The Oregon Personal Lines Producer License
Oregon defines Personal Lines by purpose, not by product. ORS 744.062(1)(f) describes the class as "Property and casualty insurance coverage sold to individuals and families for primarily noncommercial purposes." So it reaches homeowners, personal auto, renters, personal umbrella and dwelling fire on an owner-occupied home - and stops at the point where the risk is a business.
That boundary is the whole decision. A Personal Lines producer cannot write a commercial building, a contractor's general liability, or a workers' compensation policy. A Property or Casualty producer can write their half of any of those. The exam fee, the length and the coursework are identical across all three, which is what makes this the line people choose without meaning to.
To be licensed you must be at least 18, complete 20 hours of pre-licensing for the Personal Lines line, pass series 12-14 at 70%, be fingerprinted, and file through NIPR before the pre-licensing certificate's one-year anniversary.
Personal Lines, or the Full Property & Casualty Licence
| Personal Lines (12-14) | P&C combined (12-04) | |
|---|---|---|
| Scored questions | 100 | 150 |
| Time | 2 hours | 2 hours 40 minutes |
| Exam fee | $45 | $55 |
| Pre-licensing | 20 hours | 40 hours - 20 per line |
| Commercial risks | No | Yes |
| Opens surplus lines | No | Yes |
The honest framing is that Personal Lines saves you $10 and one 20-hour course, and costs you commercial authority permanently until you go back and do the other exams. ORS 735.450 also shuts the surplus lines door on it - that requires a producer licensed "to transact property and casualty insurance," which Personal Lines is not.
What Personal Lines does buy is focus. The 12-14 content is the personal half of both P&C chapters, so the statutory material below - homeowner and auto cancellation, wildfire notices, credit history - is the centre of this exam rather than a corner of a bigger one.
As on every Oregon paper, 5 to 10 unscored experimental items sit on top of the scored count.
Most Tested Topics on the Oregon Personal Lines Exam
Oregon's cancellation and nonrenewal law is spread across three separate families - homeowner in ORS 746.687, auto in ORS 742.560 to 742.572, and the standard fire policy in ORS 742.224 - with numbering that catches people who cite by proximity. From the TESTivity Oregon regulations curriculum, statute-verified:
| Concept | The Oregon rule |
|---|---|
| The first 60 days, homeowner | ORS 746.687 does not apply to a homeowner policy "that has been in effect fewer than 60 days at the time the notice of cancellation is mailed or delivered... unless it is a renewal policy." So inside that window the grounds list and the notice periods both fall away - the insurer's freedom is greater, not smaller. One carve-out: a claim filed during the 60 days may not be the basis for cancelling, re-rating or altering terms (ORS 746.687(6)) |
| Grounds to cancel a homeowner policy mid-term | Five, and only five: nonpayment of premium; fraud or material misrepresentation affecting the policy or in the presentation of a claim; violation of the terms and conditions of the policy; substantial increase in the risk of loss after issue or renewal; and the Director's solvency determination (ORS 746.687(1)(a)-(e)) |
| Homeowner cancellation notice | 10 days where the ground is nonpayment or fraud/material misrepresentation - Oregon puts fraud on the short clock alongside nonpayment, where most states reserve it for nonpayment alone. 30 days for the other three grounds (ORS 746.687(3)(a), (b)) |
| Homeowner nonrenewal notice | At least 30 days before expiration, and the insurer must send a notice of renewal or nonrenewal either way. It does not apply where the policy is already in lapse status (ORS 746.687(4)) |
| Proof of notice | Mailing to the address shown in the policy is enough - "Proof of mailing notice of cancellation or nonrenewal to the policyholder at the address shown in the policy is sufficient proof of notice" (ORS 746.687(5)) |
| Grounds to cancel a personal auto policy mid-term | Three: nonpayment; fraud or material misrepresentation affecting the policy or in a claim, or violation of the policy's terms or conditions; and suspension or revocation of driving privileges of the named insured or a household or customary operator during the policy period (ORS 742.562(1)) |
| Auto cancellation notice | At least 10 days for nonpayment, at least 30 days for any other ground, each "accompanied by the reason." Subsection (2) is the one people miss: "This section shall not apply to nonrenewal" (ORS 742.564(1), (2)) |
