A newly adopted amendment to the insurance licensing law in California will require most emails sent by producers to include their California license numbers. The change was signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on September 18 and takes effect on January 1, 2023. If you have a California license, you will need to comply with this requirement for emails with anyone who has a loss exposure in that state.
Current state law already requires producers to include their license numbers on business cards, written price quotations, and print advertisements in a specified type size. Section 13 of the new measure adds emails to that list. It applies to emails a producer “sends that involve an activity for which a license is required” under California law. This implies that the requirement does not apply to risks with no loss exposures in the state.
The new law also states:
“A person’s license number shall be in a type size that is no smaller than the largest of any telephone number, street address, or email address of the person included in the email. The license number of an individual licensee shall appear adjacent to or on the line below the individual’s name or title. The license number of an organizational licensee shall appear adjacent to or on the line below the organization’s name.”
We urge any of you who are licensed in California to prepare now to comply with this law in advance of its Jan. 1, 2023 effective date. For more information, refer to a bulletin issued by California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on November 14.