After a licensed agent dies, the insurer asks the Insurance Commissioner for a temporary license so the book of business can be serviced. Under O.C.G.A. § 33-23-13, how long may the temporary license run?

Why B is correct

Under O.C.G.A. § 33-23-13, a temporary license is issued for six months and may be renewed, but its total duration may not exceed 15 months. Grounds include the agent's death, disability, or termination, or the insurer's request. The device gives the insurer time to arrange for a permanent, fully licensed producer without letting a caretaker arrangement continue indefinitely.

Why the other options are wrong

• A) The license is renewable; the limit is on total duration, not on renewal itself.
• C) A temporary license is a short caretaker authority, not a standard two-year term.
• D) Fifteen months is the total cap, not a per-issuance term, and renewals are not unlimited.

Memory hook

Six-month bites, 15-month leash for Georgia temporary licenses.

Why A is correct

Under O.C.G.A. § 33-23-13, the Commissioner may issue a temporary license for 6 months upon an agent's death, disability, or termination, or at an insurer's request. The temporary license may be renewed, but the maximum total duration is 15 months, after which the business must be transferred to a regularly licensed producer or otherwise disposed of.

Why the other options are wrong

• B) The initial period is 6 months, not 3 months, and the maximum total duration is 15 months, not 6 months.
• C) The 6-month initial period is correct, but 24 months exceeds the statutory maximum total duration of 15 months.
• D) The initial issuance is for 6 months, not 12 months; the 15-month maximum is the only correct element in this option.

Memory hook

6 to start, 15 at most — temporary means temporary.

Why C is correct

Under O.C.G.A. § 33-23-13, a Georgia temporary license is issued for 6 months and may be renewed, but its maximum total duration — renewals included — is 15 months. The design keeps the arrangement truly temporary: beyond 15 months, the temporary licensee must qualify for a regular license or the agency arrangement must end.

Why the other options are wrong

• A) 6 months is only the initial term; O.C.G.A. § 33-23-13 allows renewals that extend total duration up to 15 months.
• B) 12 months matches no Georgia temporary-license figure; the maximum total duration under O.C.G.A. § 33-23-13 is 15 months.
• D) 24 months is the term of a regular producer license, not the lifetime cap of a temporary license, which is 15 months.

Memory hook

Temporary caps at fifteen — six months to start, fifteen months forever.