| Auto nonrenewal notice | At least 30 days - stretching to 45 days where the insurer is offering a replacement policy from an affiliate under the same ownership or control. No notice is required at all if the insurer already sent a notice of expiration or cancellation on or before the 30th day preceding expiration (ORS 742.566(1), (2)(a), (3)) |
| The first 60 days, auto | The same shape as homeowner - ORS 742.562 "shall not apply to any policy or coverage which has been in effect less than 60 days at the time notice of cancellation is mailed... unless it is a renewal policy" (ORS 742.562(2)) |
| Cancellation inside the standard fire policy | 10 days' written notice for nonpayment, 30 days for any other reason - except where the fire coverage is written together with commercial liability, in which case ORS 742.702 governs instead (ORS 742.224(2)(a)) |
| Commercial, for contrast | A commercial liability policy may not be cancelled until at least 10 WORKING days after the insured RECEIVES written notice - working days, and measured from receipt rather than from mailing. Nonrenewal there is 45 days, also from receipt (ORS 742.702(2); 742.706(2)) |
| Wildfire actions | ORS 742.277 adds no day count - it adds content. Before cancelling, nonrenewing or raising premium on wildfire-risk grounds the insurer must describe the property-specific characteristics driving the decision, the mitigation actions available, and how wildfire risk scores and classifications are determined and where this property sits. On a premium increase it must also state which mitigation actions would earn a discount and the amount (ORS 742.277(2), (3)(a), (b)) |
| Claims-based restrictions | Strong: an insurer may not act on a homeowner claim more than five years old, on a first claim within the last five years, or on a mere claim inquiry (ORS 746.686) |
| Credit history | Permitted but restricted - never the sole basis for a decision, and never a basis to cancel or nonrenew (ORS 746.661) |
The item this exam writes most often is the fraud clock, because Oregon breaks the pattern. Every candidate arrives knowing "ten days for nonpayment, thirty for everything else." Oregon's homeowner statute puts fraud or material misrepresentation on the ten-day track too, and leaves violation of terms, increased risk and insolvency on thirty. An item giving you a misrepresented claim and asking for the notice period is testing exactly that.
The second is the direction of the 60-day rule. It reads like a consumer protection and it is the opposite: for the first 60 days of a new policy the protective statute is switched off, and the insurer may cancel outside the enumerated grounds and outside the notice periods. The single carve-out - a claim filed in that window cannot be the reason - is what candidates mistake for the whole rule.
Third, and worth an easy point: ORS 742.564(2). The auto cancellation section says in terms that it does not apply to nonrenewal. Nonrenewal is a different section with a different number and a different clock. A candidate who cites 742.564 for a nonrenewal question has cited a statute that expressly excludes the question.
Passing, Failing and Retaking the Oregon Exam
Oregon scores on a raw 70%, and it is worth being precise about that because so many states do not. OAR 836-071-0127 requires "a score of 70 percent or higher," and the PSI bulletin puts it as "You must get 70% correct to pass the examination." Neither uses the scaled-score language - the tell being a handbook that says the number "is neither the number nor the percentage of questions answered correctly" - and that phrase appears nowhere in Oregon's bulletin. Seventy percent means seventy percent of the scored items.
The only exception anywhere in the Oregon programme is the Crop Insurance Adjuster exam at 80%. Every producer line, this one included, is 70.
What gets scored. Your 100-question Personal Lines paper carries 5 to 10 unscored experimental items on top. They are not identified, they are not scored, and they do not lower the bar - the 70% is computed on the scored items only.
If you fail. There is no mandated waiting period beyond rebooking. The bulletin gives its own example: "A candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Wednesday can call the next day, Thursday, and retest as soon as Friday, depending upon space availability." So the practical floor is the second day, and the constraint is seats rather than rules. The full fee is payable per attempt - $45 each time.
