How do I become a public insurance adjuster?

A public adjuster represents policyholders — not insurers — in preparing and negotiating first-party property claims, and every state that licenses them requires an examination. Specific requirements vary: New York requires a 40-hour prelicensing course, a $1,000 bond, and five certificates of character; Florida requires six months of licensed adjusting experience and a $50,000 surety bond; Texas requires a $10,000 bond and a $50 application fee. Most states also fingerprint applicants for a criminal background check.

You cannot. Arkansas prohibits public adjusters from adjusting claims in the state. The Arkansas Insurance Department instead licenses independent and company adjusters, who handle claims for insurers rather than policyholders. If you want to adjust claims in Arkansas, you apply for the adjuster license, and any adjuster coming into the state for a declared catastrophe must register with the Department.

To become a public insurance adjuster in California, complete a 20-hour prelicensing course, then pass the Public Adjuster exam, which requires a 70% score. You must also file a $264 application, a $20,000 bond (form 94A), a department-approved contract, an authorization application, and fingerprints, and you may not hold any other adjuster license.

Complete a 40-hour Property pre-licensing course from a state-approved provider, pass the Pearson public adjuster exam (100 scored questions, 2 hours, $65), then apply through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). The initial license fee is $300, and the license renews by April 30 of every even year for $250. Connecticut requires no continuing education and no fingerprints for this license.

To become a Delaware public adjuster, apply through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR), pass the Pearson VUE Public Adjuster exam (50 scored questions, 1 hour 15 minutes, $90), and submit a State Criminal Background Report. You must also file a $20,000 bond and a copy of your contract, and pay the $125 license fee.

Pass the DC public adjuster exam administered by Pearson VUE, a one-hour exam with a $75 exam fee. Then apply electronically at nipr.com and pay the $100 biennial license fee. DC also requires public adjusters to hold a $20,000 surety bond and to keep records for at least five years after each transaction.

Complete a 16-hour Property and Casualty public adjuster course, pass the Pearson VUE Public Adjuster exam (100 scored questions, 70% passing score), and post a $5,000 bond in favor of the Commissioner. You must also submit a notarized Citizenship Affidavit, apply online through Sircon with a $120 fee, and complete electronic fingerprinting. After licensing, your public adjuster contract must be pre-approved by the Commissioner within 30 days of license approval.

To become a resident public adjuster in Idaho, pass the ID Public Adjuster exam ($65, 75 minutes), get fingerprinted, and apply online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) for the $80 application fee. Every public adjuster must also obtain and maintain a $20,000 surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit, and send the original bond to the Department of Insurance. Resident public adjusters then complete 24 hours of continuing education, including 3 hours of ethics, every two years.

To become an Illinois public adjuster, schedule the exam through Pearson VUE: it is a single 165-minute exam with 100 scored questions, a $92 fee that includes a $50 state administrative fee, and a passing score of 70. After passing, apply through NIPR, pay the $250 license fee, and submit a $50,000 surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit to the NIPR document warehouse. You must also be fingerprinted by an Illinois-approved live scan vendor before the license is issued, and you cannot contract with an insured until the Department approves your contract and issues the license.

To become a resident public adjuster in Iowa, pass the Public Adjuster exam (12-IA-20) through Pearson VUE, which allows 1 hour, costs $44, and has 50 scoreable questions. Then submit your application and license fee online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) within 90 days of passing. Iowa law also governs public adjuster contracts, solicitation practices, and standards of conduct, including no contact with an insured during the first 72 hours after a catastrophic event.

To become a Kansas resident public adjuster, you must be at least 18, pass the Kansas Public Adjusters Examination, and submit the NAIC Uniform Application for Individual Adjuster online through NIPR with a $100 application fee and a $60 fingerprint fee, both nonrefundable. You must also upload a Certificate of Tax Clearance to the NIPR Attachment Warehouse and mail fingerprint cards with a KBI fingerprint form to the Kansas Department of Insurance. Kansas public adjuster licensing covers only first-party claims under commercial insurance contracts.

In Louisiana, public adjuster candidates need pre-approval from the Louisiana Department of Insurance before sitting for the exam, which costs $19 (PSI Series 301). They must also hold a $50,000 surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit issued by a qualified financial institution authorized to do business in Louisiana, complete fingerprinting, and file the license application through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR).

Complete a 20-hour prelicensing course for public or independent adjusters, pass the Pearson VUE public adjuster exam (the independent adjuster exam does not substitute), and pay the $100 license fee. You must also submit a surety bond or letter of credit of at least $50,000, which must stay active to maintain the license. Licenses renew biennially, with 12 or 24 CE hours depending on the length of the license period.

To become a public adjuster in Montana, pass the public adjuster exam through Pearson VUE, apply for the $50 license through NIPR, and submit a $5,000 surety bond along with copies of the contracts you use. Public adjusters may only investigate and report to their principal, and may adjust first-party physical damage claims only.

