State guide
How to become a public adjuster in Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires a public adjuster license. There is no statutory fee cap; the governing law is MGL c. 175 § 172.
Written contract with a three-day cancellation right; no statutory bond or percentage cap.
The pathway
Getting licensed in Massachusetts
The license is the Public Insurance 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. Issued by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance under M.G.L. c. 175, s. 172. Massachusetts does not license company or independent adjusters; the public insurance adjuster license is its own license type.
Official sources
- M.G.L. c. 175, s. 172 (public insurance adjuster licensing)
- Pearson VUE Massachusetts Division of Insurance exam page
- Pearson VUE Massachusetts DOI Candidate Handbook (fees, scoring, content outlines effective 2026-07-22)
- NIPR Massachusetts resident licensing requirements
- NIPR Massachusetts resident renewal requirements
- NIPR Massachusetts non-resident licensing requirements
- Mass.gov DOI consumer guidance on public insurance adjusters (10% fee reference)
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 Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date.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.
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Accumulate 2 years of experience adjusting property losses (public, company, or independent adjusting, or similar work).
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Schedule and pass the Public Insurance Adjuster exam in person at a Pearson VUE test center ($10; 100 scored questions; passing scaled score 70).
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Obtain a certified CORI criminal background check and two passport-sized photos taken within 60 days of applying.
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Prepare the written contract form you will use with clients; the Division must have it on file or approve it before you use it.
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Apply through NIPR, pay the $200 license fee, and upload the photos, CORI, and other supporting documents to NIPR's Attachments Warehouse.
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Renew every 3 years through NIPR ($200) after completing 15 hours of approved continuing education.
- Who can apply
- At least 21 years old · Residents and non-residents · Applicant must demonstrate 2 years of experience performing services in connection with the adjusting of property losses before an application will be filed (M.G.L. c. 175, s. 172). Licensee must be a Massachusetts resident or a bona fide resident of a state or country that permits Massachusetts residents to act as adjusters there (M.G.L. c. 175, s. 172).
- Prelicensing course
- Not required No prelicensing course is required by statute; the 2-year property-loss adjusting experience requirement takes its place.
- State exam
- Pearson VUE · 100 questions · pass at 70 (scaled score) · $10 per attempt Pearson replaced Prometric as the Division's exam vendor; the Pearson content outlines are effective July 22, 2026. The Public Insurance Adjuster exam has 100 scoreable plus 5 pretest questions and must be taken in person at a Pearson test center (remote testing is not offered). The statute requires the exam to cover building construction techniques and materials as well as insurance principles and coverage. No exam is required to renew.
- Application
- NIPR · $200 application fee Exam $10 (Pearson VUE). Initial individual applications must be submitted electronically through NIPR; supplemental documents (photos, CORI, sample contract, etc.) go to NIPR's Attachments Warehouse. State fee does not include NIPR transaction fees. The Division must also have the adjuster's contract form on file 30 days (or approved in writing) before it may be used (M.G.L. c. 175, s. 172).
- Background check
- A certified copy of a criminal background check (CORI) and 2 passport-sized photographs taken within 60 days must accompany the application (M.G.L. c. 175, s. 172).
- Surety bond
- No bond required No surety bond requirement appears in M.G.L. c. 175, s. 172 or on the NIPR Massachusetts requirement pages. The mass.gov licensing-requirements page could not be reached when we checked (could not be reached) to confirm.
- Renewal
- Every 3 years · $200 License expires 3 years from its issue date; NIPR renewal window opens 90 days before expiration, with late renewal allowed up to 30 days after expiration (late fee $200). Renewal is electronic via NIPR and does not require re-examination (M.G.L. c. 175, s. 172).
- Continuing education
- 15 hours · Every 3 years M.G.L. c. 175, s. 172 requires certification of 15 hours of commissioner-approved CE before each renewal; CE completed for another state's public adjuster license also counts. NIPR notes the license must be CE compliant to renew. Ethics or law-update sub-requirements are not specified in the statute.
- Already licensed elsewhere?
- Reciprocity available Non-residents may be licensed if their home state permits Massachusetts residents to act as adjusters there. NIPR's non-resident page lists the Public Insurance Adjuster license at $200 with 'Exam Required'; no exam waiver for non-residents was found in a primary source.
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 time minutes: Pearson candidate handbook content outline gives the question count but no time limit for this exam
- ·Exam fee: $10 is the figure in the Pearson MA candidate handbook exam-fee table; it is unusually low relative to producer exams ($37) and could not be cross-checked on mass.gov (could not be reached)
- ·Bond amount: No bond found in statute or NIPR; mass.gov licensing page could not be reached when we checked and could not be checked
- ·Continuing education ethics hours: Statute does not specify; mass.gov CE page could not be reached when we checked
- ·Reciprocity note: Whether non-residents' home-state exam is accepted in lieu of the MA exam could not be confirmed; mass.gov page inaccessible
Massachusetts in the reference tables
Each table answers one question for all 50 states and DC, with the citation. Open one and find the Massachusetts row.
- Additional Living Expenses (ALE) & Loss of Use Reference Guide
- Appraisal Demand Deadlines & Requirements
- Assignment of Benefits (AOB) Restrictions
- Bad Faith Framework
- Common Endorsements Reference Guide
- Cosmetic Damage Exclusion Rules
- Depreciation & ACV Calculation Rules
- Depreciation Schedules by Category
- Examination Under Oath (EUO) Requirements
- FAIR Plans & Wind Pools
- Fire Insurance Claims Reference Guide
- Hurricane & Named Storm Deductible Rules
- NFIP Flood Insurance Claims Requirements
- Notice of Claim Filing Deadlines
- Penalty Interest Rates & Remedies
- Pre-Suit Notice Requirements
- Proof of Loss Requirements
- Property Insurance Claims Timelines
- Public Adjuster Licensing & Fee Caps
- Statute of Limitations (SOL)
- Valued Policy Laws
- Wind vs. Water Causation & Anti-Concurrent Causation Rules
- Window Insurance Claims Reference Guide
Massachusetts law in the library
28 primary-source documents for Massachusetts: statutes, regulations, bulletins and consumer guides, stored as published. Sign in to open them.
- M.G.L. c. 175, § 100 — Reference of amount of loss under policy of fire insurance to referees; selection of referees The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- M.G.L. c. 175, § 101 — Reference of amount of loss under policy of fire insurance to referees; timing of hearing The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- M.G.L. c. 175, § 102 — Proof of loss; written notice of fire in lieu of sworn statement specified by Sec. 99 The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- M.G.L. c. 175, § 112 — Payment of losses; regulations The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- M.G.L. c. 175, § 162 — Agent, broker and adjuster defined The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- M.G.L. c. 175, § 172 — Adjusters of fire losses; licensing; penalty; examination for applicants The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- M.G.L. c. 175, § 96 — Fire loss; limitation on liability beyond actual value of insured property The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- M.G.L. c. 175, § 97 — Payment to mortgagees under fire insurance policy The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts