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State guide

How to become a public adjuster in Tennessee

Tennessee requires a public adjuster license. There is no statutory fee cap; the surety bond is $50,000, plus $500,000 E&O coverage; the governing law is Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 56-6-901 to 56-6-920.

The pathway

Getting licensed in Tennessee

The license is the Public Adjuster license (individual); Public Adjuster Business Entity license for firms. 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 Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI), Insurance Division, Agent Licensing Section under the Public Adjuster Licensing Act, Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 56-6-901 to 56-6-920 (licensing required since July 1, 2007). Tennessee does not license company or independent adjusters, so this is a standalone 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 Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date.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, live in Tennessee (or hold a resident public adjuster license in another state), and keep an office in your home state open to the public.

  2. Schedule the Tennessee Public Adjuster exam with Pearson VUE (pearsonvue.com or 800-274-4957) and pay the $50 exam fee.

  3. Pass the 50-question, one-hour exam with a score of 70% or better; Pearson VUE sends your score to TDCI. Wait 30 days before any retake.

  4. Get fingerprinted through IdentoGO (identogo.com) for the TBI/FBI background check, choosing 'TN Public Adjuster' (ORI TN920560Z) under the Department of Commerce and Insurance.

  5. At least 48 hours after your exam, file the Uniform Application for Individual Public Adjuster at nipr.com and pay the $100 filing fee (plus NIPR's transaction fee).

  6. Buy a $50,000 surety bond on the TDCI Public Adjuster Bond form and an errors and omissions policy of at least $500,000, and file proof of both with TDCI.

  7. Once TDCI approves everything it issues the license. Renew every two years on your licensure anniversary for $100, after completing 24 hours of approved continuing education including ethics.

  8. If you will work through a firm, the firm needs its own Public Adjuster Business Entity license ($100) and must name a licensed public adjuster responsible for compliance.

Who can apply
At least 18 years old · Residents and non-residents · None required. Applicant must be trustworthy, reliable, of good reputation, and financially responsible (surety bond plus errors and omissions insurance under § 56-6-911). Resident applicants must reside in Tennessee; nonresidents may be licensed under § 56-6-908 if they hold a resident public adjuster license in good standing in their home state. All applicants must maintain an office in their home state with public access by appointment or regular business hours.
Prelicensing course
Not required Neither the statute, Rule 0780-01-91, nor the TDCI public adjuster licensing page requires a prelicensing education course; only the examination is required.
State exam
Pearson VUE · 50 questions · 60 minutes · pass at 70% · $50 per attempt 50 scoreable questions: 15 on Tennessee public adjuster laws and rules, remainder on property insurance product knowledge, terms and concepts. Rule 0780-1-91-.06(4) sets 70% as the minimum passing score; Pearson VUE reports a scaled passing score of 70. Fee is $50 per attempt and non-refundable. After a failure you must wait 30 days to retest; after three consecutive failures you must wait one year and file a new application. Exam waived under § 56-6-907 for applicants previously licensed as a public adjuster by exam in another state (apply within 90 days of establishing Tennessee residence) or previously licensed in Tennessee, subject to the statute's time limits.
Application
NIPR · $100 application fee State exam $50 per attempt (Pearson VUE); IdentoGO fingerprint fee; errors and omissions policy of at least $500,000 per occurrence; $50,000 surety bond premium. Submit the Uniform Application for Individual Public Adjuster electronically at nipr.com (paper Uniform Application also accepted per the licensing packet). You must wait 48 hours after taking the exam before filing electronically. NIPR charges its own transaction fee in addition to the $100 state filing fee. Nonresident and business entity filing fee is also $100.
Background check
Fingerprint-based TBI/FBI criminal history check required for resident applicants who must take the exam; register through IdentoGO (identogo.com) using the TN Public Adjuster ORI TN920560Z, agency 'Department of Commerce and Insurance'. Must be completed before submitting the application.
Surety bond
$50,000 Surety bond on the TDCI Public Adjuster Bond form (rev. 2026-02-20), required by § 56-6-911 before issuance and for the duration of the license. Also required: an errors and omissions policy from an admitted insurer in the minimum amount of $500,000 per occurrence.
Renewal
Every 2 years · $100 License is in effect for two years; renew on the anniversary date of licensure. A lapsed license may be renewed within 12 months of expiration on payment of a penalty of double the renewal fee ($200) plus the renewal fee; reinstatement within 60 days is retroactive, later reinstatement is prospective only (§ 56-6-909).
Continuing education
24 hours · Every 2 years 24 hours of commissioner-approved courses 'including ethics', reported biennially with the renewal (§ 56-6-912; Rule 0780-1-91-.07). No specific number of ethics hours is set in the statute, rule, or TDCI page. Exempt: licensees not licensed for one full year before the end of the biennium, and nonresidents who meet their home state's CE if that state gives Tennessee residents reciprocal credit.
Already licensed elsewhere?
Reciprocity available Nonresident public adjuster license issued under § 56-6-908 to anyone holding a resident public adjuster license in good standing in their home state; no Tennessee exam required. Home-state status is verified through the NIPR Producer Database (or a Letter of Certification). Nonresidents still file at nipr.com with the $100 fee, post the $50,000 bond, and show $500,000 E&O. The nonresident license terminates if the home-state resident license lapses.

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: TDCI's fingerprint page and packet direct applicants to IdentoGO but do not state the fee; Rule 0780-1-91-.06(7) (2007) lists a $48 TBI check plus a vendor administrative fee, which predates IdentoGO. Third-party sites cite $37.15 but no primary source confirmed it.
  • ·Continuing education ethics hours: Statute and rule require 24 hours 'including ethics' without specifying an ethics hour count.
  • ·Exam passing score: 70% per Rule 0780-1-91-.06(4); Pearson VUE handbook describes a scaled reported passing score of 70 rather than a raw percentage.
  • ·Application note: NIPR transaction fee amount not confirmed from the NIPR Tennessee page.

Tennessee in the reference tables

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

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

Tennessee law in the library

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

  • Bad-faith failure to pay promptly; liability of policyholders when action not brought in good faith (verbatim, T.C.A. §§ 56-7-105, 56-7-106) Tennessee General Assembly
  • Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-01-05 — Unfair Claims Settlement Practices (verbatim) Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Division of Insurance
  • Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-01-91 — Public Adjusters (verbatim) Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Division of Insurance
  • Tennessee Code Annotated title 56, chapter 41 - Joint Underwriting/Risk Sharing (Tennessee Property and Casualty Insurance Association) Binding law
  • Tennessee Public Adjuster Licensing Act of 2006 (verbatim, T.C.A. §§ 56-6-901 — 56-6-920) Tennessee General Assembly
  • Tennessee Rule 0780-01-05 - Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI)
  • Tennessee Rule 0780-01-91 - Public Adjusters Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI)
  • Tennessee Unfair Trade Practices and Unfair Claims Settlement Act of 2009 (verbatim, T.C.A. §§ 56-8-101 — 56-8-113) Tennessee General Assembly