To become a Nebraska resident public adjuster, you must be at least 18, pass the public adjuster licensing exam, pay a $50 application fee, and file a $20,000 surety bond. You must also maintain an office in Nebraska with public access and have no grounds for license denial under state law. Apply at NIPR.com after passing; the license renews every 2 years with 24 hours of continuing education, including 3 hours of ethics.

Public adjuster is a separate New Hampshire license under RSA 402-D, and individuals apply electronically on nipr.com (select "Producer," then "Other") or by paper form. You must pass the PSI Public Adjuster exam (series 12-73, $59) and pay a $100 initial license fee. The biennial renewal fee is $100, and resident public adjusters must complete 15 continuing education hours every two years, including 3 ethics hours. New Hampshire does not license public adjusting firms, only individuals.

Take the PSI public adjuster exam, then apply through the National Insurance Producer Registry. The initial fee is $70, and you must complete Live Scan fingerprinting (service code 2F1F7N, $66.05) and post a $10,000 bond. Licenses renew biennially on the last day of your birth month for $50, and adjusters first licensed after July 4, 2011 must complete 15 hours of continuing education.

You must be at least 18, be a bona fide New Mexico resident, pass the public adjuster exam, and file a $10,000 surety bond with the Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) before or immediately after submitting your $30 application through NIPR. A public adjuster may not also hold a staff or independent adjuster license in New Mexico. Public adjuster fees after a declared catastrophic disaster may not exceed 10% of the insurance settlement or proceeds.

Complete a 40-hour Department-approved prelicensing course, pass the PSI public adjuster exam within 2 years of applying, and submit fingerprints through IdentoGO. You must also post a $1,000 bond covering the licensing period, provide five certificates of character from community members who have personally known you for at least five years, and pay the $100 license fee ($50 for a term of one year or less). Public adjuster licenses expire on December 31 of even-numbered years.

To become a resident public adjuster in North Carolina, you must pass the state public adjuster examination; no pre-licensing education is required. You must also show proof of financial responsibility with a $20,000 surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit, and you must electronically submit fingerprints for a state and federal criminal history check. The initial license totals $169, and individual licenses renew annually by March 31. Public adjusters complete 24 hours of continuing education every 24 months, including 3 hours of ethics.

You must pass the PSI Public Adjuster exam, which costs $58 and requires a 70% passing score with 120 minutes allowed. Then apply through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) with the $100 license fee and submit a $20,000 bond to the Department at ndlicensing@nd.gov. The license renews for $25.

To become a public insurance adjuster in Pennsylvania, you must pass the Public Adjuster exam (16-19) administered by PSI, pay a $200 initial license fee, and obtain a surety bond of no less than $20,000. You must also use a Department-approved contract when working with policyholders. The license runs on a 2-year term based on your birth month, with a $200 renewal fee and a 60-day late renewal window.

To become a public adjuster in Rhode Island, pass the Rhode Island Public Adjuster exam at a Pearson VUE test center and apply through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). The biennial license fee is $250, and public adjusters may not hold a company or independent adjuster license at the same time. Public adjusters must also complete 24 hours of continuing education, including 3 hours of ethics, every two years.

South Dakota does not license property or casualty adjusters, so there is no separate public adjuster license or examination in the state. The Division of Insurance licensing framework covers insurance producers rather than adjusters.

Pass the public insurance adjuster exam, get fingerprinted, and apply through Sircon within one year of passing, paying the $50 fee. You must also post a surety bond of at least $10,000 with yourself listed as the sole principal (Form FIN509) and use an approved client contract (Form FIN535 or a custom contract that complies with state rules). TDI does not allow public adjusters to operate under a DBA.

To become a public adjuster in Utah, pass the applicable adjuster exam administered by Prometric, then apply online through Sircon or the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). Utah licenses both independent adjusters, who represent insurers, and public adjusters, who represent policyholders, under Utah Code 31A-26-201, and resident applicants must be fingerprinted at a Prometric test center for a state and FBI background check.

To become a public adjuster in Vermont, you must be at least 18 years old, pass the Adjuster's Property and Casualty exam, and meet an experience requirement. The experience can be two years of loss-claims handling, special training, or immediate supervision by a Vermont-licensed public adjuster with 3 or more years of experience. A resident application requires the NAIC Uniform Individual Application, your original score report, a $30.00 application fee and a $200.00 license fee. The license term runs April 1 to March 31 of even-numbered years.

Pass the Pearson VUE Public Adjuster exam (45 questions, 45 minutes, $84 fee), get fingerprinted through IdentoGo using the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner (WVOIC) service code 228NS5, then apply through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) with the $50 license fee. Public adjusters hold a Property and Casualty line only. You must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years, including 3 hours in ethics.

In Wyoming, the public adjuster line of authority sits under the consultant license. Residents must pass the Property and Casualty Consultant exam (exam code 47) through Pearson VUE, then mail a paper application with a $100 check to the Department and be fingerprinted ($39). Nonresidents must hold a public adjuster license in their resident state, or use a designated home state if that state does not license public adjusters.