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State guide

How to become a public adjuster in Georgia

Georgia requires a public adjuster license. There is no statutory fee cap; the surety bond is $5,000; the governing law is O.C.G.A. § 33-23-43 et seq.; Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 120-2-3.

Contracts must use a form approved by the Commissioner.

The pathway

Getting licensed in Georgia

The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire issues the Public Adjuster (license class 20) license. 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 Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire (OCI). Separate from the general 'Adjuster' license (class 24) that covers company/independent adjusters.

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 Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date.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. Confirm you are at least 18, of good character, and either live in Georgia at least six months a year or have your principal business office in Georgia.

  2. Complete an approved Property and Casualty public adjuster prelicensing course (unless you hold a CPCU or another listed exemption); you must pass the exam within 12 months of finishing it.

  3. Schedule and pass the Pearson VUE Georgia Public Adjuster exam (12-GA-20): 100 questions, 2 hours, 70% to pass, $67 fee.

  4. Have a notarized Citizenship Affidavit (form GID-276-EN) ready with a copy of your ID.

  5. Obtain a $5,000 public adjuster surety bond on OCI form GID-113-AL.

  6. Apply online at sircon.com/georgia within 12 months of passing the exam, upload the affidavit and bond, and pay the $120 fee ($100 license plus $20 processing).

  7. After applying, register for electronic fingerprinting through GAPS/IdentoGO using OCI service code 2TGJ6B and pay the $51.99 GA/FBI fee.

  8. Within 30 days after the license is approved, email your client contract form to OCI's Legal Department for approval; you cannot work with consumers until the contract is approved. Then renew every two years by the end of your birth month with 24 CE hours (3 ethics) and the $100 renewal fee.

Who can apply
At least 18 years old · Residents and non-residents · None required. A resident license requires residing/being present in Georgia at least six months a year or having a principal place of business in Georgia (O.C.G.A. 33-23-5(a)(1)). Non-residents licensed as public adjusters in their home state may apply for a Non-resident Public Adjuster license with no exam.
Prelicensing course
16 hours Approved Property and Casualty public adjuster prelicensing course completed within the last 12 months (Pearson VUE handbook, rev. 08/2026, lists a 16-hour Property and Casualty course for the Public Adjuster license; Rule 120-2-3-.25(2)(c) sets a floor of 20 hours per major line). Exemptions: CPCU designation, BBA/PhD in insurance, two college insurance courses, or O.C.G.A. 33-23-5(a)(5) exemptions. Exam must be passed within 12 months of the course and the application filed within 12 months of passing.
State exam
Pearson VUE · 100 questions · 120 minutes · pass at 70% · $67 per attempt 100 scored questions (content outline effective 2024-10-22). Score reported as percent correct; 70% needed to pass. Exam waived for CPCU holders and applicants qualifying under Rule 120-2-3-.09(1)(k). Scores are uploaded electronically by the vendor; paper score reports are not accepted.
Application
Sircon (sircon.com/georgia) · $120 application fee State exam $67 (Pearson VUE); $5,000 surety bond premium (varies by surety). The $120 is the $100 license fee plus a $20 processing fee. All resident applications must be submitted electronically through Sircon; non-residents may use Sircon or NIPR. Fingerprint fee is the GBI/GCIC GAPS fee for a GA/FBI check effective 2025-01-01, paid to IdentoGO when scheduling. Apply for the license first, then register for fingerprinting. After the license is approved the public adjuster has 30 days to submit their client contract to OCI's Legal Department for approval (O.C.G.A. 33-23-43.2).
Background check
Electronic fingerprints for a state and FBI criminal background check through the GBI's Georgia Applicant Processing Service (GAPS) vendor IdentoGO, OCI service code 2TGJ6B; applicant pays the cost. Also requires a notarized Citizenship Affidavit (form GID-276-EN) with a copy of secure ID, and good character (O.C.G.A. 33-23-21 grounds). Fingerprint fee $51.99
Surety bond
$5,000 Surety bond in favor of the Commissioner on OCI form GID-113-AL, filed with the application and kept continuous throughout licensure; failure to maintain the bond cancels the license (Rule 120-2-3-.18; O.C.G.A. 33-23-6).
Renewal
Every 2 years · $100 Renewal and fee are due on the last day of the licensee's birth month in the renewal year; late renewal accepted within 15 days with a late fee. $100 biennial renewal fee set by O.C.G.A. 33-8-1(a)(1)(B); Sircon/NIPR processing fees are extra. Renewal notices emailed 90 days before expiration. Late renewal reinstatement carries a $150 penalty on top of renewal and late fees; six or more months past expiration also requires new fingerprints; after one year the applicant must re-qualify from scratch (Rule 120-2-3-.16).
Continuing education
24 hours · Every 2 years · 3 in ethics Reduced to 20 hours (3 ethics) after 20 years of continuous licensure, and to 12 hours (3 ethics) for holders of CPCU, CLU, AAI, CIC, CFP and similar designations or a BBA in risk management/insurance (Rule 120-2-3-.15 and -.19). Up to 50% of the biennial requirement may be carried forward. Non-residents meeting home-state CE are deemed compliant.
Already licensed elsewhere?
Reciprocity available Non-resident Public Adjuster license (and a Non-resident Public Adjuster DHS option) is issued without an exam to applicants licensed as public adjusters in their home state; $100 license fee plus $20 processing, $5,000 bond, citizenship affidavit. Applicants from home states that do not license public adjusters must pass the Georgia exam and document their state's reciprocity (O.C.G.A. 33-23-29; Rule 120-2-3-.09(8)).

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:

  • ·Prelicensing hours: Pearson VUE handbook (08/2026) says 16-hour P&C course for public adjusters; Rule 120-2-3-.25(2)(c) says minimum 20 hours per major line; an older guide in our library said 40 hours. The handbook figure is used; OCI's page names the course but not hours.
  • ·Application fingerprint fee: $51.99 is the GBI GCIC schedule GAPS fee for a GA/FBI check (effective 2025-01-01); OCI's own procedure document does not state a dollar amount.
  • ·Renewal fee: $100 comes from O.C.G.A. 33-8-1 (biennial renewal); OCI's renewal page does not list the figure or the Sircon/NIPR processing fee added at renewal.
  • ·Sources statute urls: O.C.G.A. 33-23-5 and 33-8-1 text was read from the 2024 OCGA volumes in our library (Internet Archive copies); legis.ga.gov offers no stable section URL.

Georgia in the reference tables

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

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

Georgia law in the library

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

  • Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Subject 120-2-19 — Property Insurance Regulations Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire
  • Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Subject 120-2-20 — Unfair Trade and Claims Settlement Practices Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance
  • Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Subject 120-2-3 — Licensing of Agents, Agencies, Subagents, Counselors and Adjusters Georgia General Assembly
  • Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Subject 120-2-52 — Fair and Equitable Settlement of First Party Property Damage Claims Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire
  • Ga. L. 2021, p. 365 (HB 254) — Act amending Article 1 of Chapter 23 of Title 33 (adjusters and public adjusters) Georgia General Assembly
  • Ga. L. 2021, p. 365 (HB 254) — enrolled Act, original PDF Georgia General Assembly
  • Ga. L. 2023, p. 542 (HB 222) — Act amending Title 33, including public adjuster contract requirements (O.C.G.A. § 33-23-43.2(b)) Georgia General Assembly
  • Ga. L. 2023, p. 542 (HB 222) — enrolled Act, original PDF Georgia General Assembly