This guide will explain how to get an insurance agent license in every state, and focus on obtaining a producer license for the first time. An insurance agent license can open the door to a new career.
With over 2 million licensed agents in the U.S., according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, you’ll be in good company.
Read our comprehensive guide on becoming an insurance agent for the big picture of what’s involved in this career.
The price tag to obtain your insurance agent or broker license can vary quite a bit depending on which state you’re in. Most folks can expect to shell out between $300 and $1,000 when all is said and done. Here’s a breakdown of typical insurance license costs you’ll run into:
Remember, these costs are to get your foot in the door. As an insurance agent, you’ll also need to consider costs for continuing education, license renewals and insurance coverage.
Jump ahead to learn more about insurance agent license requirements and insurance mandates in your state.
Regulatory agency: Alabama Department of Insurance
In Alabama, licensing requirements include:
The University of Alabama administers state licensing exams. The license fee is $80.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Alaska Division of Insurance
Requirements for a producer/agent license in Alaska include:
There are no mandated pre-exam training hours to fulfill. Pearson Vue administers the exam. The license fee is $75 (additional $50 for paper applications.)
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Arizona Insurance Licensing
In Arizona, insurance license requirements include:
There are no pre-exam training hours to complete. Prometric is Arizona’s exam administrator. The licensing fee is $120, plus a fingerprint processing fee of $22.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Arkansas Insurance Department
In Arkansas, insurance license requirements include:
The license fee is $50. PSI is the insurance exam administrator.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: California Department of Insurance
California’s insurance license requirements include:
California requires prelicensing education before sitting for the exam. You are required to complete 32 hours (for most insurance lines), including 12 hours of ethics training. If you are applying for combined licenses (Property Broker-Agent and Casualty Broker-Agent or Life, Accident and Health Agent), you must complete 52 hours, including ethics training.
The license fee is $188. PSI provides California’s licensure services and exam administration.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Colorado Division of Insurance
In Colorado, insurance license requirements include:
Resident applicants applying for most lines must complete the prelicensing training requirements. These are usually 50-hour courses per line.
The license fee is $47 per line of authority. Pearson Vue handles examinations.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Connecticut Insurance Department
In Connecticut, insurance license requirements include:
Single lines of authority require 20 hours of training, while multiple lines require 40 hours. Multiple lines include life/accident and health or sickness, property and casualty.
License fees for individual producers are $140. Pearson Vue is Connecticut’s exam administrator.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Delaware Department of Insurance
Delaware licensing requirements include:
The license fee is $100. Pearson Vue is Delaware’s exam administrator.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking
District of Columbia licensing requirements include:
According to Pearson Vue’s candidate handbooks, DC does not mandate a prelicensing course; however, candidates have to show proof of a prelicensing course before taking the exam. Title Producer license candidates must complete a prelicense course in preparation for the exam.
Exams are required for the following lines: Title, Life, Accident & Health or Sickness, Property Casualty and Personal Lines.
Pearson Vue administers the insurance exam. The license fee is $100.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Florida Division of Insurance Agent & Agency Services
In Florida, licensing requirements include:
Prelicensing courses are required for specific license categories. These include Health & Life, Property & Casualty, Surplus Lines and Title insurance.
License fees for individual producers are $50, plus an additional $5 per line of authority. Pearson Vue is Florida’s exam administrator.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance
Georgia licensing requirements include:
Depending on the line of authority, candidates must complete pre-exam licensing training. Requirements vary from 8–20 hours for single lines and 40 for multiple lines.
The license fee is $100, plus a $20 processing fee. Pearson Vue is the insurance exam administrator.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Hawaii Insurance Division
In Hawaii, licensing requirements include:
Pearson Vue is the insurance exam administrator. The license fees vary, but most producer licenses are $150.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Idaho Department of Insurance
Idaho insurance licensing requirements include:
Pearson Vue is the insurance exam administrator. The license fee is $80.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Illinois Department of Insurance
In Illinois, insurance licensing requirements include:
If an insurance producer places a policy through an insurer with whom they do not have an agent contract, they must maintain a surety bond. It must be for $2500, up to a maximum of $50,000 in total exposure.
Producer candidates must complete a prelicensing requirement of 20 hours per line of authority. 7.5 of the 20 hours must be completed in a classroom setting.
