What the Idaho Property Line Covers
Idaho Code § 41-1008 lists Property as one of seven qualifications a producer license may carry, defined as "insurance coverage for the direct or consequential loss or damage to property of every kind." Casualty is listed separately. That separation is real in Idaho, not cosmetic: the DOI's producer page lists Property and Casualty as distinct lines of authority, and you may hold either alone.
That makes Idaho unlike a number of states that will only license the pair together. It also means there is no combined Property & Casualty exam — Idaho offers five producer exams and no combined product. Full P&C authority is two sittings, $65 each.
The economics push you toward deciding early. The exam fee is per line, but the $80 application fee is per application, not per line. Passing Property and Casualty and filing once costs $130 in exam fees and $80 in licence fees. Passing Property, filing, then passing Casualty and filing again costs the same exam fees and $160 in licence fees. If Casualty is even a possibility, sit both before you file.
And consider Personal Lines instead if your book will be homes and cars. Idaho issues Personal Lines as its own line — "property and casualty insurance coverage sold to individuals and families for primarily noncommercial purposes" — in a single 97-question exam that spans both sides. It is one sitting rather than two, though as the Personal Lines guide notes it is also Idaho's hardest exam by first-time pass rate.
Exam Options & Format
ID Property Producer, series InsID-Prop0003: 68 scored questions — 50 General and 18 Idaho-specific — plus 12 unscored pretest items (5 General, 7 Idaho), 1 hour 45 minutes, $65. A Spanish version runs under SPID-Prop0003.
Note the shape: at 18 questions, Property has the smallest Idaho-specific portion of any Idaho producer exam. Casualty carries 20, Personal Lines 22, and Life and Accident & Health 25 each. The Idaho block here covers rate filings, the standard fire policy, binders, countersignature, marine and inland marine, the guaranty association, and the definitional set — domestic/foreign/alien insurers, certificates of authority, what counts as transacting insurance.
The two portions are scored separately. Per the handbook: "Each examination is divided into two parts: the general section and the state section. Candidates who pass one section of the examination and fail the other need to retake the portion they did not pass." On DOI's 2021 first-time pass data the split is striking — the General portion passed at 48.74% while the Idaho-specific portion passed at 61.73%, the best state-portion result of any Idaho producer line. If you are budgeting study time against this exam, the national material is where candidates lose it.
Idaho publishes no passing score. Not in the handbook, the content outlines, the DOI testing page and FAQ, DOI's own pass-rate reports, or IDAPA. Idaho Code § 41-1006 delegates the standard to the Director, and no rule sets one. Your report reads pass or fail.
Retake 24 hours after your last attempt, at a fresh $65, with no published attempt limit. Results are valid 180 days — a statutory deadline under § 41-1006, which says a later application "shall be denied."
Most Tested Topics on the Idaho Property Exam
Eighteen scored questions on Idaho law, concentrated on how rates and forms reach the market, what the standard fire policy must say, and what happens when the admitted market says no. From the TESTivity Idaho regulations curriculum, verified against the code:
| Concept | The Idaho rule |
|---|---|
| Rating system | Competitive rating — no prior approval. § 41-1402 declares the "express intent… to permit and encourage competition between insurers on a sound financial basis" |
| The excessiveness test | A rate is excessive only on a two-part finding: that it is "unreasonably high for the insurance provided" and that "a reasonable degree of competition does not exist" for that classification — § 41-1405(2), and neither finding may be made "except after a hearing on reasonable notice" (§ 41-1405(4)) |
| But rates are filed | Idaho is use-and-file: the DOI's P&C rate checklist requires filing within 30 days from the effective date, with an actuarial memorandum under § 41-1437. Policy forms must be filed before use — § 41-1812(1) |
| Rate standards | "Rates shall not be excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory" — § 41-1405(1) |
| Credit information | Permitted, but an insurer may not charge more, cancel, nonrenew or decline "based primarily upon" credit — and § 41-1843(2) defines "primarily" as where credit's weight "exceeds the weight given… to all other criteria" combined. Personal lines only |
| Credit factor spread | IDAPA 18.02.01 § 100: the premium at the highest credit factor may not exceed twice the premium at the lowest |
| Standard fire policy | § 41-2401 prescribes the standard form. Cancellation notice is 30 days, or 10 days for nonpayment with the reason stated — § 41-2401(1)(j) |
