Insurance License Hub

The North Dakota Public Adjuster license

Public Adjuster

Acts for the insured, for a fee, in settling a first-party claim for loss or damage to property in North Dakota. It is the state's only adjuster license and it is new: it was carved out of the consultant license with effect from 1 July 2019, and a consultant who was doing the work had to reapply. An independent or staff adjuster working for an insurer needs no license here at all.

Course

None

This license has no pre-licensing course route.

Ways in

3

2 of them skip the state exam.

Exam

Varies

Priced per paper. The prices are below.

The Life and Annuity, Accident and Health, Property and Casualty papers are $64 each. Every other paper is $58.

Every way to qualify

More than one route leads to this license, and which one you take changes what you study and whether you sit the exam. There is no pre-licensing course among them: this license is qualified for by sitting the examination, a license held in another state or moving here already licensed.

  1. Route 1 Pass the public adjuster examination

    State exam required

    Financial responsibility

    • A surety bond of at least $20,000, held for the whole life of the license, for the benefit of insureds who have paid the adjuster fees, retainers, compensation or deposits. The surety may not end it without 30 days' written notice to the commissioner, and the authority to act stops automatically if the bond lapses or is impaired.

    and office

    • An office in North Dakota with public access by reasonable appointment or during regular business hours.

    N.D.C.C. 26.1-26.8-04 is the closed list of nine findings the commissioner must make: eighteen or over, a principal residence or place of business in the state, no ground for denial, the fee paid, the examination passed, trustworthy and of good reputation, financially responsible with the bond at 26.1-26.8-11, an office open to the public, and a criminal history record check under 12-60-24. No course appears anywhere in the chapter. The examination is set by 26.1-26.8-07 and PSI gives it as ND Public Adjuster, one of the ten North Dakota papers on its index. Continuing education is 24 credits biennially including 3 of ethics, under 26.1-26.8-12. The chapter fences the license at both ends: 26.1-26.8-01 limits it to assisting insureds with first-party claims, and 26.1-26.8-03(4) lists who needs no license, including an attorney acting professionally, anybody settling a life or health claim, and a photographer, estimator, private investigator, engineer or handwriting expert employed only to gather facts.

    Read at ndlegis.gov on 2026-08-20

  2. Route 2 Hold a public adjuster license in another state

    Exempt from the state exam

    • a public adjuster license in another state

    N.D.C.C. 26.1-26.8-08(1). Somebody previously licensed as a public adjuster in another state takes no examination, either while that license is current or where the application reaches the commissioner within 90 days of its cancellation and the prior state or the NAIC database shows good standing at that point. A nonresident license under 26.1-26.8-05 is a separate thing and is conditioned on the home state licensing North Dakotans on the same basis.

    Read at ndlegis.gov on 2026-08-20

  3. Route 3 Move to North Dakota and apply within 90 days

    Exempt from the state exam

    • 90 days Licensed as a public adjuster in another state, and applying as a North Dakota resident licensee within 90 days of establishing legal residence.

    N.D.C.C. 26.1-26.8-08(2), written as a duty rather than a concession: the person moving "shall apply within ninety days". No examination may be required unless the commissioner determines otherwise by rule. 26.1-26.8-08(3) adds a third way out of the paper for somebody who held this state's own license within the last twelve months and was in good standing when it ended.

    Read at ndlegis.gov on 2026-08-20

Courses

You do not have to buy any of this. The North Dakota Insurance Department asks for no pre-licensing course, so nothing below is required of you. It is exam prep, priced here so you can see what it costs.

  • ExamFX

    Exam practice. No course is required, so this is what to study.

    $129.95 to $179.95

    See 2 options ▾

    • North Dakota Adjuster Basics - Self-Study Package

      60 Days Course Access · Interactive Learning Portal · Online Exam Simulations · Readiness Exam · Instructor & Technical Support read 2026-08-22

      $129.95

    • North Dakota Adjuster Basics - Video Study Package

      60 Days Course Access · Interactive Learning Portal · Online Exam Simulations · Readiness Exam · Instructor & Technical Support · On-Demand Video Lectures · Online Flashcards read 2026-08-22

      $179.95

    Go to ExamFX