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What is the pre-licensing requirement for a Colorado insurance license?

If you apply for a Colorado resident insurance producer license and you are not exempt, you finish a prelicensing course the Division has approved before the state exam. The Division's rule sets it at 50 hours for every course type it lists.

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The rule, fact by fact

Course hours
50 hours of prelicensing education for each of the five major lines of authorityA combined property and casualty course is also 50 hours.
Verified. www.sos.state.co.us (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
How the hours split
3 hours of ethics, 3 of general Colorado law and 4 of line-specific lawCheck that the course outline shows each block.
Same source and date as above
Valid for
A course certificate is valid for 1 year from the completion dateBook your exam with that clock in mind.
Same source and date as above
Online accepted
Classroom study or self-study, online courses includedPick whichever format you will actually finish.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check that the rule applies to you. A person applying for a Colorado resident insurance producer license must finish prelicensing education before the state producer exam, unless Colorado law exempts you.

  2. Step 2. Choose a course the Division has approved for your line of authority. A course it has not approved does not count.

  3. Step 3. Take the 50-hour course. Among its hours, 3 are on ethics, 3 on general Colorado insurance law and 4 on the law for your line of business.

  4. Step 4. Get your certificate before you sit for the exam. Proof of completion must be sent electronically to the Division or its vendor, and that satisfies your duty to send the certificate.

  5. Step 5. Use the certificate within a year. One that is more than a year old is not accepted, and you would have to take an approved course again.

Before you pay

We haven't confirmed course prices, the exam fee or how to book the exam. This page rests on the Division's prelicensing rule, which sets hours and course rules but not exam booking.

Before you pay a school, check that the Division has approved its course for your line.

Questions

I was licensed in another state. Do I still need the course?

Maybe not. The rule exempts someone previously licensed for the same lines in a reciprocal state, who must certify knowledge of Colorado law on a Division form. You must be licensed there now, or apply within 90 days of the cancellation with proof of good standing.

What must a self-study course include?

A final exam monitored by a disinterested third party. The rule calls it closed book, taken without help, and a score of 70% or above passes.

Can a professional designation count as the course?

Yes, for the lines the rule names. The full curriculum for an AAI, ARM, CIC or CPCU designation counts for property and casualty. An RHU, CEBS, REBC or HIA counts for accident and health or sickness. A CEBS, ChFC, CIC, CFP, CLU, FLMI or LUTCF counts for life.

I am applying for more than one line. Do I repeat the ethics hours?

No. The rule says the 3 hours of ethics need only be taken once.

What to do next

Start with the Division's prelicensing rule. Then look for the Division's own pages on exams and fees.

www.sos.state.co.us

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