The license fee is $215. Pearson Vue is the insurance exam administrator.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Indiana Department of Insurance
Indiana insurance mandates include:
Indiana requires the following prelicensing course hours for the following lines:
The license fee is $40. Pearson Vue is the insurance exam administrator.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Iowa Insurance Division
Iowa insurance license requirements include:
There are no mandated pre-exam training hours to fulfill. The license fee is $50. Pearson Vue is the insurance exam administrator.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Kansas Insurance Department
In Kansas, insurance license requirements include:
There are no mandated pre-exam training hours to fulfill. Pearson Vue administers the exam. The license fee is $15, plus a $60 fingerprinting fee.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Kentucky Department of Insurance
Kentucky insurance license requirements include:
Candidates must complete 20 hours of prelicensing training for each major line of authority. Exams are state-administered at various government offices, community colleges and technical schools.
The license fee is $40, plus a $40 fee per line of authority. There is also an exam fee of $50.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Louisiana Department of Insurance
In Louisiana, insurance license requirements include:
The license fee is $75. PSI is Louisiana’s exam administrator.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Maine Bureau of Insurance
In Maine, insurance license requirements include:
The license fee is $25, plus a $15 application fee. Pearson Vue is the state’s exam administrator. There are no required prelicensing courses.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Maryland Insurance Administration
Maryland’s insurance license requirements include:
Effective October 1, 2024, producers required to pass an examination for a license will no longer need to complete prelicense education hours. Prometric, the state’s exam provider will cease accepting new prelicensing course applications starting August 1, 2024.
The license fee is $54.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Massachusetts Division of Insurance
In Maine, insurance license requirements include:
The license fee is $225. If applying for Property, Casualty and/or Personal Lines, you must pay a $75 lead paint surcharge.
Prometric administers the exam. There are no required prelicensing courses.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services
Insurance license state requirements include:
Michigan requires the following prelicensing course hours for the following lines:
The application license fee is $10, plus a $5 transaction fee. PSI administers the state licensing exams.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Minnesota Department of Commerce
Minnesota insurance licensing requirements include:
Insurance producer candidates must complete the 20 hours of pre-approved insurance prelicense education per line of authority.
PSI is the insurance exam administrator. The license fees is $50, plus a $10 technology fee. An additional $50 is charged per line of authority.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Mississippi Insurance Department
In Mississippi, insurance license requirements include:
Resident applicants must complete 20 hours of prelicensing education for each line of authority they request.
The license fee is $100, plus $1 for online applications. Pearson Vue administers the exam.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Missouri Department of Commerce & Insurance
Missouri’s insurance license requirements include:
The license fee is $100. Pearson Vue is the state’s exam administrator. There are no required prelicensing courses.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance
Insurance license requirements in Montana include:
Pearson Vue is Montana’s exam administrator. There are no required prelicensing courses and no application fee for producers, but Errors and Omissions insurance (E&O insurance) is often recommended.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Nebraska Department of Insurance
Nebraska’s insurance license requirements include:
PSI administers Nebraska’s exams. The license fee is $50.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Nevada Division of Insurance
Nevada’s insurance license requirements include:
Prelicensing education is not required for residential producers. Pearson Vue administers exams for Nevada. The license fee is $185.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: New Hampshire Insurance Department
In New hampshire, insurance license requirements include:
Prelicensing education is not required for residential producers. Prometric is the exam service provider. The license fee is $210.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: New Jersey Department of Banking & Insurance
In New Jersey, insurance license requirements include:
The state requires the following prelicensing course hours for the following lines:
PSI is New Jersey’s exam administrator. The license fee is $170. Each additional line is $20.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance
New Mexico’s insurance license requirements include:
PSI is New Mexico’s exam administrator. The license fee is $30.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: New York State Department of Financial Services
In New York, insurance license requirements include:
Fingerprinting is not required for producers. The following license types require fingerprinting: Independent Adjusters, Public Adjusters, Bail Bonds and Life Settlement Brokers.
New York Department of Financial Services licensees must comply with Cybersecurity Regulation, which requires establishing a cybersecurity program to protect non-public information. There are some instances where individuals and entities are exempt.
