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California Department of Insurance

Last reviewed
Author
Aaron Bollinger
Reviewer
Brian Bollinger
Sources
9 records

Verified identity

The California Department of Insurance (CDI) is California's state insurance regulator: the Insurance Code directs its commissioner to perform all duties imposed by the code and other laws regulating the business of insurance in this state, and to enforce the execution of those provisions and laws [8]. The commissioner is elected by the people in the same time, place, and manner as the Governor, not to exceed two four-year terms, and legislative confirmation is required to fill a mid-term vacancy [7]. The public-facing side of that work includes a license lookup covering agents, brokers, adjusters, bail agents, and agencies or organizations [3], searchable insurance company profiles [4], a Virtual Viewing Room of rate filings and examination reports [5], and a consumer hotline plus electronic complaint intake [1][2]. Federal law provides that the business of insurance, and every person engaged in it, shall be subject to the laws of the several States which relate to the regulation or taxation of that business [9].

Official channels

  • Main site

  • Contact Us - Source of the phone numbers and office addresses below [1].

  • Getting Help (consumer help and complaint forms)

  • Types of Insurance

  • Consumer Hotline: 800-927-4357 - Published by CDI as 800-927-4357 (HELP) on its Contact Us page [1] and as 1-800-927-4357 for insurance information and questions on its Getting Help page [2]. CDI's Contact Us page states no hours of operation, so we publish none [1].

  • TTY: 800-482-4833 - Listed on CDI's Contact Us page as 800-482-4833 (TTY) [1].

  • Licensing hotline: 800-967-9331 - This is the label CDI's Contact Us page uses. It is a separate line from the Consumer Hotline and is for licensing services rather than consumer complaints [1].

  • Fraud Division: 916-854-5760 / fraud@insurance.ca.gov - Fraud Division main line and email as published on Contact Us [1].

  • Sacramento office: 300 Capitol Mall, 17th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814 / 916-492-3500 - One of the headquarters offices listed on Contact Us [1].

  • Los Angeles office: 300 South Spring Street, 14th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013 / 213-346-6464 - Listed on CDI's Contact Us page [1].

  • Oakland office: 1901 Harrison Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 / 415-538-4500 - Listed on CDI's Contact Us page [1].

Contact details are copied from the organization's own published pages and re-checked on the dates in the source ledger. Confirm before you rely on one.

Records you can look up yourself

  • License Status Inquiry - CDI's tool for retrieving license details, including enforcement actions, for an insurance agent, broker, adjuster, bail agent, and agency or organization, by license number, individual name, or business name [3]. Treat any result as accurate only as of the moment you run it.

  • Insurance Company Profiles - Search by partial or full company name, or by what kind of insurance a company is able to sell in California. A profile includes location, former names, agent for service of process, license status, company type, state of domicile, lines the company is authorized to transact, and complaint history [4].

  • Virtual Viewing Room - CDI states this room allows you to see insurance company rate filings, examination reports, and related information, grouped into categories including enforcement actions, health insurance rates, financial filing requirements, market conduct examination reports, property and casualty insurance rates, and prior approval rate hearing case files [5].

Statutory basis

  • California Insurance Code section 12900 (elected Insurance Commissioner) - Subdivision (a) provides that the commissioner shall be elected by the people in the same time, place, and manner as the Governor, not to exceed two four-year terms. Subdivision (b) requires legislative confirmation for a mid-term vacancy, in the manner and procedure required by Section 5 of Article V of the California Constitution [7].

  • California Insurance Code section 12921 (duties and enforcement) - Subdivision (a) provides that the commissioner shall perform all duties imposed upon the commissioner by the provisions of this code and other laws regulating the business of insurance in this state, and shall enforce the execution of those provisions and laws [8].

  • 15 U.S.C. section 1012 (McCarran-Ferguson Act) - Subsection (a) subjects the business of insurance, and every person engaged in it, to the laws of the several States relating to the regulation or taxation of that business. Subsection (b) provides that no Act of Congress invalidates, impairs, or supersedes a state insurance law unless the Act specifically relates to the business of insurance, with a proviso applying the Sherman, Clayton, and Federal Trade Commission Acts to insurance after June 30, 1948 to the extent the business is not regulated by State law [9]. How this statute applies to any particular dispute is a legal question for a lawyer.

