TITLE 33 INSURANCE

Section 23. Licensing, 33-23-1 through 33-23-205.

ARTICLE 1 AGENTS, AGENCIES, SUBAGENTS, COUNSELORS, AND ADJUSTERS

33-23-3. Agency licensing and biennual renewals; ownership restrictions.

1. Each principal office and each branch office of an agency as defined in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Code Section 33-23-1 must obtain an agency license prior to commencement of operations and renew such license biennially and prior to December 31 by filing application forms prescribed by the Commissioner.
2. An agency shall be subject to all penalties, fines, criminal sanctions, and other actions authorized for agents under this chapter.
3. No person shall be an owner of an agency or, if the agency is a corporation, no person shall be an officer or director of such corporation or own 10 percent or more of the corporation if such person has had his or her license under this chapter refused, revoked, or suspended.

(a.1)All agency licenses that were issued with an expiration date of December 31, 2012, shall expire on that date, but shall be renewed pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section.

(Code 1981, §33-23-3, enacted by Ga. L. 1992, p. 2830, § 1; Ga. L. 1997, p. 1296, § 3; Ga. L. 2001, p. 925, § 1; Ga. L. 2011, p. 623, § 2/SB 251; Ga. L. 2012, p. 37, § 1/HB 477.)

The 2011 amendment, effective May 12, 2011, added ", except as provided by subsection (a.1) of this Code section" at the end of subsection (a), and added subsection (a.1).

The 2012 amendment, effective March 22, 2012, in subsection (a), substituted "biennially and prior to December 31" for "annually" near the middle; deleted ", except as provided by subsection (a.1) of this Code section" at the end following "the Commissioner"; and substituted the present provisions of subsection (a.1) for the former provisions, which read: "The Commissioner by rule or regulation may provide for the transition from annual renewal to biennial renewal of licenses issued under this Code section by staggering the renewal periods in 2012 and 2013. Certain licenses may be required to renew one year at one-half the biennial fee provided in Code Section 33-8-1."