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State guide

How to become a public adjuster in West Virginia

West Virginia requires a public adjuster license. There is no statutory fee cap; in a declared emergency 10% of settlement in a catastrophe; the governing law is W. Va. Code § 33-12B-1 et seq.; 114 CSR 25.

The pathway

Getting licensed in West Virginia

The license is the Public Adjuster (adjuster license, property and casualty line of authority). 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. West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner. Since July 1, 2021 (W. Va. Code § 33-12B) there are three adjuster license types: company adjuster, independent adjuster, and public adjuster; a public adjuster may hold only the property and casualty line of authority (§ 33-12B-7(b)).

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 Fees and hours change with the legislative calendar, and this page may be out of date.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 WV Public Adjuster exam with Pearson VUE ($84, 45 questions, 45 minutes, 70% to pass).

  2. Book a digital fingerprint appointment with IdentoGo ($45.75) and have the prints sent to the WV Insurance Commissioner.

  3. Within one year of passing, apply through NIPR (or by paper) for an adjuster license with the public adjuster designation and property and casualty line, and pay the $50 license fee.

  4. Complete 24 hours of approved CE (3 in ethics) each two-year cycle.

  5. Renew every two years by the last day of your birth month and pay the $50 renewal fee.

Who can apply
At least 18 years old · Residents and non-residents Resident license requires West Virginia residency or eligibility to designate West Virginia as home state (§ 33-12B-5(a)(2)); nonresidents licensed in a reciprocal home state get a nonresident license (§ 33-12B-9).
Prelicensing course
Not required Candidate handbook: 'Pre-licensing education is not required of adjusters.'
State exam
Pearson VUE · 45 questions · 45 minutes · pass at 70% · $84 per attempt Statutory $25 exam fee (§ 33-12B-5(b)(2)) is superseded in practice by the vendor fee of $84 per the March 2025 handbook. Maximum eight attempts (§ 33-12B-5(b)(4)). Applicants not licensed within one year of passing must retest.
Application
NIPR (paper Adjuster Application also accepted) · $50 application fee Exam $84 (Pearson VUE). Handbook lists a $50 license fee for a two-year license; § 33-12B-8 sets the fee at $25 per year. Fingerprint fee is $12.50 IdentoGo + $20 WVSP + $13.25 FBI; prints are valid 60 days.
Background check
Fingerprints required for resident adjuster applicants and those designating WV as home state, submitted through IdentoGo after passing the exam (§ 33-12B-6; candidate handbook). Fingerprint fee $45.75
Surety bond
No bond required No surety bond requirement appears in W. Va. Code § 33-12B or 114 CSR 25.
Renewal
Every 2 years · $50 License expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month biennially; renewal window opens 90 days before expiration. Expired licenses may be reissued within one year on payment of twice the renewal fee (§ 33-12B-10(b)).
Continuing education
24 hours · Every 2 years · 3 in ethics Applies to public adjusters (§ 33-12B-13); up to 6 excess hours carry over. Exempt if licensed less than one full year before the biennium ends or nonresident with substantially similar home-state CE.
Already licensed elsewhere?
Reciprocity available Nonresident adjuster license issued if the home state has like requirements for WV residents (§ 33-12B-9); exam waived for applicants currently licensed for the same line elsewhere (§ 33-12B-5(b)(5)).

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 fee: Handbook ($50 for two years) and statute ($25 annual) differ in framing; the handbook figure is what applicants pay
  • ·Renewal fee: $50 biennial renewal is from the candidate handbook and NIPR; the OIC adjuster web page could not be reached when we checked (page missing)

West Virginia in the reference tables

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

See how a claim runs in West Virginia, stage by stage Associations covering West Virginia

West Virginia law in the library

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

  • Title 114, Series 14 — Unfair Trade Practices: Notice of Final Filing and Adoption of a Legislative Rule (Secretary of State Final File) West Virginia Secretary of State, Administrative Law Division
  • W. Va. Code St. R. Title 114, Series 14 — Unfair Trade Practices (114CSR14) West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner
  • W. Va. Code St. R. Title 114, Series 14 — Unfair Trade Practices (114CSR14) (original PDF) West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner
  • West Virginia Adjusters Licensing and Regulation - W.Va. Code Article 33-12B (Complete) West Virginia Legislature
  • West Virginia Code Article 33-20A — West Virginia Essential Insurance Coverage Act (§§33-20A-1 to 33-20A-7) West Virginia Legislature
  • West Virginia Code §33-11-4a — Complaints by third-party claimants; elimination of private cause of action West Virginia Legislature
  • West Virginia Code §33-17-2 — Standard fire policy West Virginia Legislature
  • West Virginia Code §§33-17-9 and 33-17-9b — Total or partial fire loss; claims for total loss; debris removal proceeds West Virginia Legislature