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State guide

How to become a public adjuster in Maryland

Maryland requires a public adjuster license. There is no statutory fee cap; the governing law is Md. Code, Ins. §§ 10-401 to 10-415; COMAR 31.03.18.

No percentage fee if the insurer pays or commits to policy limits within 72 hours; 24 CE hours per two-year term.

The pathway

Getting licensed in Maryland

The license is the Public Adjuster. 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. Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA). Maryland licenses only public adjusters; it does not license staff or 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 Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date.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. Schedule and pass the Maryland Public Adjuster exam with Prometric ($60); no prelicensing course is required.

  2. Within 6 months of passing, file the NAIC Uniform Individual Application through NIPR (or on paper by mail) and pay the $50 license fee.

  3. Check MIA's producer name search to confirm approval, then print your license from the NAIC license manager (Maryland does not mail licenses).

  4. Complete 24 hours of approved CE (3 in ethics) at least 30 days before your license expires.

  5. Renew every two years by the last day of your birth month and pay the $65 renewal fee.

Who can apply
Residents and non-residents Resident applicants take the exam. Nonresidents licensed in a reciprocal home state get a nonresident license without the exam; nonresidents whose home state does not license public adjusters (or is on MIA's non-reciprocal list) must meet the full resident requirements.
Prelicensing course
Not required Prometric Licensing Information Bulletin lists the Public Adjuster exam as 'None required' for pre-licensing education.
State exam
Prometric · $60 per attempt Exam results are valid for 6 months; applicant who fails may not retest for 14 days (Ins. § 10-404(b)(4)). MIA's licensing packet PDF (older) still names PSI, but the current MIA web page and bulletin name Prometric.
Application
NIPR (NAIC Uniform Individual Application); paper application also accepted by mail · $50 application fee Exam $60 (Prometric). Fee set by Ins. Art. § 2-112. Fees are non-refundable. Complete applications are typically processed in 7-10 days.
Background check
Not stated in these sources
Surety bond
No bond required No surety bond requirement appears in Ins. Art. §§ 10-401 to 10-414 or COMAR 31.03.18.
Renewal
Every 2 years · $65 Individual licenses expire on the last day of the licensee's birth month every other year; renewal may be filed up to 90 days before expiration. $65 = $50 renewal fee + $15 fraud prevention fee. Reinstatement within 1 year of expiration adds a $100 reinstatement fee; after 1 year the applicant must start over.
Continuing education
24 hours · Every 2 years · 3 in ethics Hours may be in Property/Casualty or Public Adjuster course categories; must be completed at least 30 days before expiration (Ins. § 10-408(e)). Prometric/Sircon administers CE records. Reciprocal nonresidents compliant in their home state are exempt.
Already licensed elsewhere?
Reciprocity available Nonresident license issued on a reciprocal basis if the applicant holds a resident public adjuster license in good standing and the home state licenses Maryland residents on the same basis (Ins. § 10-409). MIA publishes a list of non-reciprocal states.

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:

  • ·Exam questions: Prometric bulletin we checked (2021 edition) lists the exam and fee but no question count; current bulletin (prometric.com/exams/mia) could not be reached when we checked
  • ·Exam time minutes: Not stated in the Prometric bulletin we checked
  • ·Exam passing score: Not stated in the Prometric bulletin we checked
  • ·Eligibility minimum age: No minimum age appears in Ins. §§ 10-404/10-405 or on the MIA page
  • ·Eligibility background check: Neither the statute nor the MIA page mentions fingerprinting or a criminal history report

Maryland in the reference tables

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

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

Maryland law in the library

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

  • COMAR 31.01.02 — Emergency Powers Maryland Insurance Administration
  • COMAR 31.03.18 — Public Adjusters Maryland Insurance Administration
  • COMAR 31.15.07 — Payment of Claims Under Property and Casualty and Title Insurance Policies Maryland Insurance Administration
  • COMAR 31.15.15 — Liability of Insurer: Failure to Act in Good Faith Maryland Insurance Administration
  • Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article § 3-1701 — Failure of Insurer to Act in Good Faith Maryland General Assembly
  • Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article, Title 3, Subtitle 2 — Maryland Uniform Arbitration Act; Insurance Arbitration Void; Appraisal Excepted Maryland General Assembly
  • Maryland Insurance Article § 10-411 — Public Adjuster Contracts and Compensation (official Maryland General Assembly PDF) Maryland General Assembly
  • Maryland Insurance Article § 27-1001 — Failure to Act in Good Faith Maryland General Assembly