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State guide

How to become a public adjuster in Florida

Florida requires a public adjuster license. Fees are capped at 20% of claim payments; in a declared emergency 10% for one year after the declaration; the surety bond is $50,000; the governing law is Fla. Stat. § 626.854.

The pathway

Getting licensed in Florida

The license is the 3-20 Resident Public Adjuster (All-Lines). It is its own license, so make sure any course or exam you book is the public adjuster one and not the company or independent adjuster version. Issued by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services. Non-residents apply for the 73-20 Non-Resident Public Adjuster license. Public adjuster apprentices are all-lines adjusters (6-20) holding a public adjuster apprentice appointment under s. 626.8651.

Official sources

Gathered from these sources on August 28, 2026. Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date. The regulator’s own page is the only current authority.

  1. Get licensed as a 6-20 All-Lines Adjuster (pass that exam or hold an approved designation) and post a $50,000 bond to be appointed as a public adjuster apprentice by a licensed public adjusting firm.

  2. Work under that apprentice (or independent/company adjuster) appointment continuously for at least 6 months.

  3. Apply for the 3-20 Resident Public Adjuster license online through MyProfile and pay the $50 application fee plus $5 license ID fee.

  4. Get fingerprinted through IdentoGO ($49.50 plus tax).

  5. Mail the original $50,000 surety bond on the Department's form to the Bureau of Licensing in Tallahassee.

  6. When the exam authorization arrives in MyProfile, schedule and pass the Florida Public Adjuster exam at Pearson VUE ($44; 100 scored questions, 2 hours, 70% to pass).

  7. Once approved, print the license from MyProfile and get appointed (self-appointment or by a public adjusting firm, $60) so the license is active.

  8. Complete 24 hours of CE, including the 4-hour Law and Ethics Update, every 2 years by the end of your birth month, and renew the appointment.

Who can apply
At least 18 years old · State residency required · Must have been licensed and appointed in Florida as a nonresident public adjuster continuously for the previous 6 months, OR be licensed as an all-lines adjuster (6-20) and appointed continuously for the previous 6 months as a public adjuster apprentice (s. 626.8651), independent adjuster (s. 626.855), or company employee adjuster (s. 626.856). The apprentice appointment itself requires a $50,000 bond. Must be a Florida resident or maintain a principal place of business in Florida for the 3-20 resident license; must be a U.S. citizen or legal alien with work authorization. Non-residents use the 73-20 license instead.
Prelicensing course
Not required The Department lists no prelicensing course for the 3-20 license; the experience prerequisite (6 months appointed as apprentice/independent/company adjuster, or as a nonresident public adjuster) substitutes. The 6-20 all-lines adjuster license needed for the apprentice route has its own exam, which may be waived for approved adjuster designations (e.g., ACA, CCA) per the Pearson VUE handbook.
State exam
Pearson VUE · 100 questions · 120 minutes · pass at 70% · $44 per attempt 100 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest questions (content outline effective 2026-01-01). No exam exemptions for public adjusters; attorneys are exempt from licensure but not from the exam if they apply. Passing score valid for 1 year. Exam authorization is sent via MyProfile after the application is approved.
Application
MyProfile · $50 application fee License ID fee $5; state exam $44 (paid to Pearson VUE); appointment fee $60; fingerprint fee is $49.50 plus local sales tax for LiveScan ($50.75 plus tax for fingerprint cards). All application fees are non-refundable (s. 626.171(5)). The license requires an appointment (self-appointment or by a licensed public adjusting firm) to be active; the license expires if unappointed for 48 months (s. 626.431(3)).
Background check
Fingerprints required through IdentoGO by Idemia (FDLE/FBI background check) Fingerprint fee $49.50
Surety bond
$50,000 Surety bond in favor of the Department, filed at application on the Department's form (mailed to Bureau of Licensing) and maintained throughout licensure; must remain in effect 1 year after the license ends (s. 626.865(2)).
Renewal
Every 2 years · $60 The license itself does not renew; the appointment renews biennially ($60 appointment fee, s. 624.501(12)) by the end of the licensee's birth month, which is also the CE compliance deadline. Late appointment renewal $25 per appointment; late original appointment $250. Exact appointment expiration date is confirmed in the licensee's MyProfile account.
Continuing education
24 hours · Every 2 years · 4 in ethics 24 hours biennially by the end of the licensee's birth month (s. 626.2815), including the 4-hour Law and Ethics Update course for public adjusters (course code 5-320); the same 4 hours cover both ethics and law update. Remaining 20 hours are electives approved under public adjuster/adjuster course authorities (e.g., CE0320A-C, CE0324A-C).
Already licensed elsewhere?
Reciprocity available Non-residents licensed as public adjusters in their home state may obtain the 73-20 Non-Resident Public Adjuster license, but must still pass the Florida public adjuster exam, post the $50,000 bond, and be fingerprinted. Non-resident public adjusters who meet CE in a reciprocating home state are exempt from Florida CE.

Not stated in these sources

These points were not stated in the sources listed, so we have left them blank rather than guess. Ask the regulator directly:

  • ·Renewal deadline rule: Birth-month timing is stated by DFS for the CE deadline; appointment renewal is biennial per s. 624.501(12) but the DFS 3-20 PDF does not itself state the appointment expiration rule.
  • ·Application fingerprint fee: Base $49.50 (FDLE $24 + FBI $12 + Idemia $13.50); local county sales tax is added and varies.

Florida in the reference tables

Each table answers one question for all 50 states and DC, with the citation. Open one and find the Florida row.

See how a claim runs in Florida, stage by stage Associations covering Florida

Florida law in the library

68 primary-source documents for Florida: statutes, regulations, bulletins and consumer guides, stored as published. Sign in to open them.

  • Fla. Admin. Code R. 69B-220.001 — Licensure of Emergency Adjusters Florida Department of State
  • Fla. Admin. Code R. 69B-220.001 — Licensure of Emergency Adjusters (official FLRules Word original) Florida Department of State
  • Fla. Admin. Code R. 69B-220.051 — Conduct of Public Adjusters and Public Adjuster Apprentices Florida Department of State
  • Fla. Admin. Code R. 69B-220.051 — Conduct of Public Adjusters and Public Adjuster Apprentices (official FLRules Word original) Florida Department of State
  • Fla. Admin. Code R. 69B-220.201 — Ethical Requirements for All Adjusters and Public Adjuster Apprentices Florida Department of State
  • Fla. Admin. Code R. 69B-220.201 — Ethical Requirements for All Adjusters and Public Adjuster Apprentices (official FLRules Word original) Florida Department of State
  • Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-166.024 — Failure to Acknowledge Communications and Act Promptly as to Communications with Respect to Claims and to Implement Standards for the Prompt Investigation of Claims Florida Department of State
  • Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-166.024 — Failure to Acknowledge Communications and Act Promptly as to Communications with Respect to Claims and to Implement Standards for the Prompt Investigation of Claims (official FLRules Word original) Florida Department of State