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State guide

How to become a public adjuster in Washington

Washington requires a public adjuster license. There is no statutory fee cap; the surety bond is $5,000; the governing law is RCW 48.17.380, 48.17.430.

The pathway

Getting licensed in Washington

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 Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner. RCW 48.17.390 provides separate independent, public, and crop adjuster licenses; an individual may hold both independent and public licenses but may not represent both sides of one claim (RCW 48.17.410).

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 Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date.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. Meet the experience or education requirement (12 months of salaried adjusting, a 960-hour trainee program, or a qualifying designation).

  2. Register with PSI and pass the WA Adjuster exam (100 questions, 135 minutes, 70% to pass, $35).

  3. Obtain the $5,000 public adjuster bond on OIC form INS-21.

  4. Apply online through NIPR for the public adjuster license and pay the $50 fee; attach proof of experience, your score report, and the bond.

  5. After the application is received, schedule and submit fingerprints through IdentoGO ($49).

  6. Renew every two years for $50 after completing 24 hours of CE, including 3 hours of ethics.

Who can apply
At least 18 years old · Residents and non-residents · Resident applicants must show experience or special education: twelve consecutive months as a full-time salaried adjuster for an admitted insurer or MGA (verified in writing), or a supervised adjuster-trainee program of six to nine months totaling at least 960 hours, or a qualifying designation (AIC, CPCU, or AEI property program). Applicant must be a bona fide Washington resident or a resident of a state that permits Washington residents to act as adjusters there (RCW 48.17.380(3)(b)).
Prelicensing course
Not required No prelicensing course; Washington instead requires the experience or education described above.
State exam
PSI · 100 questions · 135 minutes · pass at 70% · $35 per attempt One adjuster exam covers independent and public adjusters. Fee is from PSI's WA Insurance program instructions; some third-party pages list $38.
Application
NIPR · $50 application fee Exam $35. Attach or mail proof of experience, exam score report, and bond information with the application.
Background check
Resident applicants submit electronic fingerprints through IdentoGO after the application is filed; $49. No fingerprint requirement for nonresident individuals. Fingerprint fee $49
Surety bond
$5,000 Required before issuance and maintained while licensed (RCW 48.17.430); filed on OIC form INS-21 in the licensee's name.
Renewal
Every 2 years · $50 Renew online up to 90 days before expiration; late renewal 1–30 days $75, 31–60 days $100, reinstatement 61 days to 12 months $150.
Continuing education
24 hours · Every 2 years · 3 in ethics Applies to resident individual adjusters and nonresidents claiming Washington as designated home state.
Already licensed elsewhere?
Reciprocity available Nonresident public adjusters licensed in their home state apply through NIPR, file the $5,000 bond, and are exempt from fingerprinting (RCW 48.17.380(1)(b)). Applicants from states without substantially similar adjuster laws may designate Washington as home state.

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 fee: PSI's program instruction sheet lists $35; third-party pages list $38, suggesting a recent change that could not be confirmed on an OIC page.

Washington in the reference tables

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

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

Washington law in the library

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

  • Chapter 284-19 WAC - Essential property insurance (FAIR plan and joint reinsurance association) Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner
  • RCW 48.01 - Initial Provisions Washington State Legislature
  • RCW 48.01.030 - Public interest (statutory duty of good faith) Washington State Legislature
  • RCW 48.02 - Insurance Commissioner Washington State Legislature
  • RCW 48.17 - Insurance Producers, Title Insurance Agents, and Adjusters (Complete) Washington State Legislature
  • RCW 48.17.530 (certified section PDF) - Commissioner may place on probation, suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue or renew a license Washington State Legislature
  • RCW 48.17.530 - Commissioner may place on probation, suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue or renew a license Washington State Legislature
  • RCW 48.18 - The Insurance Contract Washington State Legislature