The North Dakota Property Producer Licence
Property is its own line in North Dakota with its own exam. It covers first-party damage to real and personal property — fire, homeowners, dwelling, inland marine, commercial property — and it does not carry the third-party liability authority that Casualty does.
There is no combined Property & Casualty exam. North Dakota splits them permanently: two lines, two 110-item exams, two $64 fees. A narrower Personal Lines line exists as a separate exam again, covering noncommercial property and casualty together for $58.
The path in: 18 years old, pass the exam, one fingerprint check, and file at NIPR within one year. No pre-licensing course. The $100 licence fee is charged per licence, not per line, so taking Property and Casualty together costs two exam fees and one licence fee.
This guide owns the testing logistics for the whole state — every centre, how to book, and the reschedule rule that costs people their fee. That matters more here than it used to: remote online proctored testing ended on April 24, 2026, so everyone sitting a North Dakota exam is now doing it in a room somewhere.
Property, Casualty, or the Narrower Personal Lines
| Exam | Scored items | Time | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life and Annuity (Product and Laws) | 110 | 150 min | $64 |
| Accident and Health (Product and Laws) | 110 | 150 min | $64 |
| Property (Product and Laws) | 110 | 150 min | $64 |
| Casualty (Product and Laws) | 110 | 150 min | $64 |
| Personal Lines | 110 | 150 min | $58 |
Three of these can put property authority on your licence, and they are not interchangeable. Property, on the same 110-item, 150-minute specification as the rest, gives you full first-party property authority including commercial risks. Personal Lines is cheaper at $58 and covers noncommercial property and casualty in one exam — but only noncommercial. Casualty gives liability authority and no property authority at all.
The trade is scope against money. Property plus Casualty is $128 in exam fees and gives you everything. Personal Lines alone is $58 and gives you homeowners and personal auto but not the small commercial account that walks in the door. Because the $100 licence fee does not multiply, upgrading later costs only the extra exam.
All these exams share the same shape: 110 scored items in 150 minutes, built from 40 state items and 70 general items, plus 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions. Pass at 70% — 77 of 110.
Most Tested Topics on the North Dakota Property Exam
North Dakota's property law has a structure worth understanding before any individual number: the state adopts another state's policy form by reference and then overrides one of its clauses by statute. Get that relationship straight and several exam items answer themselves. From the TESTivity North Dakota regulations curriculum, statute-verified:
| Concept | The North Dakota rule |
|---|---|
| Standard fire policy, adoption | North Dakota adopts the 1943 standard fire insurance policy of the State of New York — by reference, not by reprinting it. Every fire policy must "conform in all particulars as to blanks, size of type, context, provisions, agreements, and conditions" with that form, "a copy of which must be filed in the office of the commissioner as the standard policy for this state" (NDCC 26.1-39-06) |
| Valued policy, and its three carve-outs | North Dakota is a valued policy state, but the rule is narrower than it is usually taught. Where insured real property is wholly destroyed by any covered cause of loss without fraud, "the amount of the insurance written in the policy is the true value of the property insured and the true amount of loss and measure of damages" — subject to three conditions. A total loss within 60 days of the effective date, or within 60 days of a 25%-or-greater limit increase at the insured's request, pays the lesser of the policy value or what a partial loss would have paid. The section does not apply to personal property. And it does not apply to an appurtenant or separate structure, which "must be settled for actual replacement cost or actual cash value." So the detached garage and the contents are still ordinary settlements (NDCC 26.1-39-05(1)–(3); 26.1-39-08) |
| Proof of loss — and the North Dakota override | The incorporated New York form says 60 days after the loss. But North Dakota has its own proof-of-loss statute that changes the trigger: NDCC 26.1-32-08 gives the insured "sixty days after the blank form is furnished" to make proof, requires the insurer to furnish that blank within 20 days of notice of loss, and provides that if it fails to, "the insurer has waived the requirement of proof of loss." Any agreement waiving the section is void. So the 60 days runs from the form, not from the fire (NDCC 26.1-32-08) |
