California
California insurance licensing: requirements, renewal, and agency rules
California is the largest single licensing market in the country and runs its own rules rather than following the NAIC model closely on a few key points.
- Renewal cycle
- Every 2 years
- CE hours
- 24 hours (3 ethics)
- Application fee
- $188
- DOI phone
- (800) 967-9331
Overview
California is the largest single licensing market in the country and runs its own rules rather than following the NAIC model closely on a few key points. As of January 1, 2026, AB 943 repealed the old 20-hour prelicensing education mandate for property, casualty, life, and accident & health applicants, but a 12-hour Code & Ethics course (including 1 hour of fraud education) is still required before a license is issued. California also requires Live Scan fingerprinting for every unlicensed applicant and, unlike states with just-in-time appointment rules, still requires insurers to file a notice of appointment with the Department of Insurance.
How to get licensed
Complete the 12-hour Code & Ethics course
Since AB 943 took effect January 1, 2026, California no longer requires 20 hours of prelicensing education for property, casualty, life, and accident & health applicants. A 12-hour Code & Ethics course (including 1 hour of fraud education) is still required, though it must be completed before the license is issued rather than before you sit the exam.
Pass the PSI licensing exam
California's exam vendor is PSI Services. Create an account and schedule your exam for the license type you're pursuing at test-takers.psiexams.com/cadi/test, by phone at (833) 518-7456, or in person at a PSI test center.
Apply for your license
The fastest path is to apply through InsureTrek — we file your California application for the state fee, pulled from NIPR at the moment of application. CDI processes the application once it's submitted and paid.
Submit Live Scan fingerprints
CDI requires fingerprint impressions from all unlicensed applicants, submitted after the license application is filed. Use Capital Live Scan through the ApplicantServices.com/CADOI portal to register, pay, and schedule at one of 800+ statewide locations. Results typically take about 7 days to process, and unresubmitted prints expire if a license isn't issued within 12 months.
Track approval and get appointed
Check your application status through CDI's License Status Inquiry tool. Once licensed, an insurer files a notice of appointment with CDI before you can transact business under that carrier.
Prelicensing education
All producer lines (property, casualty, life, accident & health): 12 hours — Code & Ethics course only, including 1 hour of insurance fraud education. The prior 20-hour prelicensing curriculum was repealed by AB 943 effective January 1, 2026, and this course must be completed before license issuance rather than before the exam.
Exam
Vendor: PSI. Exam fee: $55. The state exam fee is $55 for the standard producer license types (property, casualty, life, and accident & health), set by CDI's fee schedule. PSI also charges a $43 convenience fee per attempt, whether you test at a PSI center or take the remote proctored exam. Confirm the current passing score with PSI when you register.
Fingerprinting
Required. Vendor: Capital Live Scan (via ApplicantServices.com/CADOI). Fee: $74. Total of $17 FBI processing, $32 DOJ processing, and $25 Capital Live Scan fee. Must be submitted after filing the license application; not required if you were already fingerprinted as a condition of licensing in your resident state.
Fees
| Fee | Initial | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Resident producer license (property, casualty, life, or accident & health) Covers the Fire and Casualty Broker-Agent, Personal Lines Broker-Agent, Life-Only Agent, and Accident and Health Agent license types on their 2-year term. Other license types, like surplus lines broker or travel agent, carry separate, higher fees. | $188 | $188 |
| Non-resident producer license (property, casualty, life, or accident & health) Same fee as the resident license. An amendment filed within one year of expiration drops to $94. | $188 | $188 |
| Business entity license Applies to the standard property, casualty, life, and accident & health lines. Add $32 per line-of-authority group for each designated responsible producer named on the application. | $188 | $188 |
Fees as of 2026-08-21. Fees change without much notice. When you apply through InsureTrek, we always use the current fee at the moment of application. Sources: NIPR — California resident licensing, individual, NIPR — California non-resident licensing, individual, NIPR — California resident licensing, business, CDI — Producer licensing fee schedule
Renewal & CE
Renewal window — Every 2 years from your license's original issuance date, on the last day of that month. CE must be completed before you submit the renewal application.
Applies to Property Broker-Agents, Casualty Broker-Agents, Life agents, Accident and Health agents, and Personal Lines Broker-Agents.
24 total CE hours per renewal term, including 3 ethics hours.
Producers 70+ with 30+ years licensed are exempt from standard CE (but not annuity or long-term care training, if applicable). Non-residents are exempt from the ethics requirement but must still complete annuity training (8 hours initial, 4 hours renewal) and long-term care training (8 hours per term) if they sell those products. Up to 24 excess CE hours carry over to the next term; excess ethics hours do not carry over.
For agencies and non-residents
Agencies, appointments & DRLP
Agencies and brokerages transacting insurance in California need a business entity license (Form LIC 441-11), separate from any individual license. Every business entity application must name at least one Designated Responsible Licensed Person (DRLP) — an individually licensed producer responsible for the entity's compliance — and list all producers who will transact business under that entity.
