What is the difference between a personal lines license and a property and casualty license?

A property and casualty license covers the full property and casualty lines, including commercial risks such as general liability. A personal lines license is narrower: it covers property and casualty insurance sold to individuals and families for primarily noncommercial purposes, such as personal auto and homeowners policies. In some states, including California and Illinois, the two are separate license tracks, so a property and casualty licensee may need an additional application to add personal lines.

A property and casualty (P&C) license covers both personal and commercial property and liability coverage, while a personal lines license is limited to coverage for individuals and families, such as homeowners and auto policies. In Alabama the combined P&C exam has 150 questions in 3 hours and requires 105 correct answers; the Personal Lines exam has 100 questions in 2 hours and requires 70 correct. Both use a 70% passing standard.

In Alaska, personal lines coverage is already included within the property and casualty lines of authority, so a licensee who holds property and casualty authority may not also apply for personal lines. Personal lines has its own exam, with 75 scored general questions and 49 scored Alaska-specific questions, while Property and Casualty each have separate exams with 50 scored general questions and 40 scored state questions. A producer choosing property and casualty gets broader authority, while personal lines licenses a narrower scope.

A personal lines license covers personal-use coverages such as personal auto, homeowners, and renters insurance, while a property and casualty license adds commercial coverages on top of those personal lines. In Arizona, the Personal Lines exam (Series 13-44) costs $50, while the combined Property and Casualty exam (Series 13-34) costs $59; both require a 70% passing score.

A personal lines broker-agent license covers insurance for individuals and families: automobile, residential property including earthquake and flood, personal watercraft, and umbrella liability written over underlying auto or residential property policies. A property and casualty broker-agent license covers the full commercial and personal property and casualty market. CDI's rules do not permit a personal lines applicant to also hold a Property and Casualty license, or the reverse.

Colorado issues one Producer license that lists your lines of authority, and Personal Lines sits within Property and Casualty. If you already hold Property and Casualty, you are exempt from the Personal Lines prelicensing training and exam requirements. The exams differ in length: Personal Lines allows 2 hours and 15 minutes with 104 scored questions, while Property has 75 and Casualty has 81 scored questions, each in 2 hours.

In Delaware, Property and Casualty are two separate major lines of authority, and each covers both personal and commercial exposures. The Personal Lines license covers only property and casualty coverage sold to individuals and families for noncommercial purposes. The exams differ too: Property has 50 scored general plus 35 scored state questions, Casualty has 50 plus 45, and Personal Lines has 75 plus 40.

A personal lines license authorizes an insurance producer to sell coverage for individuals and families, while a property and casualty (P&C) license covers a broader set of property and liability lines, both personal and commercial. In DC, both are lines of authority on a producer license. Per Pearson VUE content outlines effective September 2, 2025, DC offers no stand-alone Personal Lines exam; personal lines authority is earned through the Property and/or Casualty exams.

The Florida 2-20 general lines (property and casualty) license covers property, casualty, surety, marine, health, and miscellaneous lines, including commercial insurance, workers compensation, and bonds. The 20-44 personal lines license is a general lines license limited to property and casualty insurance sold to individuals and families for noncommercial purposes, such as autos, homes, and watercraft. Personal lines applicants complete a 60-hour approved course, while general lines applicants complete a 200-hour course unless they qualify through experience or a degree.

A personal lines license covers insurance sold to individuals and families only, such as auto, home, and renters coverage. Property and casualty licenses cover both personal and commercial risks: property includes homeowner, commercial property, and inland marine, while casualty includes auto, workers compensation, crime, and liability. In Idaho, holding both Property and Casualty also covers Personal Lines and all limited lines of authority.

A personal lines license covers the same kinds of coverage as property and casualty, but only for individuals and families buying insurance for noncommercial purposes, while a full property and casualty license also covers commercial insurance. Kansas offers Personal Lines as a separate major line of authority for candidates who do not want the full Property and Casualty license, with its own $57 licensing exam. Both licenses carry the same 18 hours of continuing education biennially, including 3 hours of ethics.

A Personal Lines license covers personal (non-commercial) insurance only, while Property and Casualty covers both personal and commercial lines. The exams differ too: the Personal Lines exam (PSI Series 107) costs $36, while the combined Property and Casualty exam (Series 106) costs $58. Louisiana requires no prelicensing education for either exam.

A Personal Lines license covers only non-commercial property and casualty insurance sold to individuals, such as auto and homeowners policies. A Property and Casualty license covers both personal and commercial business, including automobile liability, homeowners, workers' compensation, and surety. Personal Lines requires 20 hours of prelicensing education, while the combined Property and Casualty track requires 40 hours and a single 150-minute exam.