| Appraisal, fire | Also from the incorporated form, and mechanically specific: on written demand of either party, each selects a competent and disinterested appraiser and notifies the other within 20 days; the appraisers select an umpire, and failing for 15 days to agree on one, a judge selects; the appraisers appraise, submit only their differences to the umpire, and "an award in writing, so itemized, of any two when filed with this Company shall determine the amount." It settles the amount, not coverage (1943 NY form, via NDCC 26.1-39-06) |
| Time limit to sue, fire policy | THREE YEARS minimum — and this is where North Dakota overrides the form it adopted. The New York policy limits suit to 24 months after inception of the loss. NDCC 26.1-39-06(10) makes that void here: "No contract or policy issued under this section may contain a limitation of less than three years for the bringing of any suit or action under the contract or policy." A candidate who has memorised the standard fire policy will answer 24 months and be wrong (NDCC 26.1-39-06(10)) |
| Cancellation notice, property and fire | 10 days for nonpayment, 30 days for any other permitted reason — with a 5-day notice available for specified hazardous conditions. Note this against auto, where the other-cause figure is 20 days (NDCC 26.1-39-13(2); 26.1-39-14) |
| Nonrenewal notice, property and fire | 45 days — stretched to 90 days for professional liability. Auto nonrenewal is 30. Three different numbers across two chapters (NDCC 26.1-39-16(1)) |
| Reopened and supplemental claims | A claim may be reopened within one year of the loss, and a supplemental claim filed within twelve months after the last payment, with tolling for deployed service members (NDCC 26.1-39-30) |
| P&C guaranty caps | $300,000 per covered claim — and a second, much smaller cap people forget: return of unearned premium is capped at $10,000 per policy. Other applicable coverage must be exhausted first. Cite the live chapter 26.1-42.1; its predecessor NDCC 26.1-42 is repealed (NDCC 26.1-42.1-05(1)(a); -09(1)) |
| Rate regulation | File-and-use with a deemer, not prior approval. Under NDCC ch. 26.1-25 a filing sits for a 60-day waiting period and "is deemed to meet the requirements of this chapter unless disapproved by the commissioner within the waiting period." And personal lines gets the lightest treatment, not the heaviest: a private passenger automobile or homeowner filing averaging under 5% is deemed compliant immediately, with notice filed within 30 days after implementation (NDCC 26.1-25-04) |
| Surplus lines, and where the diligent search lives | Writing surplus lines requires an underlying producer licence — NDCC 26.1-26-17, not the surplus lines chapter's definitions section. The diligent search duty is an Administrative Code rule: NDAC 45-09-01-03 requires the producer to "conduct a diligent search to ascertain whether the insurance... can be procured from a company authorized to do business in this state." The words "diligent search" do not appear in NDCC ch. 26.1-44 at all (NDCC 26.1-26-17; NDAC 45-09-01-03) |
The valued policy rule is the single highest-value item on this page, and not only for the exam. In an actual-cash-value state, a total loss opens an argument about depreciation. In North Dakota, on a total fire loss, the amount written in the policy is the loss. That changes how you advise a client about the limit they select, because under-insuring is no longer partly self-correcting — the face amount is the whole answer.
The three-year suit limitation is second, and it is the cleanest trap North Dakota sets. Everything else about the fire policy comes from the 1943 New York form, so a well-prepared candidate learns that form — including its 24-month suit clause. North Dakota voids anything under three years. If the item asks how long an insured has to sue on a North Dakota fire policy, the form's answer is the wrong answer.
Third, keep the cancellation and nonrenewal numbers separated by line, because there are six of them across two chapters. Property: 10 nonpayment, 30 other cause, 45 nonrenewal, 5 hazardous condition. Auto: 10 nonpayment, 20 other cause, 30 nonrenewal. Only the nonpayment figure is shared.
Every North Dakota Test Centre, and How to Book
Since April 24, 2026 there is no remote option, so where you test is a real decision again. PSI publishes six North Dakota sites:
| City | Centre | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Bismarck | PSI | 120 N. 3rd Street, Suite 75 |
| Bismarck | North Dakota Safety Council | 1710 Canary Ave., Suite A |
| Fargo | Fargo Training and Testing Centre | 4575 23rd Ave S, Suite 1100 |
| Grand Forks | University of North Dakota | 2891 2nd Ave N — Stop 9063 |
| Minot | Minot State University | 500 University Ave W |
| Williston | Williston State College | 415 22nd Ave NE |
Three of the six are on university or college campuses, which has practical consequences a purpose-built centre does not: parking is metered or permit-controlled, buildings lock outside term-time hours, and the room may be in a building whose name is not the one on your confirmation. Give yourself longer than you think at Grand Forks, Minot and Williston.
