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State guide

How to become a public adjuster in Rhode Island

Rhode Island requires a public adjuster license. There is no statutory fee cap; in a declared emergency 10% of settlement in a declared catastrophic disaster; the governing law is R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 27-10; 230-RICR-20-50-4.

The pathway

Getting licensed in Rhode Island

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 Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, Insurance Division, under R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 27-10 and 230-RICR-20-50-4. Public adjuster, company adjuster, and independent adjuster are separate license types; an individual may not hold both a public adjuster and a company/independent adjuster license at the same time. No line of authority is attached to the public adjuster license.

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 Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date.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 and eligible to designate Rhode Island as your home state (residents) or hold an active resident public adjuster license elsewhere (non-residents).

  2. Schedule and pass the Rhode Island Public Adjuster exam with Pearson VUE ($80; 50 questions; 1 hour; passing score 70). Non-residents already licensed as public adjusters are exempt.

  3. Residents: obtain a B.C.I. background check from the Rhode Island Attorney General (must be under 30 days old).

  4. Wait 3-5 days for the exam result to load, then apply on NIPR.com and pay the $250 biennial license fee (plus NIPR transaction fee).

  5. Email the B.C.I. to dbr.inslic@dbr.ri.gov with your NIPR transaction number.

  6. Renew every 2 years on NIPR ($250) after completing 24 hours of CE (21 general + 3 ethics) for renewals from 2026 onward.

Who can apply
At least 18 years old · Residents and non-residents · None required by statute or regulation. Residents and non-residents may be licensed. Non-resident public adjusters must hold an active resident public adjuster license in their home state; Rhode Island cannot be chosen as a designated home state for public adjusters.
Prelicensing course
Not required No prelicensing education requirement appears in R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 27-10, 230-RICR-20-50-4, or the Pearson VUE handbook; DBR's FAQ states Rhode Island does not require prelicensing education (stated for producers).
State exam
Pearson VUE · 50 questions · 60 minutes · pass at 70 · $80 per attempt One-part exam; 50 scoreable questions; passing score of 70 set by DBR. Resident applicants must pass; the exam is waived for applicants currently licensed as a public adjuster in another state (230-RICR-20-50-4.8). DBR advises waiting 3-5 days after passing for results to load before applying on NIPR.
Application
NIPR · $250 application fee Exam $80 (Pearson VUE); B.C.I. from RI Attorney General (fee not stated by DBR). All applications, renewals, and reinstatements go through NIPR.com. $250 is the biennial state license fee (R.I. Gen. Laws 27-10-3(a)(6); 230-RICR-20-50-5) and excludes NIPR transaction fees. Licenses issued mid-term run only to the end of the current biennial term; fees are not prorated. Honorably discharged wartime veterans (DD-214) are exempt from the state fee.
Background check
Resident applicants must obtain a B.C.I. (state background check) from the Rhode Island Attorney General, no more than 30 days old, and email it to dbr.inslic@dbr.ri.gov with the NIPR transaction number.
Surety bond
No bond required No bond requirement appears in the current R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 27-10, 230-RICR-20-50-4, the DBR adjuster page, or NIPR's Rhode Island requirements.
Renewal
Every 2 years · $250 Biennial renewal by the license expiration date; an expired license may be reinstated within 12 months of the renewal date on payment of a $50 penalty plus the renewal fee (NIPR lists $300 total). Renew through NIPR. Non-resident licensees must keep their home-state resident license active.
Continuing education
24 hours · Every 2 years · 3 in ethics 230-RICR-20-50-4.9 and Insurance Bulletin 2024-7: 21 general credits plus 3 ethics credits per biennial renewal, first required for licenses expiring in 2026 and later. Applies to RI resident public adjusters and RI designated-home-state licensees; non-residents who meet their home state's CE are exempt if the home state reciprocates. Licensees not licensed a full year before the end of the biennium are exempt. Only courses in the 'General Adjusting' or 'Ethics' course groups count.
Already licensed elsewhere?
Reciprocity available R.I. Gen. Laws 27-10-7.1: non-resident license issued without exam to an adjuster in good standing in a home state that reciprocates. Non-resident public adjusters must hold an active resident public adjuster license (verified on the NAIC Producer Database) and may not designate Rhode Island as home state. Adjusters moving to RI must apply for a resident license within 90 days; no exam is required.

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: The RI Attorney General's B.C.I. fee is not stated on DBR pages
  • ·Renewal deadline rule: Whether expiration falls on a fixed date or the licensee's anniversary/birth month is not stated in the sources reviewed
  • ·Bond amount: An older guide in our library mentions a former $20,000 bond removed in 2023; no bond appears in current primary sources

Rhode Island in the reference tables

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

See how a claim runs in Rhode Island, stage by stage Associations covering Rhode Island

Rhode Island law in the library

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

  • 230-RICR-20-05-11 — Basic Property Insurance Inspection and Placement Program (Rhode Island FAIR Plan / RIJRA) Binding law
  • 230-RICR-20-05-11 — Basic Property Insurance Inspection and Placement Program (Rhode Island FAIR Plan / RIJRA) (original filed PDF) Binding law
  • 230-RICR-20-50-4 — Insurance Claim Adjusters Binding law
  • 230-RICR-20-50-4 — Insurance Claim Adjusters Binding law
  • R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 27-33-1 through 27-33-11 — Federal Riot Reinsurance Reimbursement Fund Binding law
  • R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 27-5-1, 27-5-2, 27-5-3 — Standard Fire Insurance Policy Binding law
  • R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 27-5-3.2, 27-5-3.4, 27-5-3.5, 27-5-3.6, 27-5-3.9 — Property Insurance Notices, Offers and Coverage Mandates Binding law
  • Rhode Island Claim Adjusters Licensing Law (R.I.G.L. Chapter 27-10) Rhode Island General Assembly