Getting Your California Property & Casualty License
The sequence: prepare, pass the PSI exam, file your application, fingerprint through Capital Live Scan, and complete the 12-hour Code & Ethics course before issuance. AB 943 removed the line-specific coursework that used to gate the exam, but the P&C exam is wide-ranging, so prepare seriously.
Know going in that California splits Property and Casualty into two licenses and calls them Broker-Agent lines. You can cover both with the combined exam, or take Property and Casualty separately — each is its own license.
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 Property & Casualty Exam
The combined exam is 150 scored multiple-choice questions with a 195-minute (3 hr 15 min) limit, passing at 60%. PSI adds roughly 10% unscored experimental questions, and in California those count against your exam time — pace accordingly.
Single-line options are the Property exam (75 questions, 98 minutes) and the Casualty exam (75 questions, 98 minutes). 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 for the exam at a PSI site ($55 base + $43 convenience), the $188 license filing fee, and $74 for fingerprinting, plus the 12-hour Code & Ethics course.
If you license Property and Casualty as two separate lines, expect a second $188 filing fee. 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, and keep your completed BCIA 8016 form in case prints are rejected and must be resubmitted.
Submitting Your Application
File through NIPR (nipr.com) or Sircon, paying $188 per license. The 12-hour Code & Ethics course must be done before the license issues, even though it is not needed to test.
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 Property, Casualty, and 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.
Unlike some states, California does not impose a separate flood-CE mandate on P&C producers — the 24-hour total with its 3 ethics hours is the core requirement.
Quick Reference
Official Links
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