Licensing pathPre-licensing education
Do you need a P&C pre-licensing course, and how many hours?
Texas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania require no pre-licensing course for a P&C license; California requires only 12 hours of study on ethics and its Insurance Code; Illinois, Ohio and New Jersey require 40 hours across the two lines, New York 90 and Florida 200. Each figure below links to its state source, checked October 8, 2026.
Required hours, state by state
- Texas0 h
- North Carolina0 h
- Pennsylvania0 h
- California12 h
- Illinois40 h
- Ohio40 h
- New Jersey40 h
- New York90 h
- Florida200 h
Hours required before a resident license for both property and casualty. Sources and check dates are in the table below.
What each requirement looks like
| State | Required | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | None | 40 hours of sponsor training apply only to a temporary license | Texas Department of Insurance, general lines P&C: apply checked October 8, 2026 |
| North Carolina | None since Oct 1, 2025 | Requirement removed by S.L. 2025-45 | NCDOI, pre-licensing education information packet (Oct 2025) checked October 8, 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | None listed | The PSI bulletin lists no course for the combined 16-06 exam | PSI, Pennsylvania candidate information booklet checked October 8, 2026 |
| California | 12 hours | Ethics and the California Insurance Code; the 20-hour course was repealed Jan 1, 2026 | California Department of Insurance, notice of Nov 10, 2025 (AB 943) checked October 8, 2026 |
| Illinois | 20 hours per line | 7.5 hours of each in a classroom; certificate used within 12 months | Illinois DOI, how to become a resident producer checked October 8, 2026 |
| Ohio | 20 + 20 hours | Property and casualty; certificate valid 180 days | PSI, Ohio candidate information bulletin checked October 8, 2026 |
| New Jersey | 20 + 20 hours | Classroom; 40 hours for both lines | PSI, New Jersey insurance producer bulletin checked October 8, 2026 |
| Michigan | Required | Certificate valid 12 months; hours not confirmed in the bulletin | PSI, Michigan DIFS candidate information bulletin checked October 8, 2026 |
| New York | 90 hours | Before the combined 17-56 agent/broker exam (2023 bulletin) | PSI, New York DFS candidate information bulletin (2023) checked October 8, 2026 |
| Florida | 200 hours | Completed within 4 years of applying, or an experience route | Florida DFS, Resident General Lines License (2-20) checked October 8, 2026 |
A course, a prep tool, or both
A pre-licensing course exists to satisfy a state requirement: a provider your DOI approved teaches the hours and reports your completion. Florida's DFS checklist, for example, says course providers send the proof to the department on their own.
Named Peril is not an approved pre-licensing provider in any state, and nothing on this site counts toward course hours or continuing education. It covers the other half of the job, which is answering exam items under time pressure.
Those are different jobs. A course teaches what the forms cover and, where your state requires it, satisfies the licensing rule. Exam practice checks whether you can keep look-alike terms apart under a clock: named perils and open perils, or actual cash value (ACV) and replacement cost (RC).
To compare prep products on facts you can check, see P&C exam prep compared. Course hours also stretch the calendar, and the time it takes to get a P&C license accounts for them. The full licensing path shows where the course falls among the other steps.
Before you pay for a course
- Confirm that your state DOI approves the provider and the specific course. Testing vendors don't vet study materials: Pennsylvania's PSI bulletin says neither the department nor PSI reviews or approves them.
- Check how long the completion certificate stays valid, and book the exam inside that window.
- Match the course to the license you want: full property and casualty, or personal lines only.
- Ask whether practice exams are included or sold separately.
- Keep your completion certificate until the license is issued.
Choosing and timing a course
Can the course be online?
It depends on the state. Illinois requires 7.5 of each line's 20 hours in a classroom (Illinois DOI) and New Jersey's course is classroom-based, while California has allowed online pre-licensing courses since 2007 (CDI notice). All checked October 8, 2026.
Does a CPCU designation replace the course?
In some states it replaces a step. The CPCU waives pre-licensing education in Ohio and Georgia (Ohio bulletin, Georgia handbook) and the exam itself in Texas and Florida (Texas handbook, Florida DFS), all checked October 8, 2026.
How long does a completion certificate stay valid?
Where a course is required, the state ties it to a deadline. Ohio's certificate is valid for 180 days (PSI Ohio bulletin) and Illinois's must be used within 12 months (Illinois DOI). California's 12 hours must be done before the license is issued (CDI notice). All checked October 8, 2026.