Getting Your California Personal Lines License
Personal Lines is the leanest property-casualty credential when your market is households: prepare, pass the Personal Lines exam, file your application, fingerprint through Capital Live Scan, and finish the 12-hour Code & Ethics course before issuance. AB 943 removed the line-specific coursework that used to gate the exam.
If you expect to write commercial accounts too, consider sitting the full Property & Casualty exam instead of limiting yourself to personal lines.
For the 12-hour Code & Ethics course California still requires before your license is issued, TESTivity recommends [Achievable](https://app.achievable.me/study/california-insurance-code-and-ethics/purchase#a_aid=getthelicense). The Achievable insurance courses were built by the same subject-matter expert behind TESTivity, so the two are designed to work together.
One important distinction: TESTivity is not an approved pre-licensing provider in California and does not issue certificates of completion. The TESTivity learning tools and study packages will absolutely help you pass the exam — but treat them as a supplement to your Achievable course, not a substitute for it.
Disclosure: TESTivity has a partnership with Achievable and may earn a commission if you enroll through links on this page.
The Personal Lines Broker-Agent Exam
The Personal Lines exam is 90 scored multiple-choice questions with a 135-minute (2 hr 15 min) limit, passing at 60%. PSI adds roughly 10% unscored experimental questions, and in California those count against your exam time.
Test at a PSI center, CDI's Los Angeles center, or by remote proctor. You may fail up to 10 times in a 12-month period before a 12-month bar applies.
What It Costs
Budget about $360 in state and vendor fees for a first-time pass: roughly $98 exam at a PSI site ($55 base + $43 convenience), the $188 license filing fee, and $74 fingerprinting, plus the 12-hour Code & Ethics course.
The $43 convenience fee is waived at CDI's Los Angeles center, and exam fees are non-refundable.
Fingerprinting & Background Check
California's live-scan vendor is Capital Live Scan (CLS). Register at applicantservices.com/CADOI, choose from 800+ sites statewide, and pay the $74 total ($17 FBI + $32 DOJ + $25 CLS).
Submit fingerprints only after your license application is filed; keep your completed BCIA 8016 form in case prints need resubmitting.
Submitting Your Application
File through NIPR (nipr.com) or Sircon, paying $188. The 12-hour Code & Ethics course must be completed before the license issues.
You have one year from your pass date to apply. A license alone does not authorize sales — a carrier must file an appointment for you (the California appointment filing fee is $32).
Keeping Your License Active
Important CE details: 24 hours every 2 years, including at least 3 hours of ethics, for Personal Lines licensees. Renews on the last day of your birth month every 2 years; finish all CE before filing the renewal.
California requires 24 hours of CE every two years, including at least 3 hours of ethics, renewing on the last day of your birth month. Complete all CE before filing the renewal.
California does not impose a separate flood-CE mandate on personal-lines producers — the 24-hour total with its 3 ethics hours is the core requirement.
Quick Reference
Official Links
Don't study generic. Study California.
You've got the roadmap. Now get the California-specific Personal Lines question bank, mock exams, and video course built by instructors with 20+ years teaching this material.