| ⚠ Changing 1 Jan 2027 | § 41-2401(1)(j) becomes a 60-day cancellation notice with the reason stated, and a new § 41-2401(1)(k) requires 60 days' notice of nonrenewal — HB 562 (2026), Sess. Laws ch. 201. The 10-day nonpayment notice is unchanged |
| FAIR Plan | Idaho has none. No residual property market exists in Title 41 or on any DOI page — property that cannot be placed goes to surplus lines |
| Dominant catastrophe peril | Wildfire, and the DOI's own 2026 market data call notes roughly 22–25 carriers have nonrenewed policies "partially due to wildfire concerns" |
| Surplus lines licence | A producer licensed for property or casualty with at least two (2) years' experience may be licensed as a surplus line broker — § 41-1223. No examination — Idaho qualifies by experience |
| Diligent search | Required before export: "a diligent search is made among the insurers authorized to transact and actually writing that particular kind and class of insurance in this state" — § 41-1214(2). The broker must also belong to an approved surplus line association (§ 41-1214(1)), and may not export merely to get a lower rate (§ 41-1214(3)) |
| Surplus lines tax | 1.5%, remitted by the broker on or before 1 March each year — § 41-1229. Affidavit filed within 30 days of receiving the policy — § 41-1215 |
| Guaranty association | The Idaho insurance guaranty association — § 41-3606. Using its protection to sell insurance is an unfair trade practice — § 41-3619 |
Get the rating law right, because the shorthand everyone uses is half wrong. Idaho is frequently described as an "open competition" state with no filing requirement. The first half is fair: there is no prior-approval regime, and § 41-1405 makes an excessive-rate finding practically difficult by requiring the Director to find both that the rate is unreasonably high and that competition is inadequate — after a hearing. But the second half is not true. Rates are filed on a use-and-file basis within 30 days of taking effect, and policy forms must be on file with the Director before they may be delivered. "No prior approval" is not "no filing."
The absence of a FAIR Plan is the other fact that shapes Idaho property practice. Most states with serious catastrophe exposure maintain a residual market of last resort. Idaho does not — there is no FAIR Plan in Title 41 and none on any DOI page, and the DOI's own 2026 hardening-market announcement proposes a data call without referencing any backstop. Combined with wildfire as the dominant peril, that makes the surplus-lines route unusually load-bearing here: it is not an exotic corner of the market, it is the only place a hard property risk can go. Which in turn is why the two-year experience prerequisite in § 41-1223 matters — a brand-new producer cannot serve those clients, no matter how willing.
Idaho Test Centers and Scheduling — Booking, Rescheduling, and the 48-Hour Rule
You can test in person or from home. Unlike many states, Idaho has kept both channels open — the handbook says "candidates may take an exam at a test site or an exam OnVUE online proctored." This section covers the in-person route; the Accident & Health guide covers OnVUE in full.
Finding a centre. The handbook says a list of test centres "appears on the back cover of this handbook," and directs candidates to Pearson VUE's Idaho insurance page for current locations. We deliberately do not reproduce addresses here: the back-cover block could not be extracted reliably from the current PDF, and centres open and close. Use the "Find a test center" tool on the Pearson VUE Idaho insurance page, which returns live locations. Practically, Idaho's population geography means the Treasure Valley carries most capacity, with fewer options as you move north and east — if you are in the panhandle, check availability before you assume a date.
Booking. Reserve through the Pearson VUE Idaho insurance page or by phone at 800-274-2721, the number the DOI itself publishes for Idaho insurance testing. You need no state approval to book — the handbook is explicit: "You do not require approval from the State of Idaho to take the examination." Idaho has no pre-licensing certificate to produce and no DOI eligibility file to wait on, which is why a candidate here can go from decision to seated exam faster than in almost any other state.
The $65 buys one seat, not a line of authority. Each exam is a separate booking and a separate fee, so a candidate pursuing both Property and Casualty books twice. There is no discount for booking them together and no requirement to take them in a particular order.
Rescheduling and cancelling — the 48-hour line. The handbook: "Candidates wishing to cancel or reschedule their examination without penalty can do so forty-eight (48) hours before the examination," and "candidates who change or cancel their reservations without proper notice will be responsible for the examination fee." Inside 48 hours, or if you simply do not appear, the $65 is gone — and every Idaho licensing fee is non-refundable as a matter of DOI policy. Note this is a 48-hour rule, not the 24-hour rule some states use.
