How to Get a California Insurance License in 2026
Last updated September 27, 2026
To get a California insurance producer license in 2026, pass the California Department of Insurance exam for your line (60% to pass), complete the 12-hour Ethics and California Insurance Code course, submit fingerprints and apply. The old 20-hour prelicensing course was repealed on January 1, 2026 by AB 943, so for property, casualty, personal lines, limited lines auto, life, and accident and health, the 12-hour course is the only education requirement, and you can take the exam before you finish it.
Every California license exam
Question counts, time limits and passing scores from CDI's exam page. Each Elite Training Academy course follows the matching CDI examination objectives, weighted the way CDI weights the exam.
| CDI exam | Questions | Time | To pass | Exam prep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property and Casualty (combined) | 150 | 3 hours | 60% | View course |
| Property | 75 | 1.5 hours | 60% | View course |
| Casualty | 75 | 1.5 hours | 60% | View course |
| Personal Lines | 90 | 2 hours | 60% | View course |
| Limited Lines Automobile | 60 | 1.5 hours | 60% | View course |
| Life | 75 | 1.5 hours | 60% | View course |
| Accident and Health or Sickness | 75 | 1.5 hours | 60% | View course |
| Life, Accident and Health or Sickness (combined) | 150 | 3 hours | 60% | View course |
| Commercial Lines | 60 | 1.5 hours | 60% | Not offered |
| Insurance Adjuster | 100 | 2.5 hours | 70% | View course |
| Public Insurance Adjuster | 100 | 2.5 hours | 70% | Not offered |
| Bail Agent | 75 | 2 hours | 70% | Not offered |
Times are the limits on CDI's examinations page. PSI's Candidate Information Bulletin (February 13, 2025) allots a little more (for example 98 minutes for Property, 105 for Life) because up to ten unscored questions are added to each exam.
The steps, in order
- 1
Pick your license line
California licenses each line separately: Property Broker-Agent, Casualty Broker-Agent, Personal Lines Broker-Agent, Limited Lines Automobile, Life-Only Agent and Accident and Health Agent. Most property and casualty candidates take both Property and Casualty on the combined 150-question exam. Life and health candidates can sit the combined 150-question Life, Accident and Health exam.
- 2
Study for and pass the CDI licensing exam
PSI delivers the exam for the California Department of Insurance. Producer exams need 60% to pass. You do not need the 12-hour ethics course before you schedule or sit the exam.
- 3
Complete the 12-hour Ethics and California Insurance Code course
Since January 1, 2026 (AB 943), this is the only prelicensing course a California producer must take. It includes one hour on insurance fraud, must come from a CDI-approved provider, is taken once no matter how many lines you hold, and the completion certificate is valid for three years. It must be done before your license is issued.
- 4
Submit fingerprints
CDI requires fingerprints from unlicensed applicants. Submit them before you submit the license application.
- 5
Apply for the license
Apply online through Sircon or NIPR. CDI's fee schedule lists a $188 filing fee for each producer license type. Filing fees are not refundable.
- 6
Get appointed and keep up CE
An insurer appointment lets you transact business for that insurer. Producer licenses run two years, and each renewal needs 24 hours of CDI-approved continuing education, including 3 hours of ethics.
What each exam covers
- Property (75 questions): general insurance 15%, property insurance 15%, personal lines 38%, commercial coverages 30%, pet insurance 2%.
- Casualty (75): general insurance 15%, casualty insurance 15%, personal lines 35%, commercial coverages 35%.
- Personal Lines (90): general and property insurance 32%, personal lines 65% (homeowners, dwelling, personal auto, umbrella, inland marine, wildfire mitigation and government catastrophe pools), pet insurance 2%.
- Limited Lines Automobile (60): general insurance 15%, property insurance 5%, personal auto 80%.
- Life (75): 22 general insurance, 49 life insurance, 4 life policy riders.
- Accident and Health (75): 18 general insurance, 4 medical and disability concepts, 45 medical expense (15 on senior health products), 4 disability income, 4 long-term care.
