Public Adjuster Licensing Requirements and Qualifications
Core qualifications
To hold a Minnesota public adjuster license, an applicant must be at least 18, complete the Department’s application, pass the public adjuster examination, disclose criminal and regulatory history, and meet the bond and continuing-education requirements the Department sets. The Department reviews good faith, financial responsibility, and trustworthiness. A conviction is not an automatic bar, but failure to disclose is a separate integrity problem. Nonresident applicants generally qualify through their home-state license, subject to Department verification.
What the license covers
The license is limited to public adjusting-first-party claim representation of the insured for compensation. It does not authorize selling insurance, acting as a company adjuster on the same claim, or giving legal advice. A public adjuster who also owns a repair business must disclose the interest and manage the conflict.
Worked example
An applicant passed the exam but has an unpaid civil judgment from a prior insurance business. Commerce may request records and deny or condition the license based on financial responsibility and trustworthiness. The applicant should disclose the judgment, explain it, and show resolution; hiding it is worse than the judgment itself.
Traps
Passing the exam is not a license. Filing an application does not authorize adjusting while it is pending. A producer or company-adjuster license does not substitute. “I didn’t know I needed a separate license” is not a defense to unlicensed activity.