Arrival — and this is where Idaho differs from most states. Report to the test centre at least fifteen (15) minutes before your appointment to complete registration. Fifteen, not thirty. It is a genuinely tighter margin than candidates who have tested in other states expect, and the registration process itself is unchanged — ID check, photograph, storage of belongings.
What to bring. A primary ID bearing both a photograph and a signature, unexpired. The handbook's accepted list: government-issued driver's licence, U.S. Department of State driver's licence, U.S. learner's permit (plastic card only, with photo and signature), national/state/country identification card, passport, passport card, military ID, military ID for spouses and dependents, and alien registration card. One rule catches people with newer cards: if the signature is embedded in a microchip and therefore not visible, you must produce a second document from the primary or secondary list that does carry a visible signature.
What to leave outside. The handbook is categorical: "No personal items are allowed in the testing room. Personal items include but are not limited to: cellular phones, hand-held computers or other electronic devices, pagers, watches, wallets, purses, firearms or other weapons, hats, bags, coats, books, and/or notes, pens or pencils." Watches are on that list — rely on the on-screen timer.
Afterwards. In-person testing has one clear advantage over OnVUE: "each candidate will leave the test center with an official score report in hand." No waiting, nothing to download. Write the date on it — your result is valid 180 days, and § 41-1006 gives no extension.
Retesting. Reservations for re-examination cannot be made at the test centre — the handbook requires you to wait 24 hours before booking again, and the retake is a fresh $65. The Personal Lines guide covers how results and retakes work, including the portion-only retake.
What It Costs
Property alone: $65 exam + $65 electronic fingerprinting + $80 application through NIPR — about $210, plus NIPR's unpublished vendor processing fee. There is no course to buy; the DOI states "Idaho does not require pre-licensing education."
Property and Casualty together: one more $65 exam and no additional licence fee, provided both lines go on a single application — about $275 all in. Filing twice would add another $80 for nothing.
The fingerprint fee to check rather than trust. Electronic capture is $65 across the DOI testing page, the handbook and Pearson's process document. The hard card is disputed inside the DOI's own site: $61.25 on the testing page, $65.25 on the hard-card instructions page, $65 in the handbook. IDAPA 18.01.02 caps fingerprinting at "not to exceed eighty dollars ($80)" — so all are lawful and none is authoritative. Choose electronic.
Later: renewal is $80 paper or $60 electronic every two years. If you eventually add a surplus lines broker licence, that is a further $80 application, $60 renewal, and $120 if you reinstate late — plus mandatory membership in the Idaho Surplus Lines Association.
Eligibility Requirements
Idaho Code § 41-1007(1): be "at least eighteen (18) years of age," submit fingerprints, pay the fees, pass the examinations for the lines applied for, and have committed no act that grounds denial, suspension or revocation under Title 41.
No pre-licensing course, and no designation shortcut — Idaho grants no CPCU, CIC, CISR or CRM exemption of any kind. Idaho Code § 41-1012 waives the examination only for producers already licensed for the same lines in another state; the Property & Casualty guide covers that route and its 90-day windows.
Fingerprints are required of resident applicants only. The Casualty guide walks the process; the Life guide walks the NIPR application.
Keeping the License Active
Important CE details: IDAPA 18.06.04 § 012. Credits post through State Based Systems (SBS) and providers have 30 days to upload them. Selling flood through the NFIP adds a one-time 3-hour course on top of the 24.
Two-year term ending the last day of your birth month; 24 hours per cycle including at least 3 hours of ethics (IDAPA 18.06.04 § 012.01). Idaho does not require the hours to match your lines — the DOI states "courses need not be limited to licensee's specific lines of authority" — but it does require them to fall inside the cycle: there is no carryover.
Property producers who write flood through the NFIP owe a one-time 3-hour course on top of the 24, per DOI Bulletin 07-1.
Two exemptions matter on this side of the business: surplus lines producers and limited-lines-only producers are exempt from Idaho CE entirely, as are business entities and nonresidents. There is no designation-based or long-service exemption. The Property & Casualty guide covers renewal mechanics and Idaho's statutory late-fee ladder.
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