Publications and guides

  • Types of Insurance (CDI consumer information by line) - CDI organizes consumer information by line, including Automobile, Health, Homeowner/Residential, Home Protection Contracts, Life & Annuity, Long-Term Care, Medicare Supplement, Pet, TNC Ride-hailing, and Workers' Compensation, alongside an Information Guides entry [6].

What this page does not claim

  • We publish no financial strength rating, ranking, or summary for any insurer, and we use no best, cheapest, or most reliable language about any company. For financial strength go to the rating agencies directly, or to CDI's own company profiles and examination records [4][5].

  • We do not state that any specific company, agent, broker, or adjuster is currently licensed, unlicensed, or in good standing. CDI's License Status Inquiry is the record, and only as of the moment you run it [3].

  • We make no coverage determination and no eligibility verdict, and we do not say whether any risk is admitted market, non-admitted, or FAIR Plan eligible. We also do not state who decides such a question or how it would be resolved; that is a legal question for a lawyer.

  • We do not claim CDI has reviewed, approved, or endorsed this page or anything else published by BestInsurance Research or WJB Services, Inc. dba Bollinsure Insurance Services, and nothing here is legal advice.

Source ledger

9 sources. Every citation number above resolves to a record below. Nothing here sits behind an account.

  1. [1]
    Contact Us(opens the original record on California Department of Insurance)
    California Department of InsuranceRegulatorPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Updated as CDI office and phone details change; re-verify phone numbers before republishing.ID cdi-contact
    What this source supports (6)
    • The California Department of Insurance publishes a Consumer Hotline number of 800-927-4357 (HELP).
    • The California Department of Insurance publishes a TTY number of 800-482-4833.
    • The California Department of Insurance publishes 800-967-9331 under the label Licensing hotline, separately from the Consumer Hotline.
    • The California Department of Insurance publishes a Fraud Division main line of 916-854-5760 and a Fraud Division email of fraud@insurance.ca.gov.
    • The California Department of Insurance lists headquarters offices at 300 South Spring Street, 14th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (213-346-6464); 300 Capitol Mall, 17th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814 (916-492-3500); and 1901 Harrison Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 (415-538-4500).
    • The Contact Us page does not state hours of operation for the Consumer Hotline or for any office.
    Active
  2. [2]
    Get Help - California Department of Insurance consumer assistance(opens the original record on California Department of Insurance)
    California Department of InsuranceRegulatorPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Maintained on an ongoing basis by CDI consumer services.ID cdi-getting-help
    What this source supports (5)
    • The California Department of Insurance publishes 1-800-927-4357 on this page for insurance information and questions, corroborating the Consumer Hotline number on a second official CDI page.
    • The California Department of Insurance offers electronic complaint forms and also printable complaint forms.
    • The page states that CDI recommends using the electronic complaint forms and that use of non-electronic complaint forms may delay the process.
    • The page provides a Spanish-language help link (Como obtener ayuda).
    • The California Department of Insurance lists its consumer hotline as 1-800-927-4357.
    Active
  3. [3]
    License Status Inquiry(opens the original record on California Department of Insurance)
    California Department of InsuranceRegulatorPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Live database; results reflect CDI records as of the moment of the query.ID cdi-license-status
    What this source supports (4)
    • The page heading is License Status Inquiry.
    • The tool describes retrieving license details, including enforcement actions, for an insurance agent, broker, adjuster, bail agent, and agency or organization.
    • The tool offers License Number search, Individual Name Search, Business Name Search, and Enforcement Actions lookup.
    • The current public address of this CDI service is https://cdicloud.insurance.ca.gov/cal.
    Active
  4. [4]
    Insurance Company Profiles(opens the original record on California Department of Insurance)
    California Department of InsuranceRegulatorPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Underlying company data is maintained continuously by CDI.ID cdi-company-profiles
    What this source supports (3)
    • A person can search by partial or full company name to retrieve an insurance company profile, and can alternatively search for company profiles by what kind of insurance the company is able to sell in California.
    • A CDI company profile includes location, former names of the company, agent for service of process, reference information (license status, company type, state of domicile), lines of insurance the company is authorized to transact, and complaint history.
    • CDI points users to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Global Receivership Information Database for receivership information from U.S. jurisdictions, and to California's Conservation and Liquidation Office for additional California information.
