What the Hawaii Property Line Covers
Property is its own line of authority in Hawaii, defined by HRS § 431:9A-107 as "insurance coverage for the direct or consequential loss or damage to property of every kind." It is not half of a combined P&C credential — Hawaii does not issue one.
That is the structural fact to absorb before you plan anything. Property and Casualty are separate lines with separate exams, `InsHI_Prop03` and `InsHI_Cas04`, at $75 each. There is no combined P&C sitting in Hawaii, so a producer who wants full property-casualty capability sits two exams regardless of the order they take them in. The Personal Lines line is the narrower alternative — property and casualty sold to individuals and families for primarily noncommercial purposes — with its own exam again.
The licensing authority is the DCCA Insurance Division, under an Insurance Commissioner appointed by the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs with the Governor's approval.
No pre-licensing education is required — the handbook states affirmatively that the Division "does not require a specific program of pre-licensing education." Zero hours.
If surplus lines is in your plans, note the prerequisite: a Surplus Lines Broker credential requires "an active resident insurance producer license with property and casualty lines of authority" — meaning both lines, not just this one.
Exam Options & Format
The Hawaii Property exam is InsHI_Prop03 through Pearson VUE: 83 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest items, at $75, passing at a scaled 70.
It arrives in two separately-timed sections: 50 scored general-knowledge questions in 75 minutes, then 33 scored Hawaii-specific questions in 45 minutes. Time does not transfer between them, and only failing candidates are given a numeric score.
The Casualty exam is the longer one — 91 scored questions with 60 minutes for its Hawaii half rather than 45 — and Personal Lines is longer still at 116 scored questions across 150 minutes. If you are choosing between Property alone and Personal Lines, note that Personal Lines is not a lighter option: it is Hawaii's longest producer exam.
Both delivery modes are available. The Accident & Health guide covers the OnVUE path and its retake penalties; the section below covers testing in person, which in an archipelago is a question worth thinking about properly.
Most Tested Topics on the Hawaii Property Exam
Thirty-three scored questions come from Hawaii law, and they cluster around the catastrophe market — which in Hawaii means hurricane, lava and a residual market with two separate mechanisms. Each row is verified:
| Concept | The Hawaii rule |
|---|---|
| FAIR plan | The Hawaii Property Insurance Association (HPIA) — the residual market assuring availability of basic property insurance that cannot be obtained from authorized insurers (HRS § 431:21-101) |
| Hurricane fund | The Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund (HHRF), created 1993 and REACTIVATED IN 2024 after two decades dormant (HRS ch. 431P) |
| What the HHRF writes now | Hurricane-only excess commercial cover for condominium and townhouse Associations of Apartment Owners — the insured keeps separate primary cover for other perils |
| HHRF deductible | A fixed 2% per building |
| HHRF maximum limit | $140 million |
| HHRF eligibility | Total insured value above $10 million, plus prior denial by at least two Hawaii-licensed insurers, over an underlying hurricane master policy of at least $10 million |
| How HHRF cover is sold | Only through a Hawaii-licensed insurance producer — and the policy runs one year with no automatic renewal |
| HHRF and the guaranty fund | Exempt from the property and liability guaranty association (§ 431P-15) — so there is no guaranty backstop behind an HHRF policy |
| How hurricane cover is structured | In Hawaii hurricane coverage is typically a SEPARATE POLICY, not a wind deductible endorsed onto the homeowners form |
| Catastrophe perils | Hurricane above all — plus volcanic eruption and lava flow, a genuine Hawaii peril with county lava-zone rules, along with flood and tsunami |
| Rate regulation | File-and-wait with a deemer: a filing sits 30 days before taking effect and is "deemed to meet the requirements" unless the Commissioner disapproves; the wait may be extended by up to 15 more days (§ 431:14-104) |
| Surplus lines prerequisite | An active Hawaii property and casualty producer licence plus a separate Surplus Lines broker licence (§ 431:8-301) |
| Diligent effort | Required — the admitted market must be searched first (§ 431:8-301) |
The Hurricane Relief Fund is the single most valuable fact on this page, because almost every other source is wrong about it. The HHRF stopped writing after the market recovered in the early 2000s, and study material has described it as dormant ever since. It was reactivated in 2024 in response to property-market instability, and it is writing today. For a producer the operative detail is the last one: HHRF policies "can only be purchased through a Hawaii licensed insurance producer" — this is not a background fact about the market, it is a distribution channel that runs through you.
The second point is the structure of hurricane coverage generally. On the mainland, wind is usually inside the homeowners policy with a percentage hurricane deductible. In Hawaii, hurricane cover is customarily a separate policy — which is why the Division tells consumers that a standard policy "will not protect you from a flood, a hurricane, or an earthquake loss" and that a lender may require a separate hurricane policy. A question describing a homeowner assuming their HO-3 covers hurricane damage is describing a real and common Hawaii misunderstanding.
