How to Become a Public Adjuster in Arizona (2026)
Here is the fact most guides miss: Arizona does not issue a separate public adjuster license. A.R.S. 20-321 defines an adjuster as anyone who, for compensation, adjusts, investigates, or negotiates property and casualty claims on behalf of either the insurer or the insured, so one Arizona Adjuster license covers company, independent, and public adjusting. Becoming a public adjuster in Arizona means earning that single license. This guide walks every step, with statutes: the Prometric Series 13-36 exam, fingerprints, the NIPR application, and the brand-new SB1206 rules that take effect September 12, 2026.
Free download: the Arizona Adjuster Field Guide
The single-license structure, the exam attempt cap, the no-bond and no-CE rules, the 3-year records requirement, and both SB1206 bans, with citations, in one printable PDF you can keep in your truck.
Get the free Field Guide →One license, three ways to work
Most states license public adjusters separately from company and independent adjusters. Arizona does not. The adjuster definition in A.R.S. 20-321 spans work performed on behalf of either the insurer or the insured, so the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI) issues a single Adjuster license with a single Adjuster line of authority. NIPR lists exactly one Adjuster license class for Arizona residents, and DIFI describes public adjusting (representing policyholders) and independent adjusting (working for insurers) as roles within that one license.
The practical upshot: the license you earn by following this guide lets you represent homeowners and businesses on their claims as a public adjuster, work catastrophe claims for carriers as an independent adjuster, or take a staff adjusting job, all without relicensing. A.R.S. 20-321.01(A) is the operative mandate: a person shall not act as or claim to be an adjuster unless licensed under the article. Applicants must be at least 18 (A.R.S. 20-321.01(C)(1)) and be an Arizona resident or a resident of a state that reciprocates (A.R.S. 20-321.01(C)(2)).
Arizona adjuster license, requirements at a glance
| Regulator | Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI); governed by A.R.S. Title 20, Article 3.2 (20-321 to 20-321.02) |
| License type | One Adjuster license covers company, independent, and public adjusting (A.R.S. 20-321); no separate public adjuster license exists |
| Exam | Prometric Series 13-36, "Arizona Examination for Property and Casualty Insurance Adjuster": 150 questions, 2.5 hours, $49 fee, 70 percent to pass; waived with an approved claims designation (A.R.S. 20-321.01(C)(3)) |
| Attempt limit | 4 attempts per line per 12 months, then a 1-year wait (A.R.S. 20-284(H) via 20-321.02) |
| Pre-licensing course | Not required by the state; focused exam prep strongly recommended |
| Fingerprints | Electronic, via Fieldprint/Arizona DPS; DPS number goes on the NIPR application (A.R.S. 20-321.01(E)) |
| Application | Online through NIPR; $120 state fee (plus NIPR transaction fee) |
| Renewal | Every 4 years (quadrennial), tied to your birth month; $120 renewal fee, $100 late fee (A.R.S. 20-289 via 20-321.02) |
| Continuing education | None required for adjuster renewal (A.R.S. 20-2902 covers producers only; DIFI renewal page confirms) |
| Bond | None required; the $10,000 bond marketed online is the bail bond agent bond (DIFI Form L-195) |
| Fee cap | None; Arizona has no statutory public adjuster fee cap |
| Contract statute | None; no statutory PA contract form or rescission window (but see SB1206 conduct rules below) |
| Records | Keep transaction records at your principal place of business for 3 years (A.R.S. 20-290(A) via 20-321.02) |
The five steps
- 1
Study for the Arizona adjuster exam (Series 13-36)
Arizona requires no pre-licensing course: neither A.R.S. 20-321.01 nor the Prometric licensing bulletin mandates any classroom hours, only passing the exam. But the Series 13-36 outline is broad. It weights Adjusting Losses at 30 percent and Insurance Basics at 21 percent, and it also tests commercial lines: Commercial Package at 7 percent and Businessowners at 7 percent, plus Dwelling, Homeowners, and Auto. Our $49.99 Arizona Adjuster exam prep course covers the full 13-36 outline, commercial lines included, with 550+ practice questions. Start with the free practice exam to benchmark yourself.
- 2
Pass the Prometric exam: 150 questions, 2.5 hours, $49
The Arizona Examination for Property and Casualty Insurance Adjuster is Prometric exam Series 13-36. It has 150 questions with a 2.5-hour time limit per the Prometric content outline, the exam fee is $49 per the March 2023 Prometric bulletin, and a total score of 70 percent is required to pass. Budget your attempts: under A.R.S. 20-284(H), applied to adjusters by 20-321.02, you get a maximum of 4 attempts per line of authority in any 12-month period, and after 4 failures you wait a full year. Prometric also requires at least 24 hours between a failed attempt and re-registration. Alternative: A.R.S. 20-321.01(C)(3) waives the exam entirely if you hold a current director-approved claims designation from a national or state claims association (a program with at least 40 hours of coursework, a proctored exam, and 24 hours of biennial CE); the same waiver also covers the residency and reciprocity requirement.
- 3
Get fingerprinted electronically
A.R.S. 20-321.01(E) authorizes the director to require fingerprints of applicants, and in practice Arizona requires electronic fingerprints. The Prometric bulletin routes electronic fingerprinting through Fieldprint, results are processed through the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), and you enter your DPS registration number on the NIPR application. Complete this before you apply so the number is ready.
- 4
Apply online through NIPR ($120 state fee)
Submit the Arizona Adjuster license application online through NIPR. The state application fee is $120 (NIPR adds its own transaction fee). A license is mandatory before you work: A.R.S. 20-321.01(A) states that a person shall not act as or claim to be an adjuster unless licensed. Remember the framing: you are applying for the single Arizona Adjuster license, which is the license that authorizes public adjusting. There is no separate public adjuster application to look for.
- 5
Learn the 2026 SB1206 rules before your first client
Arizona has no public adjuster fee cap, no contract-form statute, and no statutory rescission window, but SB1206 (Laws 2026, Chapter 157) adds two public adjuster restrictions to A.R.S. 20-321.02, effective September 12, 2026: a public adjuster may not participate directly or indirectly, including as contractor or subcontractor, in the restoration, reconstruction, or repair of property that is the subject of a claim the adjuster is adjusting; and a public adjuster may not solicit a person while a loss-producing occurrence is continuing at the damaged premises or while the fire department or any other public safety service is engaged in an emergency response there. Also keep the usual and customary records of your transactions at your principal place of business for 3 years after each transaction (A.R.S. 20-290(A), applied to adjusters by 20-321.02).
Before you book Prometric, take our free practice exam to see whether you're ready. With only 4 attempts per line per 12 months (A.R.S. 20-284(H)), each sitting counts.
What makes Arizona different
Arizona is an outlier among adjuster-licensing states, in both directions: it imposes far fewer requirements than most, and as of 2026 it adds two brand-new public adjuster conduct bans. Five distinctives every candidate should know:
- No public adjuster bond, and beware the bail-bond mix-up. Arizona requires no bond for public adjusters: no bond appears in A.R.S. 20-321, 20-321.01, or 20-321.02, on DIFI's adjuster pages, or in NIPR's Arizona requirements. The $10,000 "Arizona adjuster bond" sold online is the bail bond agent bond; DIFI's Form L-195 is literally titled "Bond of Bail Bond Agent." Surety marketing pages advertising an Arizona public adjuster bond cite no statute and no amount, because there is none. Do not buy a bond you do not need.
- No continuing education for renewal. The Arizona CE statute, A.R.S. 20-2902, applies to producer licenses and never mentions adjusters, and DIFI's renewal page confirms adjusters have no CE requirement. The one exception: licensees who qualified through the claims-designation waiver must keep that designation current, which carries the certification program's own 24-hour biennial CE (A.R.S. 20-321.01(C)(3)).
- New law: SB1206, effective September 12, 2026. SB1206 (Laws 2026, Chapter 157) adds Arizona's first two public-adjuster-specific restrictions to A.R.S. 20-321.02: a PA may not participate directly or indirectly, including as contractor or subcontractor, in the restoration, reconstruction, or repair of property on a claim the PA is adjusting; and a PA may not solicit a client while a loss-producing occurrence is continuing at the premises or while the fire department or any other public safety service is engaged in an emergency response there. Before SB1206, Arizona had no PA-specific solicitation statute at all.
- The single-license structure. Because A.R.S. 20-321 defines adjusting to include work for either the insurer or the insured, one Adjuster license and one line of authority cover public, independent, and company adjusting. Adjuster regulation works by cross-reference: A.R.S. 20-321.02 imports specific producer statutes (exams, renewal, records, discipline), so rules that bind you as an adjuster, like the 4-attempt exam cap and the 3-year records rule, live in the producer article.
- Companion 2026 storm-contractor rules (A.R.S. 32-1158.02). SB1206 also rewrote the residential storm-repair contractor statute: contractors must give repair estimate disclosures, down payments are capped at 50 percent of the contract, contractors may not pay or advertise paying insurance deductibles, contractors may not simultaneously act as adjusters or negotiate settlements, and homeowners get cancellation rights, including a 72-hour cancellation window after claim denial and a 4-business-day unconditional cancellation right. Those cancellation windows belong to contractor contracts under Title 32, not to public adjuster contracts; do not import them into your PA agreements.
All of these, with citations, are in the free Arizona Adjuster Field Guide, formatted so you can find the rule mid-conversation with a client.
What it costs to become an Arizona adjuster
Arizona is one of the cheapest states to license in, because there is no pre-licensing course, no bond, and no CE. Verify current amounts before paying:
- Exam-prep course: $49.99 with Elite Training Academy (covers the full Series 13-36 outline including commercial lines, 550+ practice questions)
- Prometric exam fee: $49 per attempt, nonrefundable and nontransferable, per the March 2023 Prometric bulletin
- NIPR application: $120 state fee, plus NIPR's transaction fee
- Electronic fingerprinting via Fieldprint: the March 2023 Prometric bulletin lists $30.25; confirm the current amount with DIFI before scheduling
- Bond: $0 (none required); pre-licensing course: $0 (none required)
Realistically, budget around $250 from first study session to active license. The biggest hidden cost is failing the exam: each retake is another $49, and A.R.S. 20-284(H) locks you out for a year after 4 failed attempts in 12 months.
Ready to start studying?
Our Arizona Adjuster exam prep course is $49.99 with lifetime access, built around the full Prometric Series 13-36 outline, commercial lines included, with 550+ practice questions. Not sure yet? Take the free practice exam first, or grab the free Field Guide PDF.
Start the exam prep course →Frequently asked questions
Does Arizona have a separate public adjuster license?
No. Arizona issues one Adjuster license that covers company, independent, and public adjusting. A.R.S. 20-321 defines an adjuster as a person who, for compensation, adjusts, investigates, or negotiates settlement of property and casualty claims on behalf of either the insurer or the insured, so the same license authorizes both sides of the table. NIPR lists exactly one Adjuster license class with one Adjuster line of authority for Arizona residents, and DIFI describes public and independent adjusting as roles within that single license, not separate license types. Becoming a public adjuster in Arizona means getting the Arizona Adjuster license.
Does Arizona require a bond for public adjusters?
No. Arizona requires no bond for public adjusters. No bond requirement appears anywhere in the adjuster licensing article (A.R.S. 20-321, 20-321.01, or 20-321.02), on DIFI's adjuster pages, or in NIPR's Arizona resident adjuster requirements. The $10,000 Arizona bond widely marketed online as a public adjuster bond is actually the bail bond agent bond: DIFI's Form L-195 is literally titled Bond of Bail Bond Agent. If a surety company quotes you an Arizona public adjuster bond, note that those marketing pages cite no statute and no amount, because none exists.
How many questions is the Arizona adjuster exam?
The Arizona Examination for Property and Casualty Insurance Adjuster (Prometric Series 13-36) has 150 questions with a 2.5-hour time limit, per the Prometric exam content outline. The exam fee is $49 per the March 2023 Prometric bulletin, and a total score of 70 percent is required to pass. Content weights include Adjusting Losses 30 percent, Insurance Basics 21 percent, Auto 12 percent, Homeowners 10 percent, Commercial Package 7 percent, and Businessowners 7 percent, so commercial lines are on the exam.
Does Arizona require continuing education for adjusters?
No. Arizona requires no continuing education to renew an adjuster license. The CE statute, A.R.S. 20-2902, covers insurance producer licenses and never mentions adjusters, the statutes applied to adjusters by 20-321.02 do not include the CE chapter, and DIFI's adjuster renewal page confirms there is no CE requirement. One nuance: if you qualified through the claims-designation waiver in A.R.S. 20-321.01(C)(3) instead of the exam, you must keep that designation current, and the approved certification program itself requires at least 24 hours of CE biennially.
