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State guide

How to become a public adjuster in South Carolina

South Carolina requires a public adjuster license. There is no statutory fee cap; the surety bond is $20,000 bond or letter of credit; the governing law is S.C. Code Title 38, ch. 92 (Act 209 of 2026).

Chapter 92 replaced the former chapter 48 in May 2026.

The pathway

Getting licensed in South Carolina

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 South Carolina Department of Insurance. Act No. 209 of 2026 (S.196, effective 2026-05-19) repealed Chapter 48 and replaced it with a new S.C. Code Title 38, Chapter 92 (Public Adjusters); the SCDOI Public Adjuster web page still described the pre-Act 209 process ($80 fee, SLED report) when checked.

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 Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date.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, have a clean criminal record as described in S.C. Code § 38-92-40(E), and (for residents) will keep an office in South Carolina open to the public.

  2. Schedule and pass the South Carolina Public Adjuster exam with Pearson VUE (60 questions, 65 minutes, $59, score of 70 to pass); the certificate is good for 12 months.

  3. Get fingerprinted and complete the SLED and FBI criminal records checks (SLED CATCH check is $25) and keep the results to submit with your application.

  4. Obtain a $20,000 surety bond in favor of the State of South Carolina (or a $20,000 irrevocable letter of credit) in the form the Department prescribes.

  5. Apply for the Public Adjuster license through NIPR, upload the exam certificate, background check and bond, and pay the $100 biennial license fee.

  6. Renew by October 31 of every even-numbered year after completing 24 hours of approved continuing education, including 3 hours of ethics.

Who can apply
At least 18 years old · Residents and non-residents · None required Resident applicants must be eligible to designate South Carolina as their home state and maintain an office in the home state with public access by appointment or regular business hours (S.C. Code § 38-92-40(C)); Reg. 69-23 § III requires U.S. citizenship or registered-alien documentation. Nonresidents may hold a nonresident public adjuster license (§ 38-92-70).
Prelicensing course
Not required Neither Chapter 92 nor the SCDOI page requires a prelicensing course; the exam is the qualification.
State exam
Pearson VUE · 60 questions · 65 minutes · pass at 70 · $59 per attempt Pearson VUE became the vendor 2023-05-01. Scaled passing score of 70 (Reg. 69-23 § V(D)); up to six attempts per 12 months; passing certificate valid 12 months and must be submitted with the NIPR application. Exempt: resident public adjusters moving from another state that requires an exam, if they apply within 90 days (§ 38-92-60); nonresidents licensed in a home state that requires an exam.
Application
NIPR · $100 application fee State exam $59 per attempt; SLED CATCH criminal record check $25 (+$1 online convenience fee); FBI fingerprint check cost not published; NIPR transaction fee not included. $100 biennial fee per S.C. Code § 38-92-20(F) (Act 209, eff. 2026-05-19), non-refundable and non-proratable. The SCDOI page still lists the former $80 fee and states fees are retaliatory for nonresidents (home-state fee charged if higher, e.g. GA $115, NC $175/$230).
Background check
State (SLED) and national (FBI) fingerprint-based criminal records checks, cost borne by applicant; fingerprints certified by a SLED-authorized law enforcement officer (§ 38-92-40(D)). SCDOI page (pre-Act 209) asked for an original SLED CATCH report via NIPR Attachment Warehouse or email. Must be of good moral character with no felony and no dishonesty/financial-crime misdemeanor within 5 years (§ 38-92-40(E)).
Surety bond
$20,000 Surety bond in favor of the State, or an irrevocable letter of credit of at least $20,000, required before issuance and for the life of the license; 30 days' notice before termination; license authority terminates automatically if it lapses (§ 38-92-100). New with Act 209; no bond existed under repealed Chapter 48.
Renewal
Every 2 years · $100 Renew by October 31 of each even-numbered year (§ 38-92-80(B)); CE must be completed before submitting the renewal. Lapsed licenses may be reinstated within 12 months on proof of CE plus a reinstatement fee equal to the unpaid biennial fee in addition to the regular fee; after 12 months a new license is required. SCDOI page still shows the former $80 renewal fee.
Continuing education
24 hours · Every 2 years · 3 in ethics 24 hours including 3 hours of ethics per biennium, director-approved courses only (§ 38-92-110). Exempt: licensees not licensed a full year before the end of the biennium, and nonresidents who meet home-state CE where that state reciprocates. New with Act 209; SCDOI Adjuster page still says SC does not require CE.
Already licensed elsewhere?
Reciprocity available Nonresident license issued if the applicant holds a resident public adjuster license in good standing, pays fees, posts the SC bond/letter of credit, and the home state licenses SC residents on the same basis (§ 38-92-70). SCDOI: if the home state has no adjuster exam, a passing certificate from another state's adjuster exam may be used; otherwise the SC 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: Act 209 requires SLED and FBI fingerprint checks at applicant cost, but SCDOI has not published a fingerprint vendor or combined fee; only the $25 SLED CATCH name-based check fee is published
  • ·Application fee: $100 comes from Act 209 § 38-92-20(F) (effective 2026-05-19); SCDOI's page still shows the repealed $80 fee and a retaliatory-fee rule not restated in Chapter 92. Confirm with the Department which amount NIPR currently charges
  • ·Exam questions: From the 05.2023 Pearson VUE handbook; the handbook does not state whether the 60 includes pretest items, and the exam has not been re-issued for Chapter 92
  • ·Renewal deadline rule: October 31 even-year deadline is statutory (§ 38-92-80); SCDOI page says only 'renewed in October of even-numbered years'
  • ·Continuing education: New requirement under Act 209; SCDOI has not yet published implementing guidance, approved course lists, or the first biennium to which it applies
  • ·Bond note: Format of the bond/letter of credit 'prescribed by the director' not yet published by SCDOI

South Carolina in the reference tables

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

See how a claim runs in South Carolina, stage by stage Associations covering South Carolina

South Carolina law in the library

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

  • South Carolina Code of Laws — Title 38, Chapter 48: Public Insurance Adjusters South Carolina General Assembly
  • South Carolina Code of Laws — Title 38, Chapter 55: Conduct of Insurance Business Binding law
  • South Carolina Code of Laws — Title 38, Chapter 59, Article 1: Claims Practices (In General) Binding law
  • South Carolina Code of Laws — Title 38, Chapter 75, Article 13: Property Insurance Cancellation and Nonrenewal Binding law
  • South Carolina Code of Laws — Title 38, Chapter 75, Article 1: Property Insurance Generally Binding law
  • South Carolina Code of Laws — Title 38, Chapter 75, Article 5: Wind and Hail Insurance (South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association) Binding law
  • South Carolina Code of Laws — Title 38, Chapter 75, Article 8: Advisory Committee, Loss Mitigation Grant Program, and South Carolina Comprehensive Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program Binding law
  • South Carolina Code of Laws — §§ 15-3-140 and 15-3-530: Limitation of Civil Actions (Suit Limitation on Insurance Policies) Binding law