    Active
  5. [5]
    Virtual Viewing Room(opens the original record on California Department of Insurance)
    California Department of InsuranceRegulatorPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Filings and reports are added on an ongoing basis.ID cdi-vvr
    What this source supports (2)
    • The CDI Virtual Viewing Room allows you to see insurance company rate filings, examination reports, and related information.
    • The Virtual Viewing Room page groups documents including enforcement actions, health insurance rates, financial filing requirements, market conduct examination reports, property and casualty insurance rates, and prior approval rate hearing case files.
    Active
  6. [6]
    Types of Insurance(opens the original record on California Department of Insurance)
    California Department of InsuranceRegulatorPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Guides are revised periodically by CDI.ID cdi-types
    What this source supports (2)
    • CDI publishes consumer information organized by line of insurance, including Automobile, Health, Homeowner/Residential, Home Protection Contracts, Life & Annuity, Long-Term Care, Medicare Supplement, Pet, TNC Ride-hailing, and Workers' Compensation.
    • The page also carries an Information Guides entry alongside the line categories.
    Active
  7. [7]
    California Insurance Code section 12900(opens the original record on California Legislative Information (California Legislature))
    California Legislative Information (California Legislature)Primary lawPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Changes only by legislative amendment.ID ca-ins-code-12900
    What this source supports (2)
    • Section 12900(a) provides that the commissioner shall be elected by the people in the same time, place, and manner as the Governor not to exceed two four-year terms.
    • Section 12900(b) provides that should a vacancy occur during the term of office, legislative confirmation shall be required for the position of commissioner in the same manner and procedure as that required by Section 5 of Article V of the California Constitution.
    Active
  8. [8]
    California Insurance Code section 12921(opens the original record on California Legislative Information (California Legislature))
    California Legislative Information (California Legislature)Primary lawPrimaryJurisdiction CALast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Changes only by legislative amendment.ID ca-ins-code-12921
    What this source supports (1)
    • Section 12921(a) provides that the commissioner shall perform all duties imposed upon the commissioner by the provisions of this code and other laws regulating the business of insurance in this state, and shall enforce the execution of those provisions and laws.
    Active
  9. [9]
    15 U.S.C. section 1012 - Regulation by State law; Federal law relating specifically to insurance; applicability of certain Federal laws after June 30, 1948(opens the original record on Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School)
    Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law SchoolPrimary lawPrimaryJurisdiction USThird-party reproductionLast checked August 31, 2026Updates: Changes only by act of Congress.ID usc-15-1012
    What this source supports (3)
    • Subsection (a) provides that the business of insurance, and every person engaged therein, shall be subject to the laws of the several States which relate to the regulation or taxation of such business.
    • Subsection (b) provides that no Act of Congress shall be construed to invalidate, impair, or supersede any law enacted by any State for the purpose of regulating the business of insurance, or which imposes a fee or tax upon such business, unless such Act specifically relates to the business of insurance.
    • Subsection (b) further provides that after June 30, 1948, the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act shall be applicable to the business of insurance to the extent that such business is not regulated by State law.
    ActiveReproduction
Report an error on this pageCorrections are checked against the original record. Material changes are logged on the corrections page.
Cite this page

These records contain public page facts only: title, operator, dates, canonical URL, and content version. They never include a question, an input, or an identifier.

Plain text

BestInsurance Research. "California Department of Insurance." WJB Services, Inc. dba Bollinsure Insurance Services. Published August 31, 2026. Last reviewed August 31, 2026. Content version 2026.08.31. https://bestinsuranceresearch.com/companies/california-department-of-insurance

BibTeX

@misc{bir-california-department-of-insurance-2026,
  title        = {California Department of Insurance},
  author       = {Aaron Bollinger},
  organization = {BestInsurance Research},
  institution  = {WJB Services, Inc. dba Bollinsure Insurance Services},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = {08},
  note         = {Last reviewed August 31, 2026; content version 2026.08.31},
  howpublished = {\url{https://bestinsuranceresearch.com/companies/california-department-of-insurance}},
  urldate      = {2026-08-31}
}

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Machine-readable record for this page: /companies/california-department-of-insurance.json

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