Where to Sit the Exam — Four Centers, Six Inhabited Islands
Hawaii's testing geography is unlike any other state's, and it is worth planning around rather than discovering.
The centers named in the current handbook:
| Location | Island |
|---|---|
| Honolulu — Pearson Professional Center | Oahu |
| Haleiwa — IO Computer Solutions | Oahu (North Shore) |
| Kahului — multiple locations | Maui |
| Hilo — Hawaii Community College | Hawaii Island |
Street addresses are not reproduced here because they were not verified as printed in the current edition; use the official locator at wsr.pearsonvue.com/testtaker/find/testcenter/HIINS, which the handbook itself points to for "additional test centers."
What is missing is the important part. There is no center on Kauai in the handbook's list — and none on Molokai or Lanai under any reading. On Hawaii Island the only site is Hilo, so a Kona-side candidate crosses the island. For a Lihue resident, testing in person means a flight to Honolulu or Kahului: a day, a fare, and a hotel if the appointment is early.
Walk-in testing is not available anywhere in Hawaii. The Division states it flatly. Every appointment is booked in advance through Pearson VUE, which in a thin-inventory state means booking earlier than you would elsewhere.
So the real scheduling decision is centre versus OnVUE, and it turns on the retake rules rather than the travel. A failed exam can be rebooked after 24 hours at a test centre, but after 2 weeks through OnVUE — and 4 weeks for each retest after that. A neighbour-island candidate who chooses OnVUE to avoid a flight and then fails has lost a fortnight; the flight would have cost a day. The Accident & Health guide sets out the OnVUE path in full, including its technical requirements and the no-breaks rule.
A practical way to decide. If you are on Oahu, on Maui, or Hilo-side, test in person — the 24-hour retake window is worth more than the drive. If you are on Kauai, Molokai, Lanai or in Kona, weigh how firm your deadline is: OnVUE if you have runway, a booked flight to Honolulu if you do not.
Whichever you choose, arrive or check in 30 minutes early, bring identification that has not expired — Pearson VUE "does not recognize grace periods" — and register in the exact name on that ID. Reschedule or cancel at least 48 hours ahead or the $75 is forfeited. The Life & Health guide covers the rest of exam-day procedure.
What It Costs
$75 to Pearson VUE for InsHI_Prop03, and $150 to the Insurance Division for the resident producer licence through NIPR — $225 in published fees on a first-attempt pass, plus Fieldprint's fingerprint charge, which the Division does not publish.
No course cost, because Hawaii requires no pre-licensing education.
Adding Casualty is another $75 exam, and there is no combined-sitting discount to be had — Hawaii does not offer one. Full property-casualty capability is $150 in exams whichever order you take them. If you know you want both, file both applications simultaneously: a single fingerprinting covers concurrent applications, where separate filings months apart mean paying Fieldprint twice.
Do not forget the travel line if you are neighbour-island. For a Kauai candidate, a same-day flight to Honolulu is a real and recurring cost of every attempt — which is the strongest argument for preparing thoroughly before booking anything.
Recurring: $100 to renew every two years, $300 to reapply within a year of nonrenewal.
Eligibility Requirements
You must be at least 18, pass InsHI_Prop03, complete fingerprinting through Fieldprint under code HI-DCCA-INS, and file through NIPR within 60 days of being fingerprinted with the $150 fee. The Casualty guide walks the fingerprint process step by step.
No professional designation waives a Hawaii exam — CPCU included. HRS § 431:9A-109 names no designation at all; the only statutory exemption is prior licensure for the same lines in another state, current or cancelled within 90 days with the home state certifying good standing.
Your passing score is valid two years, measured backward from license issuance rather than from your application. The Life guide covers the NIPR application; the P&C guide covers reciprocity, relocation and Hawaii's 180-day temporary licences.
Keeping Your License Active
Important CE details: Property, casualty and surety count as ONE class for CE — 21 class hours plus 3 ethics if you hold no life or health line.
24 credit hours every two years, due by the last day of your birth month — in practice 15 days before it, because Commissioner's Memorandum 2022-3LIC requires completion that far ahead so providers can report within their own 15-day window.
Holding property, casualty or surety lines and nothing else, the split is 21 hours in that class plus 3 hours of ethics or Hawaii insurance laws and rules. Add a life or health line and it becomes 10 + 11 + 3 — the P&C guide covers the multi-class configuration.
No carryover — excess hours do not roll into the next cycle. And adding a line mid-cycle does not extend the cycle: the full requirement, including hours for the new line, is due by your existing renewal date.
Miss it and the licence goes inactive automatically, with reinstatement inside twelve months costing $300 and no re-examination. The P&C guide covers renewal and reinstatement in detail.
Quick Reference
Official Links
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