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State guide

How to become a public adjuster in Mississippi

Mississippi requires a public adjuster license. Fees are capped at 10% of settlement proceeds; the surety bond is $50,000; the governing law is Miss. Code § 83-17-501 et seq..

The pathway

Getting licensed in Mississippi

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. Issued by the Mississippi Insurance Department (MID) under Miss. Code Ann. §§ 83-17-501 et seq. and 19 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1, Ch. 36 (Reg. 2007-4). Separate from the Adjuster (independent/company) license; passing the independent adjuster exam is not accepted in place of the public adjuster exam. Business entities acting as public adjusters need their own entity license; a Public Adjuster Trainee registration (up to 12 months under a licensed PA) and an Emergency Public Adjuster license ($50, 90 days) also exist.

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 Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date.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 21 and have experience or training in handling insurance loss claims (or plan to take the prelicensing course).

  2. Complete a 20-hour MID-approved prelicensing course for public or independent adjusters (residents), or gather written proof of equivalent claims-handling experience to ask MID for a waiver.

  3. Schedule and pass the Mississippi Public Adjuster exam with Pearson VUE ($50, 50 scored questions, 120 minutes, 70% to pass); the score is sent to MID automatically.

  4. Obtain a $50,000 surety bond (MID form) or an irrevocable letter of credit in favor of the State of Mississippi.

  5. Apply online through Sircon or NIPR (or mail the paper application) and pay the $100 license fee, attaching the bond or letter of credit.

  6. After licensure, use a compliant written contract (10% fee cap, 5-business-day cancellation right, fiduciary trust account for client funds).

  7. Renew every two years by the last day of your birth month for $100, after completing 24 hours of CE including 3 hours of ethics (12 hours if your first term is 18 months or less), and keep the bond or letter of credit in force.

Who can apply
At least 21 years old · Residents and non-residents · Applicant must have experience or special education/training in handling loss claims sufficient to be competent as a public adjuster (§ 83-17-511(1)(d)). MID accepts the 20-hour approved prelicensing course, or written proof of equivalent experience/education in lieu of the course. No mandatory apprenticeship; an optional 12-month trainee registration exists. Resident license requires bona fide Mississippi residency; nonresidents may be licensed if their home state licenses public adjusters and grants Mississippi residents nonresident licenses on the same basis (§ 83-17-511(1)(b), (3), as amended by 2025 HB 1174). Note: the Pearson VUE handbook table lists minimum age 18 for Public Adjuster, but the statute and MID regulation both say 21.
Prelicensing course
20 hours Resident applicants must complete 20 hours in an MID-approved prelicensing course for public adjusters or independent adjusters; the provider reports completion electronically. Waived if the applicant submits written proof of sufficient experience or special education/training in handling loss claims (MID instructions items 4 and 7). Not required of nonresidents licensed in their home state.
State exam
Pearson VUE · 50 questions · 120 minutes · pass at 70% · $50 per attempt 50 scored questions (content outline effective May 1, 2024; no pretest questions listed). Test-center only, not available as OnVUE online. Scores are sent electronically to MID. Waived for nonresidents who hold a public adjuster license in good standing in a reciprocal home state that required an exam; also waived for renewals (§ 83-17-515).
Application
Sircon (www.sircon.com/mississippi) or NIPR (www.nipr.com) · $100 application fee State exam $50 (Pearson VUE); $50 late fee if renewal is not received by expiration; $30 returned-check fee; Emergency Public Adjuster license $50. Sircon/NIPR charge additional electronic transaction fees (amount not stated by MID). MID encourages electronic filing via Sircon or NIPR but also accepts the paper Public Adjuster application (resident or nonresident) mailed to P.O. Box 79, Jackson, MS 39205. The $100 privilege tax (license fee) is the same for residents and nonresidents and has been in effect since July 1, 2016.
Background check
Applicant must be trustworthy, reliable and of good reputation as determined through an investigation by the Commissioner (§ 83-17-511(1)(c)). No fingerprint requirement for public adjusters is stated in MID instructions, the MID licensing FAQ, or the Pearson VUE handbook (fingerprinting at MID, $50, applies to bail agents).
Surety bond
$50,000 Surety bond in favor of the State of Mississippi OR an irrevocable letter of credit from a qualified financial institution, minimum $50,000, obtained before issuance and maintained for the life of the license; cannot be terminated without 30 days' written notice; license automatically terminates if the bond/LOC lapses (§ 83-17-511(1)(i), 2025 HB 1174; Rule 36.05(A)(1)(f)). MID's bond form is Exhibit A to Reg. 2007-4. The pre-2025 E&O-policy alternative was replaced by the letter-of-credit option in the June 2025 MID instructions.
Renewal
Every 2 years · $100 License expires biennially on the last day of the licensee's birth month; the first term runs a minimum of 13 and a maximum of 24 months from issuance. Renewal notices are emailed 90 days before expiration. $50 late fee if renewal paperwork is not received by the expiration date. An expired license may be reinstated within 12 months after completing required CE (new issue date assigned). An active bond or letter of credit is required to renew.
Continuing education
24 hours · Every 2 years · 3 in ethics 24 hours of MID-approved CE including 3 hours of ethics for a 19-24 month license period; 12 hours (no ethics requirement stated) if the license period is 18 months or less (MID instructions item 13; MID Pre-Licensing and CE page). Rule 36.07 of Reg. 2007-4 and § 83-17-513 phrase the requirement as 12 hours per license year. Home-state CE satisfies Mississippi's requirement on a reciprocal basis (Rule 36.07(D)). Failure to complete CE within 12 months of renewal requires reapplying and retaking the exam.
Already licensed elsewhere?
Reciprocity available Nonresident license issued to a public adjuster licensed in good standing in a home state that licenses Mississippi residents on the same basis; exam waived if the home-state license required an exam. If the home state has no exam-based PA license, the applicant may instead pass the Mississippi exam plus prelicensing/experience, or show a nonresident license from another reciprocal exam state. Mississippi may be chosen as Adjuster Designated Home State (ADHS) by applicants with no resident PA license anywhere; ADHS applicants must meet the prelicensing, exam and CE requirements.