California does not use a just-in-time appointment model — insurers must file a notice of appointment with CDI before an agent can transact business on their behalf, and pay a filing fee for each appointment and termination.
Appointments — Just-in-time appointments: None. CA requires an Action Notice of Appointment (form LIC 447-54A) rather than exempting insurers from filing. Deadlines: General rule under Ins. Code § 1704: a notice of appointment or termination must be filed within 15 days of the appointment or termination. For life agents specifically, Ins. Code § 1704.5 requires the insurer to file the notice of appointment within 14 days of the agent submitting the first application for insurance to that insurer. Filing fee is $32 per appointment (LIC 447-54A) or termination (LIC 447-54T); agents can also self-terminate via LIC 447-69. An appointment stays in force until the underlying license lapses/cancels or a termination notice is filed.
Managing DRLPs across states? See how InsureTrek handles it →
Non-residents
California accepts non-resident applications through InsureTrek. Non-resident applicants generally skip California's prelicensing and Code & Ethics course, and fingerprints aren't required if you were already fingerprinted as a condition of your resident license. California residents wanting to write business elsewhere apply for a non-resident license in each target state, also through InsureTrek.
Apply for a non-resident California license through InsureTrek, plus the state fee.
Official resources
- California Department of Insurance — licensing
- DOI phone: (800) 967-9331
Terms used on this page
Sources & disclaimer
This guide is informational and summarizes publicly available state and NIPR licensing rules as of 2026-08-21. Requirements change — verify current rules with the California Department of Insurance or NIPR before you rely on anything here.
Official NIPR reseller · Applications filed through InsureTrek are submitted via NIPR.
- California Insurance Code § 1704 (FindLaw) — accessed 2026-08-19
- California Insurance Code § 1704.5 (FindLaw) — accessed 2026-08-19
- CDI — AB 943 prelicensing repeal notice — accessed 2026-08-19
- CDI — Business entity application, form LIC 441-11 — accessed 2026-08-19
- CDI — Business entity FAQ — accessed 2026-08-19
- CDI — Ethics continuing education requirement FAQ — accessed 2026-08-19
- CDI — Fingerprint requirements — accessed 2026-08-19
- CDI — How to reach the Producer Licensing Bureau — accessed 2026-08-19
- CDI — Insurance license examination information — accessed 2026-08-21
- CDI — License changes FAQ (appointment/termination forms and fees) — accessed 2026-08-19
- CDI — Producer licensing fee schedule (exam fees) — accessed 2026-08-21
- NIPR — California non-resident licensing, individual — accessed 2026-08-19
- NIPR — California resident licensing, individual — accessed 2026-08-19
FAQs
Do I still need 20 hours of prelicensing education to get a California insurance license?
No. As of January 1, 2026, AB 943 repealed the 20-hour prelicensing requirement for property, casualty, life, and accident & health applicants. You still need to complete a 12-hour Code & Ethics course, including 1 hour of fraud education, before your license is issued — you just don't need it before sitting the PSI exam anymore.
Who administers the California insurance licensing exam?
PSI Services administers CDI's producer licensing exams. You register and schedule at test-takers.psiexams.com/cadi/test, by phone, or at a PSI test center; exam length and content vary by the license type you're pursuing.
Does California require fingerprints for an insurance license?
Yes. Every unlicensed applicant must submit Live Scan fingerprints through Capital Live Scan, after filing the license application, at a total cost of $74 ($17 FBI, $32 DOJ, $25 Live Scan fee). Processing typically takes about a week, and prints expire if no license issues within 12 months.
How long does a California producer license last, and when do I renew?
California licenses run on a 2-year term from the original issue date, expiring on the last day of that month two years later. You need 24 hours of continuing education, including 3 hours of ethics, completed before you submit your renewal.
Does California have a just-in-time appointment rule?
No. Unlike states that let agents transact immediately after appointment without a state filing, California requires the insurer to file a notice of appointment with CDI — within 15 days generally, or within 14 days of the first application for life agents — along with a $32 filing fee.
Can I hold a non-resident California license if I'm licensed elsewhere?
Yes, non-resident applications go through InsureTrek. Non-residents generally skip California's prelicensing and Code & Ethics course, and don't need new fingerprints if you were already fingerprinted for your resident license.
How do I look up whether someone holds an active California insurance license?
Use CDI's License Status Inquiry tool at cdicloud.insurance.ca.gov/cal, which returns license status, continuing education, and any enforcement actions by license number or name.
Does my agency need its own California license?
Yes. Business entities transacting insurance in California need a separate business entity license (Form LIC 441-11) and must name at least one Designated Responsible Licensed Person accountable for the entity's compliance.
See how InsureTrek handles California licensing at scale.
Renewals, CE, and appointments tracked across every state your producers write in.