The geography is the real constraint. These six cover the populated corridors — the I-94 line and the Red River valley — but North Dakota is a large state and there is nothing in the southwest. From Dickinson the nearest seat is Bismarck, about 100 miles; from the far northwest, Williston. PSI adds that "PSI has examination centers in many other regions across the United States. You may take this examination at any of these locations", which is genuinely useful for a candidate who works across the Montana or Minnesota line.
Booking. You register and schedule directly with PSI — online or by phone. North Dakota requires no state approval, no application and no candidate ID first, so you can book as soon as you decide. The fee is $64 for this paper ($58 for Personal Lines), and each fee stays valid one year from the date of payment.
The reschedule rule, and it is where the money goes. You may cancel and reschedule "without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received 2 days before the scheduled examination date." Two days. And the channel matters: "A voicemail or email message is not an acceptable form of cancellation." You cancel through PSI's website or by speaking to a person. Miss the window or simply not turn up, and the fee is gone — "examination fees are not refundable or transferable."
On the day, arrive 30 minutes before your appointment and bring one piece of identification: current, unexpired, government-issued, showing your name, signature and photograph. Accepted forms include a driver's licence, state or national ID card, passport or passport card, military ID, alien registration card, and a plastic learner's permit only if it carries both photo and signature. The Life & Health guide covers check-in and the prohibited-items list in full.
One thing you can do while you are there. PSI centres roll fingerprints during regular testing hours, including on the day you test — $29 to PSI plus the $40 check or money order to the North Dakota Attorney General, and PSI mails the whole package to the Department for you. If you are travelling to Bismarck or Fargo anyway, doing both in one trip removes a step. The Casualty guide covers the alternative.
What the North Dakota Licence Costs
North Dakota's entry cost is middling, and the shape of it is unusual: there is no course to buy, but there is a fingerprint fee, and the licence fee is charged per licence rather than per line — so the more lines you take, the better the arithmetic gets.
| Item | Cost | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Exam, this line | $64 per attempt | PSI |
| Pre-licensing education | $0 — not required | — |
| Fingerprint check | $40 | ND Attorney General (check or money order) |
| PSI fingerprint rolling, if used | $29 | PSI |
| Initial licence fee | $100 | ND Insurance Department, via NIPR |
| Running total | about $204 |
The $100 comes from NDCC 26.1-01-07: "For issuing an insurance producer's license, one hundred dollars." Lines of authority ride on that single licence, so a producer who sits Life and Annuity, Accident and Health, Property and Casualty pays four exam fees but still one $100 licence fee.
The $40 is not optional and not payable by card. It goes to the North Dakota Attorney General by check, cashier's check or money order — "STARTER CHECKS... CASH AND CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS ARE NOT VALID PAYMENT METHODS." The $29 is separate and only applies if you have PSI roll your prints at a test centre; go elsewhere and you skip it.
Exam fees are not refundable and not transferable, and each fee stays valid for one year from the date of payment. There is no retake discount — a failed attempt costs full price again.
The recurring cost is small. The biennial continuation is $25 under NDCC 26.1-01-07, plus whatever your CE courses cost. What is expensive is missing it: there is no late fee to pay, because there is no late renewal. A cancelled licence is replaced by a new application at $100.
Property and Casualty together run $128 in exam fees because North Dakota has no combined paper — but still only one $100 licence fee and one $40 fingerprint check. Personal Lines, at $58, is the cheapest route to writing homeowners and personal auto if commercial work is genuinely not in your future.
Eligibility Requirements
North Dakota's bar is low and its paperwork is specific. You must be at least 18, pass the examination for each line you want, clear a fingerprint-based criminal history check, and file through NIPR within a year of passing.
No pre-licensing education. NDCC 26.1-26-13.2(1) requires only that a resident applicant "must pass a written examination unless exempt under section 26.1-26-25." There is no coursework condition anywhere in the chapter, and the Department confirms applicants "will not have to provide verification of study." North Dakota is one of the states where the exam is the whole gate.
Fingerprints, but only once. Every applicant for an initial resident producer licence submits fingerprints for a state and national check through the ND Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the FBI. The Department is explicit that this does not repeat: "Resident producers adding a line of authority to an existing license are not required to be fingerprinted after passing the exams." Nor is it repeated at renewal. The Casualty guide walks the process step by step.
The background review beyond the prints runs through the Uniform Application's disclosure questions. A "yes" answer obliges you to attach a written explanation and the underlying court or regulatory documents. The Health guide covers what triggers disclosure and how the Department reads it.