Is there an attempt limit? No - and the bulletin says so rather than leaving it to inference: "You may take examinations on an unlimited basis during the 1 year period." The period it means is the eligibility window, because "all eligibilities are valid for 1 year from the date on the Certificate of Completion." So attempts are unlimited, and the ceiling is time and money rather than a count.
The clock that actually constrains you. It is not the exam - it is the pre-licensing Certificate of Completion, which "expires one year to the day from the date it is issued," and before that date you must have both passed the exam and applied for licensure. So a long retake campaign eats the same year your application has to fit inside. NIPR separately describes Oregon exam scores as valid twelve months, measured from the exam - a later date, and not the binding one.
What forfeits your fee, for either mode: failing to cancel at least two days out, not appearing, arriving after the examination start time, and failing to present proper ID. Cancellations go online or through (855) 340-3901, and the bulletin is explicit that "a voice mail message is not an acceptable form of cancellation."
What the Oregon Personal Lines License Costs
| Item | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-licensing, 20 hours | Varies by school | One of DFR's registered schools |
| Personal Lines exam (12-14) | $45 per attempt | PSI |
| Fingerprints | $61.25 - $46.25 state, $15.00 PSI | At the site, on the day |
| Initial application | $75 flat, all lines | DFR, through NIPR |
| Renewal, on time | $45 | DFR |
| Renewal, late | $90 | DFR |
Personal Lines and the standalone Property and Casualty exams all cost the same $45 and all take 20 hours of coursework. There is no price signal telling you that one of them is a narrower authority than the other two - the difference shows up later, the first time a client asks you to quote their shop.
Every failed attempt is another $45. Attempts are unlimited inside the one-year eligibility period, so the cost of a poorly-timed first sitting is real money rather than a lockout.
Eligibility Requirements
Be at least 18. Complete 20 hours of pre-licensing for the Personal Lines line. Pass series 12-14 at 70%. Submit electronic fingerprints - ink cards are not accepted - and file through NIPR before the certificate expires.
One exemption worth checking before you enrol. The property-and-casualty designations at OAR 836-071-0180(7) - AAI, ARM and CIC at three years' experience, ACSR, CPSR and CPIW at two - are written for "property & casualty," and Personal Lines is a separate class of authority at ORS 744.062(1)(f). Whether a P&C-scoped designation exemption reaches a Personal Lines application is not answered on the face of the rule. Ask DFR before paying for a course you may not need, and get the answer in writing.
The experience route on DFR Form 2493 is clearer: the form lists Personal lines among the eligible lines by name, alongside Life, Health, Property, Casualty, Surplus lines and the rest.
Keeping the Oregon Personal Lines License
Important CE details: 24 credit hours of DFR-approved CE per two-year renewal cycle - OAR 836-071-0215(1) states it two ways, "12 hours of continuing education annually or 24 hours in each two-year renewal period." Subsection (2) requires the cycle to INCLUDE at least 3 hours of Oregon statutes and administrative rules and at least 3 hours of professional ethics; they come out of the 24, not on top of it. No more than 4 hours of agency management counts - OAR 836-071-0230(2) caps the office-management subject at four hours a renewal period - and no more than 8 credit hours may be earned in one day. Carryover is barred - OAR 836-071-0225(1)(e) credits an hour only if it was completed during the licence period immediately preceding the renewal date. The 24 is flat and covers every line you hold; it does not stack per line.
Biennial renewal on the last day of your birth month; 24 hours per cycle including at least 3 in professional ethics and at least 3 in Oregon statutes and administrative rules.
Flood is the gate to watch on personal business. A producer who sells, solicits or negotiates flood insurance needs a one-time 3-hour NFIP course and then 2 hours every renewal cycle. It binds by conduct, not by line of authority - DFR writes it as "each producer" - so it reaches a Personal Lines licensee directly, and flood sits next to homeowners on the same kitchen table.
The Property & Casualty guide covers renewal timing, the late tiers and the 12-month reinstatement window in full.
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