues current (both MLS and Board) results in the agent either going to inactive status or being a referral agent. Not at all unusual here.

Sounds like the local MLS is trying to do the job of the State RE Commission. I'd say they are over stepping their bounds Richie Alan Naggar 

Complete agreement with the policy. We have seen data scrappers from out of state get access through one person then giving it to everyone else. The MLS is broker to broker communication and compensation and it is for everyone. However, in OKC REALTORS® can ope out like with an assistant, but they cannot show homes, or have a Supra key.

Trying to generate revenue & keep agents honest.

We have 9000 paid members but there are may be 15000 active or semiactive agents. Many are shielded under someone else. Some are loan persons or appraisers. Many are PT realtors just who can not afford paying steep fees.

Richie,

It sounds like what you do with a car that you are not driving, but still have to pay the DMV.  Sounds like much ado about NADA.  LOL A

Like that here too

If you want to eat you pay, otherwise you carry sign, "I work for food'

Frankly, I'm surprised your board did not do this before. Even a small board in Del Norte County, California that I belong to has that rule. Ditto in the large Honolulu Board of Realtors that I belong to in Hawaii has that rule. Now, if I joined other MLSs in other areas of California and islands of Hawaii (which is ok for me) and, let's say,  I had agents working for me in those other areas, I wonder if I need to join that board so that my agents could join the MLS. And, probably, those agents would need to join that particular board. I can see my own memberships growing and much spending of extra dollars. Which is ok as long as those are productive agents!

Richie,
If someone is going to hold themselves out as a professional, fully capable of serving a client, they need the tools and rights that typically only come by paying local board dues. The model may change in the future.

Mine is the same way.  It is well enforced.  I don't like it.  For example, my main brokerage is in another state.  We don't even have an office here, but we do have a local address.  Now, the local board wants  all the agents in the other state in the main office to pay MLS fees even though they don't have a WI license.

I think that's pretty much the way it is in most places - including here.

If you are spomsored by the broker, you must join the MLS, no declarations!

my local board does that too, just one more of many reasons that the real estate board model is failing and doing a disservice to members.  The lethbridge real estate board is poorly operated and does a shitty job for its members.

I agree they should deactivate unless they have enough clients to be referring. It is the same here.

that's a bit over the edge!!!

If your brokerage is in the MLS here, all agents must also be members.  The MLS pulls numbers from the real estate commission that that is what the broker is billed for.  Brokers can collect from their agents, but must pay for every active licensee in their firm, it's always been this way.  Agents are NOT required to have a supra key if they are not actively selling though.

Richie Alan Naggar Some boards require joining the MLS, while other board don't require.

In my region of FLORIDA all agents working with a member broker MUST also join the board. 

This is simply to retain control of the options available to agents.

Those who ask, 'Must I join the board?" soon realize the have no choice unless they somehow find the courageous and visionary broker.

They DO have options, I trust they can find them.

My thoughts? These are actions that are implemented to protect turf, to extend a perceived relevance to a money model that sees the sun setting on their time. Agents can represent buyer and seller and receive compensation without being members of the board in the state of Florida.  Just need a visionary broker to raise their hand.

Ours has a similar policy.

Everyone in our board has to be a member of MLS or the broker has to pay the fee for them as a non-participant.

That is already required in many areas.

I think if that is what your board requires - you better comply or find a new board.

I have found in some smaller brokerages -- there are "agents" who are not board members.  I think there is sharing of MLS identifications and lockbox access.    

That's the requirement we have. I wish joining the MLS was a choice rather than a requirement. On my team we don't need four subscriptions or the big expense!

Our rules are the same.  I have no problem with the rule.

Same for me.  I had to join the MLS and Realtor Association that my broker is  active.  

On my team not everyone is an active member. If an agent gets a listing or needs mls they activate their mls access( 300 activation+ 220 per 1/2 year)

My board requires that all agents in a brokerage office be a member of the board.  A brokerage can have non-board members by having the relevant agents be in a different office.

We don't have that here.  If you're active and need MLS access, you need to join the board.

I am starting to think that the MLS is turning into a monopoly. Agents are increasingly putting homes up for sale without the use of the MLS, which makes it hard to earn a commission. What is the MLS doing about that? They shouldn't be able to make all the rules that only benifit them. They need better management overall.

That is the way it is here