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State guide

How to become a public adjuster in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania requires a public adjuster license. There is no statutory fee cap; the surety bond is $20,000; the governing law is 63 P.S. §§ 1601–1608; 31 Pa. Code ch. 115.

No percentage cap; the fee must be stated in an approved written contract.

The pathway

Getting licensed in Pennsylvania

The license is the Resident 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 Pennsylvania Insurance Department under the Public Adjuster Licensing Law, Act 72 of 1983 as amended by Act 21 of 2012 (63 P.S. §§ 1601–1608). Pennsylvania does not license company or independent adjusters; the public adjuster license is a stand-alone license. Business entities are licensed separately with a designated licensee.

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 Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date.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 Pennsylvania Public Insurance Adjuster exam (Series 16-19) with PSI: $45, 70% to pass, no prelicensing course required.

  2. Right after passing, apply online through Sircon or NIPR for the resident public adjuster license and pay the $200 application fee (must be within one year of passing).

  3. Once the Department has your application, register with IdentoGO using service code 1KGBGJ, get fingerprinted for the state and FBI background check, and pay the fingerprint fee at the center.

  4. After the license issues, print it from the Department website, then buy a surety bond of at least $20,000 and adopt the Department's approved public adjuster contract before signing any client.

  5. Complete 24 hours of approved continuing education during each two-year license period.

  6. Renew every two years through Sircon or NIPR for $200; a license that lapses can be renewed within 60 days for $400.

Who can apply
At least 18 years old · Residents and non-residents · None. Neither experience, apprenticeship nor prelicensing education is required. Residents apply for a resident license; non-residents apply for a non-resident license under the reciprocity provisions of 63 P.S. § 1602.5.
Prelicensing course
Not required PSI Candidate Information Booklet (effective 2025-07-01): "Pre-licensing education is not required for this examination."
State exam
PSI · pass at 70% · $45 per attempt Register with PSI Services LLC (home.psiexams.com, 1-888-818-5822); test centers or remote proctoring. Exam fee is non-refundable and valid for one year from payment; unlimited retakes. The license application must be filed within one year of passing. Exam is waived for persons licensed in another state applying under reciprocity.
Application
Sircon or NIPR · $200 application fee $45 exam fee; IdentoGO fingerprint fee paid at the enrollment center; Sircon/NIPR transaction fee (Department's non-resident guide cites approximately $20 for Sircon). Nonrefundable $200 fee set by 63 P.S. § 1602.1(c). Apply online through Sircon (sircon.com/pennsylvania) or NIPR immediately after passing the exam; paper applications are accepted only with a cover letter explaining why online filing is impossible. Licenses are not mailed; print from the Department website.
Background check
Fingerprints for a state and FBI criminal history check (63 P.S. § 1602.1(a)(2)); resident applicants register with IdentoGO (service code 1KGBGJ) and submit prints only after passing the exam and filing the application. Applicant must not have committed an act that is grounds for denial and must be competent, trustworthy and financially responsible.
Surety bond
$20,000 63 P.S. § 1604(a): bond in the minimum penal sum of $20,000 (reduced from $40,000 by Act 21 of 2012). May be obtained after licensure but must be in place before transacting business in Pennsylvania. Public adjusters must also use a Department-approved contract; the Department's sample contract needs no separate approval.
Renewal
Every 2 years · $200 Licenses are issued for a period not to exceed two years; the Department's fee page states the term is two years based on the licensee's birth month. A lapsed license may be renewed within 60 days of the renewal date for $400. 63 P.S. § 1602.4: renewal requires the form, the $200 fee and verification of CE completion. Lapsed license renewal fee $400.
Continuing education
24 hours · Every 2 years 63 P.S. § 1602.4(b): 24 credit hours of approved CE per two-year license period for individual licensees (business entities exempt); up to 24 excess hours may be carried forward. No statutory ethics or subject-matter minimum for public adjusters; Act 142 of 2024's 3-hour ethics and 2-hour flood requirements amend the Insurance Department Act of 1921 (producers and title agents) and contain no public adjuster language.
Already licensed elsewhere?
Reciprocity available 63 P.S. § 1602.5: an individual or business entity holding a resident public adjuster license in another state may obtain a PA non-resident license (exam waived) if the home state grants reciprocal non-resident licenses to Pennsylvania residents. Apply through Sircon; $200 fee; the $20,000 bond and approved contract still apply before doing business.

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: PSI Public Adjuster booklet text does not state the item count; the content outline is a separate linked document that could not be reached
  • ·Exam time minutes: Not stated in the PSI booklet text
  • ·Application fingerprint fee: Department guide says the fee is paid at the IdentoGO center but does not state the amount
  • ·Renewal deadline rule: Birth-month basis comes from the Department's fee table; the statute only says a term not to exceed two years
  • ·Continuing education ethics hours: CE vendors advertise '20 hours including 3 hours ethics' for PA public adjusters; the current statute text (63 P.S. § 1602.4(b), checked August 26, 2026) still says 24 hours with no ethics minimum and Act 142 of 2024 does not mention public adjusters, so vendor claim not adopted

Pennsylvania in the reference tables

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

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

Pennsylvania law in the library

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

  • 18 Pa.C.S. § 4117 — Insurance fraud Binding law
  • 18 Pa.C.S. § 4117 — Insurance fraud (archival PDF) Binding law
  • 31 Pa. Code Chapter 115 - Public Adjuster Contracts and Licensing Pennsylvania Insurance Department
  • 31 Pa. Code Chapter 115 — Public Adjuster Contracts Binding law
  • 31 Pa. Code Chapter 146 - Unfair Insurance Practices (Unfair Claims Settlement Practices) Pennsylvania Insurance Department
  • 31 Pa. Code Chapter 146 — Unfair Insurance Practices (Unfair Claims Settlement Practices) Binding law
  • 35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 73, Subch. A — The Governor and Disaster Emergencies Binding law
  • 35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 79 — Disaster Emergency Assistance Act Binding law