1.2 Ohio P&C Producer Licensing Requirements
Key Takeaways
- Ohio requires 20 hours of ODI-approved pre-license education per major line — 20 for Property AND 20 for Casualty (40 total for full P&C)
- The pre-license course certificate is valid for 180 days and the in-course final must be passed at 70%
- The state licensing exam is administered by PSI Services (not Prometric); the fee is about $42 and the passing score is 70%
- All applicants must complete WebCheck fingerprinting for an Ohio BCI&I and FBI background check
- Applicants must be at least 18 and apply through NIPR/Ohio; the resident license application fee is $25 per line of authority
Ohio sets specific gates a candidate must clear before ODI will issue a Property & Casualty producer license. The exam loves precise numbers here, so commit them to memory.
Pre-License Education
Ohio requires 20 hours of ODI-approved pre-license education per major line of authority. Property and Casualty are two separate major lines, so a candidate seeking the full P&C license typically completes 20 hours for Property and 20 hours for Casualty — 40 hours total. (A combined P&C course may bundle both, but the hours-per-line standard is what's tested.)
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hours per major line | 20 (Property = 20, Casualty = 20) |
| Provider | Must be ODI-approved |
| Course final exam | Must score 70% to receive certificate |
| Certificate validity | 180 days to sit the state exam |
| Minimum age | 18 |
Required Course Content
Approved curricula cover Ohio insurance law (ORC Title 39), property coverage principles, casualty/liability coverage principles, policy provisions, and ethics/producer duties.
Exam Tip: The pre-license course completion certificate is good for 180 days — schedule your PSI exam inside that window or you must retake the course. Don't confuse the 180-day course window with the 2-year license term.
The State Licensing Exam
A frequently corrected error: Ohio's testing vendor is PSI Services (PSI Exams) — not Prometric.
| Exam Detail | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Testing vendor | PSI Services |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Exam fee | Approximately $42 per attempt |
| Format | Multiple choice, computer-based at PSI centers or online proctored |
| Scoring | Pass/fail report at the test center |
| Retake | May re-register and pay a new fee for each attempt |
License Types You Can Pursue
| License Type | What You May Sell |
|---|---|
| Property & Casualty (Major Lines) | All property and casualty products |
| Personal Lines | Personal auto and homeowners only |
| Limited Lines | Narrow products (credit, travel, portable electronics, etc.) |
| Surplus Lines | Hard-to-place risks; requires an underlying P&C license |
Exam Content Outline
The Ohio P&C exam is split into a general (national) portion covering core property and casualty concepts and an Ohio state-law portion covering the material in this chapter — ODI authority, licensing, CE, prohibited practices, and Ohio statutory provisions. Both portions are combined into one pass/fail result, and you must reach an overall 70%. State-law questions reward precise recall of numbers (24/3 CE, 30-day reporting, 180-day certificate), so do not over-invest in only the national coverage concepts.
The Six-Step Path to an Ohio P&C License
- Complete 20 hours of ODI-approved pre-license education for each line (Property, Casualty) and pass each course final at 70%.
- Obtain the certificate — valid 180 days.
- Schedule and pass the PSI exam at 70% (about $42 per attempt).
- Complete WebCheck fingerprinting for the background check.
- Submit the license application (Ohio uses NIPR for online filing) and pay the fee.
- ODI reviews and issues the license once the background check clears.
Background Check Requirements
Ohio requires electronic fingerprinting through WebCheck for all producer applicants. The prints feed two checks:
- BCI&I check — Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation & Identification (state record)
- FBI check — federal criminal history
- Results are transmitted electronically to ODI; the typical WebCheck fee is about $50–$60.
Character & Disqualifying Factors
ODI evaluates trustworthiness and competence. Under federal law (18 U.S.C. 1033), anyone with a felony conviction involving dishonesty or breach of trust generally cannot work in insurance without 1033 written consent from ODI. ODI weighs:
- Felony convictions (especially fraud, theft, breach of trust)
- Misdemeanors involving dishonesty
- Insurance-law violations or license revocations in other states
- Unpaid Ohio taxes or child-support arrearages (can block issuance)
License Application & Fees
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Filing method | Online via NIPR / Ohio Sircon |
| Resident application fee | $25 per line of authority |
| Processing | Generally a few business days after the background check clears |
| License term | 2 years, expiring the last day of the producer's birth month |
Resident vs. Non-Resident
- Resident: Ohio is the producer's home (resident) state.
- Non-Resident: Holds an active home-state license in good standing; Ohio issues a matching license through reciprocity under the NAIC framework. Non-residents are generally exempt from Ohio pre-license education and the Ohio exam because they already passed their home state's.
Common trap: A producer who moves their residence to Ohio must convert to an Ohio resident license — a non-resident license does not survive a move into the state. Under NAIC reciprocity, a producer in good standing in their home state who relocates generally has a limited grace period (commonly 90 days) to apply for the new home-state resident license without re-examination, provided no break in licensing occurs.
Business entities (agencies) may also be licensed. A business-entity P&C license requires a designated responsible licensed producer (DRLP) who is accountable for the entity's compliance, and the entity must itself be appointed and clear a check on its principals.
Exam Tip: Remember the vendor (PSI), the score (70%), the per-line hours (20), and the certificate window (180 days). Wrong distractors usually swap in "Prometric," "75%," or "40 hours per line."
Which organization administers the Ohio Property & Casualty licensing examination?
How much ODI-approved pre-license education does Ohio require for each major line of authority?
A producer passes the Ohio exam. What background-check step must be completed before ODI issues the license?