The California Vehicle Service Contract Provider license
Vehicle Service Contract Provider
The entity legally obligated under a vehicle service contract. At $5,433 to file it is the most expensive license California issues, and its renewal is $932, so the gap between getting it and keeping it is the largest on any schedule this project has read.
Course
None
This license has no pre-licensing course route.
Ways in
1
There is no state exam for this license.
Exam
n/a
Not required on any of the routes below.
Every way to qualify
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Route 1 Apply for the license
No state exam for this license
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for a nonresident applicant, an active property broker-agent and casualty broker-agent license in good standing in the applicant's resident state; a California resident needs neither
California Insurance Code section 12800 defines the licensee as "An entity legally obligated under a terms of a vehicle service contract", and defines the contract itself at length: repair, replacement or maintenance of a motor vehicle or watercraft for operational or structural failure from a defect in materials or workmanship or from normal wear and tear, with incidental indemnity limited to towing, substitute transportation, emergency road service, rental car reimbursement, road hazard protection, reimbursement of a manufacturer's warranty deductible, and travel, lodging or meals. It also catches a discount promise: an agreement promising repairs at a discount "in excess of 20 percent" is a vehicle service contract. Prelicensing education, continuing education and the examination are all Not required, and California residency is not required either. The asymmetry in the fees is the fact worth carrying: $5,433 to file against $932 to renew.
Read at the Department on 2026-08-20
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California asks nothing taught and gives no examination for this license. What it asks is that the applicant be the entity on the hook under the contract.