Montana does not offer a separate personal lines license. The producer lines of authority listed for the state include Property and Casualty, each with its own Pearson VUE exam: Property has 82 scoreable questions and Casualty has 87, both requiring a passing score of 75. A producer licensed in both Property and Casualty covers the personal and commercial business that other states often split into a distinct personal lines license.

In Nebraska, Personal Lines is its own line of authority, while Property and Casualty are two separate lines that you can test for with two single-line exams or one combined exam. A single-line exam costs $43 and the combined exam costs $47, all with a 70% passing score. Both paths carry the same continuing education: 24 hours, including 3 hours of ethics, per 2-year renewal cycle.

In New Hampshire, Personal Lines is its own line of authority with a separate exam (series 12-86, $59), while Property and Casualty is a combined line covering both property and casualty authority (series 12-64, $72). Personal Lines covers personal policies such as auto and homeowners, while a Property and Casualty license covers personal and commercial coverage. Note that an applicant who holds the Property and Casualty line cannot also apply for the Property, Casualty, or Personal Lines lines of authority.

A property and casualty (P&C) license covers the full property and casualty line of authority, while a personal lines license authorizes only non-commercial insurance sold to individuals and families rather than businesses. New York requires 90 hours of prelicensing education for P&C agents and brokers versus 40 hours for personal lines. The exams differ too: the P&C exam has 150 questions with a 2.5-hour limit, while the personal lines exam has 100 questions in 2 hours. Both require a 70% passing score.

In North Carolina, Personal Lines and Property/Casualty are separate lines of authority on a producer license. Property covers homeowners, dwelling, flood, crop, and business property risks; Casualty covers both personal and commercial auto, commercial liability, surety, workers compensation, and errors and omissions. Personal Lines covers only personal auto, homeowners, dwelling, personal liability, personal umbrella, and similar personal risks. An applicant who already holds Property or Casualty cannot add Personal Lines, because Personal Lines is included within both.

A property and casualty license covers the full property and casualty lines, while a personal lines license covers property and casualty insurance sold to individuals and families for primarily noncommercial purposes. In North Dakota, personal lines is a reduced exam line: the Personal Lines exam costs $58, while the Property exam and the Casualty exam each cost $64. All three allow 150 minutes and require a 70% passing score.

A Property and Casualty license covers both commercial and personal insurance, while a Property Casualty - Personal Lines license covers only policies for personal use, such as autos and homes. In Oklahoma, Personal Lines is its own line of authority with its own exam, and the resident license fee is $60 either way. Producers who want to sell commercial coverage need the full Property and Casualty license.

A property and casualty license covers both commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, while a personal lines license covers only personal policies such as auto and homeowners. In Rhode Island, first-time P&C candidates must register for both the Property Producer exam (76 scoreable questions) and the Casualty Producer exam (82 scoreable questions); the Personal Lines exam has 100 scoreable questions. Each exam costs $80, and taking two exams back to back in one test session makes the second exam free.

A personal lines license covers property and casualty insurance sold to individuals and families for primarily noncommercial purposes, such as auto and homeowners coverage. A property and casualty license is broader: property covers direct or consequential loss or damage to property of every kind, and casualty covers legal liability for death, injury, disability, or damage to real or personal property, plus fidelity and surety bonds. Both are lines of authority under South Dakota's producer licensing statute.

In Vermont, a Personal Lines license covers insurance for individual consumers, such as homeowners and personal auto, while the Property and Casualty license covers personal and commercial coverages together. The exams reflect that split: the combined P&C exam includes commercial package, businessowners, and workers' compensation sections that the Personal Lines exam omits. The fees differ too, at $52 for the Personal Lines exam versus $67.60 for the combined P&C exam.

In Washington, property and casualty is a pair of full lines covering property and liability insurance broadly, including commercial coverage, while personal lines is a separate license limited to personal (non-commercial) insurance such as home and auto. State licensing rules do not let you hold personal lines if you already hold or are applying for property and casualty. Each line has its own exam, though PSI offers a combined property and casualty exam for $55.

A personal lines license authorizes an agent to sell only personal auto and homeowners coverage, while holding both property and casualty lines of authority covers those personal lines products plus commercial coverage. Wisconsin law includes the personal lines authority within the property and casualty lines, so applicants for property and casualty cannot apply separately for personal lines. An agent with personal lines alone can sell only personal auto and homeowners policies.

In Wyoming, property and casualty are two separate lines of authority, and a producer can hold both. Personal lines is its own line of authority under W.S. 26-9-207, but the Department of Insurance states it is not needed if you already hold the property and casualty lines. The resident application fee is $100 for any combination of these lines.