Grounds to refuse or revoke are enumerated at NDCC 26.1-26-42, and the one worth naming here is 26.1-26-42(10): "An improper withholding of, misappropriating of, or converting to one's own use any moneys belonging to policyholders, insurers, beneficiaries, or others received in the course of one's insurance business." North Dakota has no express premium-trust-account rule, so that misappropriation ground is doing the work a fiduciary regulation does in most states.
Two conduct rules in the administrative code have no national counterpart and apply from your first day licensed: a producer may not borrow money from a client (NDAC 45-02-02-14.1), and may not knowingly write excessive or unnecessary coverage (NDAC 45-02-02-14).
Keeping the North Dakota Property Licence
Important CE details: 24 hours per two-year cycle, 3 of them ethics. Up to 12 excess hours carry over in either direction — forward to the next year or back to the preceding one. Providers have 15 days to file your credits, so a course taken in the final fortnight may not post in time. Miss the continuation and there is no grace period and no reinstatement: the licence is cancelled and you reapply as a new applicant for $100.
North Dakota does something almost no other state does: it issues a licence with no term at all. NDCC 26.1-26-31 is titled "Term of license" and then declines to give one — "A license issued under this chapter continues in force in perpetuity unless" one of eight conditions fails. The licence does not expire. It gets cancelled.
The conditions that end it include suspension or revocation, the licensee's death or an entity's dissolution, loss of residency, failure to meet continuing education, and failure to file the biennial continuation and pay its fee. Those last two are the ones a working producer actually has to manage.
The biennial continuation — NDCC 26.1-26-13.4 and NDAC 45-02-02-05.1. You file a continuation and pay $25, due "on or before the last day of the month of the licensee's birthday following the two-year anniversary of the issuance of a license." The commissioner must give at least 60 days' notice of the deadline, and the renewal window opens about 90 days before.
The CE requirement — NDCC 26.1-26-31.1. "Continuing education of not less than twenty-four hours of approved coursework, of which three hours must be in ethics", per two-year cycle. There is no line-specific allocation: 24 hours covers you whether you hold one line or five.
The carryover rule is genuinely unusual and worth exploiting. Excess hours — up to 12 — "may be credited to the year next preceding the year in which they were earned or to the year next following." Carryover that runs backwards as well as forwards is rare. A producer who over-studies in one year can apply the surplus to the year just gone as well as the year ahead.
Reporting has a fifteen-day tail that catches people. CE providers have 15 days to file your credits with the Department. A course completed inside the last fortnight before your deadline may not post in time, and the Department judges you on what is on file. Finish early enough that the provider's filing window closes before yours does.
Exemptions are narrow. Producers licensed exclusively for title, travel and baggage, surety, bail bonds, legal expense or credit insurance are exempt (NDAC 45-02-04-09.3), though they still file the continuation. The commissioner may grant an extension of up to one year (NDAC 45-02-04-08). And there is a grandfathered senior exemption frozen in time: no CE is required of a producer who, "as of January 1, 2010, is at least sixty-two years of age" and whose combined years of continuous licensure and years of age equal 85. It is a snapshot of that single date — it does not roll forward to anyone who reaches those numbers later.
And then the part that costs real money: there is no grace period and no reinstatement. The Department's own wording is blunt: "There is no grace period after the due date. If not renewed before the expiration date, your license and appointments will be canceled and you will have to reapply with an initial application and $100 fee." Your appointments go with it. The administrative rule that once carried a lapse procedure, NDAC 45-02-02-07.1, was repealed effective December 1, 2001 — do not rely on any summary that still cites it.
Annuity training is separate from CE. Selling annuities requires a one-time four-hour training course under NDCC 26.1-34.2-03.1. It is a training requirement, not a CE requirement, the Department does not track completions — carriers verify — and it reciprocates with substantially similar training completed in another state.
Long-term care is different, and this is where national material misleads. North Dakota's statutes and rules set no producer training hour count for LTC: NDCC ch. 26.1-45 contains no producer training section, and NDAC 45-06-05.1 puts the obligation on the insurer to establish agent training requirements. So the familiar 8-hour initial plus 4-hour recurring figure — the NAIC model regulation — is not codified here. Do not read that as "no training at all", though: North Dakota participates in the federal Long-Term Care Partnership programme, and the Department has issued bulletins on producer training for Partnership-qualified policies. The Department's own guidance is to "contact their company for long-term care partnership training requirements." Ask your carrier.
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