New York requires prelicensing education for the following lines of authority for agents and brokers:
PSI is New York’s exam administrator. The license fee is $80.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: North Carolina Department of Insurance
In North Carolina, insurance license requirements include:
The state requires the following prelicensing course hours for the following lines:
Pearson Vue is the exam service provider. The license fee is $82, which includes a fingerprint fee. An additional $50 is charged per line of authority.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: North Dakota Insurance Department
North Dakota’s insurance license requirements include:
PSI is the exam administrator. The license fee is $100.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Ohio Department of Insurance
Ohio’s insurance license requirements include:
The state requires the following prelicensing course hours for the following lines:
PSI is the exam service provider. The license fee is $10 per line of authority.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Oklahoma Insurance Department
In Oklahoma, insurance license requirements include:
The license fee is $60 ($40 for limited lines). PSI administers the exam.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Oregon Division of Financial Regulation
Oregon’s insurance license requirements include:
The state requires the following prelicensing course hours for the following lines:
The license fee is $75. PSI administers the exam.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Pennsylvania Insurance Department
The state’s insurance license requirements include:
Before sitting for your license examination, candidates must complete the prelicensing education requirements. Applicants must complete 24 credit hours of approved prelicensing courses, including a minimum of 3 hours of ab approved ethics course
The license fee is $55. PSI administers the exam.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation
Rhode Island’s insurance license requirements include:
Person Vue is the exam administrator. The license fee is $120. There are no prelicensing course hours to fulfill.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: South Carolina Department of Insurance
In South Carolina, insurance license requirements include:
Person Vue is the exam service provider. The license fee is $25. There are no prerequisite course requirements.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: South Dakota Division of Insurance
South Dakota’s insurance license requirements include:
Person Vue is the exam service provider. The license fee is $25. There are no prelicensing course requirements to fulfill.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance
Insurance license state requirements in Tennessee include:
Candidates applying for a Title insurance line of authority must complete 30 hours
of a prelicensing course through an approved educational provider.
Person Vue is the exam administrator. The license fee is $50. There are no prelicensing course requirements to fulfill.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Texas Department of Insurance
Texas insurance license requirements include:
Person Vue is the state’s exam administrator. The license fee is $50. There are no prelicensing course requirements to fulfill.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Utah Insurance Department
Utah’s insurance license requirements include:
There are no prelicensing course requirements to fulfill. Prometric is the state’s exam administrator. The license fee is $75.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Vermont Department of Financial Regulation
Vermont’s insurance license requirements include:
There are no prelicensing course requirements to fulfill. Prometric is the state’s exam administrator. The license fee is $60.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Virginia Bureau of Insurance
In Virginia, insurance license requirements include:
Candidates applying for a Title line of authority must complete a 16-hour prelicensing course.
Prometric is the state’s exam administrator. The license fee is $15.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner
Washington State’s insurance license requirements include:
Effective July 2023, Washington will no longer require prelicensing education to take the insurance exam.
PSI is the state’s exam administrator. The license fee is $55.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner
In West Virginia, insurance license requirements include:
The state requires the following prelicensing course hours for the following lines:
Pearson Vue is the state’s exam administrator. The license fee is $50.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance
Wisconsin’s insurance license requirements include:
Applicants must complete 20 hours of prelicensing education with an approved education provider before taking the exam. Of the 20 hours, 8 hours must consist of the principles of insurance, general Wisconsin insurance laws, and ethics.
PSI is the state’s exam administrator. License fees range from $10-$75 depending on what lines of authority you are applying for.
Required business insurance:
Regulatory agency: Wyoming Department of Insurance
Wyoming’s insurance license requirements include:
There are no prelicensing education requirements. Pearson Vue is the state’s exam administrator. The license fee is $100, plus a fingerprinting fee of $39.
Required business insurance:
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This information has been provided as a service. It is correct and up-to-date to the best of our knowledge; however, it is in no way intended to offer legal advice and you must always consult with local authorities before you make any business decisions. Regulations and requirements may change at any time.
Amy Beardsley, insurance expert and contributing writer at NEXT Insurance, is a content marketing writer who specializes in small business coverage. Leveraging her background in the legal field, Amy brings a deep understanding of laws, regulations, and compliance requirements to her work. As a content marketing writer since 2016, she has contributed to publications like Legal & General, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, Insurify, and NerdWallet. Her work has also appeared in CNBC, Kiplinger, and US News. When she’s not writing, Amy enjoys playing cards with her family and experimenting with new recipes.