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:

  • ·Application fingerprint fee: No fingerprint requirement for public adjusters found in MID instructions, MID FAQ, or Pearson VUE handbook; MID's $50 fingerprint fee is documented only for bail agents.
  • ·Application other fees: Sircon/NIPR electronic transaction fee amounts are not published by MID; not confirmed.
  • ·Eligibility minimum age: Statute (§ 83-17-511) and Rule 36.05 say 21; Pearson VUE handbook table says 18. Statute used.
  • ·Continuing education hours: MID instructions/website state 24 hours per 2-year cycle (3 ethics); Rule 36.07 still reads 12 hours per 12-month period. MID's operational statement used.
  • ·Exam questions: Content outline shows 50 scored questions with no pretest count listed; handbook says exams may contain unlisted pretest questions only where a number is shown.

Mississippi in the reference tables

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

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

Mississippi law in the library

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

  • 19 Miss. Admin. Code, Part 1, Chapter 32 — (2005-2) Special Mediation Program for Personal Lines Residential Insurance Claims Resulting from Hurricane Katrina Mississippi Insurance Department
  • 19 Miss. Admin. Code, Part 1, Chapter 32 — (2005-2) Special Mediation Program for Personal Lines Residential Insurance Claims Resulting from Hurricane Katrina — original PDF Mississippi Insurance Department
  • 19 Miss. Admin. Code, Part 1, Chapter 33 — (2006-4) Availability of Hurricane Katrina Special Mediation Program to Parties in Litigation Mississippi Insurance Department
  • 19 Miss. Admin. Code, Part 1, Chapter 33 — (2006-4) Availability of Hurricane Katrina Special Mediation Program to Parties in Litigation — original PDF Mississippi Insurance Department
  • 19 Miss. Admin. Code, Part 1, Chapter 34 — Mississippi Homeowner Insurance Policyholder Bill of Rights (MID Regulation 2007-1, as amended) Mississippi Insurance Department
  • 19 Miss. Admin. Code, Part 1, Chapter 34 — Mississippi Homeowner Insurance Policyholder Bill of Rights (MID Regulation 2007-1, as amended) — original PDF Mississippi Insurance Department
  • 19 Miss. Admin. Code, Part 1, Chapter 36 — Licensure and Regulation of Public Adjusters (MID Regulation 2007-4) Mississippi Insurance Department
  • 19 Miss. Admin. Code, Part 1, Chapter 36 — Licensure and Regulation of Public Adjusters (MID Regulation 2007-4) — original PDF Mississippi Insurance Department