Source: CDI 2025 License Examination Objectives for each line.
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Frequently asked questions
Does California still require 20 hours of pre-licensing education?
No. AB 943 (Chapter 566, Statutes of 2025) repealed the 20-hour prelicensing requirement for property, casualty, commercial lines, personal lines, limited lines automobile, life, and accident and health applicants effective January 1, 2026. The only course left is the 12-hour Ethics and California Insurance Code course. Bail agents and public insurance adjusters still need 20 hours.
Do I need the 12-hour ethics course before I take the California insurance exam?
No. CDI says the 12-hour Ethics and California Insurance Code course is not required to schedule or take the exam. It must be completed before your license can be issued.
How long is the 12-hour ethics certificate valid in California?
Three years, under California Insurance Code section 1749(l). The course is taken once: a licensee who later adds another line does not repeat it.
How many questions are on the California insurance exam?
It depends on the line. Property, Casualty, Life, and Accident and Health are 75 questions each in 1.5 hours. Personal Lines is 90 questions in 2 hours. Limited Lines Automobile is 60 questions in 1.5 hours. The combined Property and Casualty exam and the combined Life, Accident and Health exam are 150 questions in 3 hours.
What score do you need to pass the California insurance exam?
60% on every producer exam (property, casualty, personal lines, limited lines automobile, life, accident and health, and the combined exams). The insurance adjuster, public adjuster and bail agent exams need 70%.
How much does a California insurance license cost?
CDI's fee schedule (effective March 3, 2019) lists a $188 license filing fee and a $55 examination fee for each producer license type. Fingerprinting and the 12-hour ethics course are separate costs set by the fingerprint vendor and the course provider.
Who gives the California insurance exam?
The California Department of Insurance writes the exam objectives and PSI delivers the exam. CDI publishes a License Examination Objectives document for every line, with the share of the exam each topic takes.
What is the hardest part of the California property and casualty exam?
By weight, personal lines and commercial coverages. On the Property exam, personal lines is 38% and commercial coverages 30%. On the Casualty exam, each is 35%. California law runs through all of it: cancellation and nonrenewal rules, the standard fire policy, auto financial responsibility and the Fair Claims Settlement Practices Regulations.
What is on the California Life exam?
75 questions: 22 on general insurance, 49 on life insurance (basics, policy types, annuities, replacement, the policy contract, taxation, group life, Social Security disability, underwriting and claims) and 4 on life policy riders.
What is on the California Accident and Health exam?
75 questions: 18 on general insurance, 4 on medical and disability concepts, 45 on medical expense insurance (15 of them on senior health products such as Medicare supplement), 4 on disability income and 4 on long-term care.
How often do California insurance producers renew, and how much CE is required?
Every two years. Each renewal needs 24 hours of CDI-approved continuing education, including 3 hours of ethics.
Does Elite Training Academy offer the California 12-hour ethics course?
Not yet. That course must come from a CDI-approved provider, and Elite Training Academy is not one. We offer exam prep for every California producer line and the insurance adjuster exam, built to CDI's 2025 examination objectives, at $49.99 per course.
Related California guides
- How many questions are on the California insurance exam?
- How to get a California insurance adjuster license
- How to become a California public adjuster
- Pre-licensing requirements by state
Sources
- CDI: exam times, number of questions and passing scores
- CDI: producer licensing fees (effective March 3, 2019)
- CDI notice: AB 943 repeals the 20-hour prelicensing requirement (Nov. 10, 2025)
- CDI: 12 hours of ethics and California Insurance Code FAQ
- CDI: license examination objectives (all lines)
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin for California insurance license examinees (Feb. 13, 2025)
- CDI: form LIC 446-8, prelicensing program requirements (Dec. 24, 2025)
Last updated September 27, 2026. Checked against the California Department of Insurance pages listed above. Confirm current requirements at insurance.ca.gov before you apply. Elite Training Academy is not a California Department of Insurance approved education provider; our California courses are exam preparation and do not satisfy the 12-hour Ethics and California Insurance Code requirement.