Is there a cap on public adjuster fees in Arizona?
No. Arizona has no statutory cap on public adjuster fees. Article 3.2 of Title 20 contains no fee cap and no contract-form requirements for public adjusters, and A.R.S. 20-321.02, sometimes misread as a contract statute, is titled Application of Other Laws and simply applies listed producer statutes to adjusters. Fees in Arizona are a matter of contract between the adjuster and the client. That freedom comes with the new SB1206 conduct restrictions effective September 12, 2026.
What is Arizona SB1206?
SB1206 (Laws 2026, Chapter 157, enacted June 19, 2026) is Arizona's first public-adjuster-specific conduct law, generally effective September 12, 2026. It adds two restrictions to A.R.S. 20-321.02: a public adjuster may not participate directly or indirectly, including as a contractor or subcontractor, in the restoration, reconstruction, or repair of property that is the subject of a claim the adjuster is adjusting; and a public adjuster may not solicit a client while a loss-producing occurrence is continuing at the damaged premises or while the fire department or other public safety services are engaged in an emergency response there. SB1206 also rewrote the residential storm-repair contractor statute, A.R.S. 32-1158.02, to bar contractors from paying deductibles or acting as adjusters and to give homeowners cancellation rights.
How many times can I take the Arizona adjuster exam?
You may attempt an Arizona licensing exam a maximum of 4 times per line of authority within any 12-month period; after 4 failures you must wait one year before testing again for that line. That cap is set by A.R.S. 20-284(H) and applied to adjusters through A.R.S. 20-321.02. Prometric separately requires waiting at least 24 hours after a failed exam before re-registering. Each $49 attempt is nonrefundable, which is why focused prep before the first sitting pays for itself.
How often do I renew an Arizona adjuster license?
Every 4 years. Arizona adjuster licenses renew quadrennially under A.R.S. 20-289 (applied to adjusters by 20-321.02), with individual licenses tied to the licensee's birth month, so the first cycle runs three to four years. The renewal fee is $120, renewals are filed through NIPR or on paper Form L-191, and late renewal adds a statutory $100 fee. A license can be late-renewed for up to one year; after that, any application is treated as new. No continuing education is required for renewal.
Sources
Every factual claim in this guide traces to a primary source. The load-bearing ones:
- A.R.S. 20-321 (adjuster definition: insurer or insured side, one license)
- A.R.S. 20-321.01 (licensing, qualifications, exam and designation waiver, fingerprints)
- A.R.S. 20-321.02 (application of other laws; SB1206 adds the two PA restrictions here)
- A.R.S. 20-284 (subsection (H): 4 exam attempts per line per 12 months)
- A.R.S. 20-289 (quadrennial renewal, birth month, $100 late fee)
- A.R.S. 20-290 (subsection (A): 3-year records retention)
- A.R.S. 20-2902 (CE statute; producers only, no adjuster CE)
- SB1206, Laws 2026, Chapter 157 (new 20-321.02 PA restrictions and the A.R.S. 32-1158.02 storm-contractor rewrite)
- DIFI adjuster licensing overview and the DIFI adjuster renewal page (no CE, $120 renewal)
- DIFI Form L-195 ("Bond of Bail Bond Agent," the source of the $10,000 bond confusion)
- Prometric Arizona Insurance Licensing Information Bulletin (March 2023: $49 exam fee, Fieldprint fingerprinting) and the Series 13-36 content outline (150 questions, 2.5 hours, content weights)
- NIPR Arizona resident licensing requirements ($120 application fee, single Adjuster license class, DPS fingerprint number)
Related guides
Last verified 2026-08-09 against the Arizona Revised Statutes, DIFI, the Prometric Arizona Insurance Licensing Information Bulletin, and the SB1206 session law (Laws 2026, Chapter 157). Our course is exam preparation for the Arizona Adjuster examination (Prometric Series 13-36); Arizona does not require a state-approved pre-licensing course for this license, and our course is not state-approved education. Fees and vendor procedures change; verify current requirements at difi.az.gov and prometric.com/arizona/insurance before relying on any specific number. This guide is not legal advice.