Home · Guides

How to Become a Public Adjuster in Minnesota (2026)

A complete guide to the Minnesota public adjuster license: the PSI exam (there is no separate public adjuster exam), the $10,000 surety bond, fingerprinting, the Sircon application, and the chapter 72B rules that govern how you practice, including the 72-hour client cancellation right and Minnesota's storm-market contractor laws.

What does a public adjuster do in Minnesota?

Under Minn. Stat. 72B.02, subd. 6, a public adjuster is a person who, for compensation, acts on behalf of an insured in negotiating for, or effecting the settlement of, a first-party claim for loss or damage to the insured's real or personal property, or who advertises or solicits that business. In plain English: when a homeowner or business owner files a hail, fire, or water claim, the insurance company sends its own adjuster. A public adjuster is the licensed professional the policyholder can hire to document the loss, build the estimate, and negotiate the settlement on their side of the table. By statutory definition, the Minnesota public adjuster's authority is limited to first-party property claims (72B.02, subd. 6).

Minnesota licenses public adjusters under Minn. Stat. 72B.03, which creates three adjuster license classes: independent adjuster, public adjuster, and crop hail adjuster, with lines of authority in property and casualty, workers' compensation, or crop. Under Minn. Stat. 72B.135, a public adjuster must immediately tell prospective clients that the adjuster does not represent any insurance company, may not represent both insurer and insured at the same time, and may not hold an interest, directly or indirectly, in a construction firm, salvage firm, or appraisal firm.

Minnesota public adjuster license, requirements at a glance

The six steps

1. 1

   Study for the Property & Casualty Adjuster exam

   Minnesota requires no pre-licensing course: the PSI candidate information bulletin states there are no prelicensing education requirements for adjusters, and Minn. Stat. 72B.041 contains no course mandate. The exam is the whole gate, and it covers property-casualty concepts, adjuster duties, and Minnesota insurance law (72B.041, subd. 4a), so structured study matters. Our Minnesota exam prep course is built around those topics, with practice questions and a full-length final. Start with the free practice exam to see where you stand.

2. 2

   Pass the PSI Property & Casualty Adjuster exam

   Minnesota has no separately named public adjuster exam. Public adjuster candidates in the property-casualty line take the PSI Property & Casualty Adjuster exam, the same exam independent adjuster candidates take, because 72B.041, subd. 4a tests by line of authority. Per the PSI bulletin the exam runs 1 hour, costs $25 per attempt, and requires 70% correct to pass; the bulletin does not publish a scored question count. Schedule at test-takers.psiexams.com or (866) 395-1006. Fail on a Wednesday and you can call Thursday and retest as soon as Friday, space permitting, paying the $25 fee each attempt.

3. 3

   Complete fingerprinting and the background check

   Public adjuster applicants must consent to a criminal history record check, submit fingerprints, and pay the fees for both the Minnesota BCA and FBI checks (Minn. Stat. 72B.041, subd. 2a). The Department of Commerce lists the electronic fingerprinting total cost as $63.75; manual fingerprinting is $32.00 payable to the Department of Commerce plus any local police processing fee. Electronic is faster and cheaper overall, so use it unless you have no electronic option nearby.

4. 4

   File the $10,000 surety bond

   Minn. Stat. 72B.041, subd. 3 requires a good and sufficient surety bond of $10,000, issued by an insurer authorized in Minnesota, with the state as obligee, on file with the commissioner before any initial or renewal public adjuster license can issue. Ignore third-party sites quoting $20,000: the statute says $10,000, and the Commerce licensing page confirms it. The bond must stay in force for the entire license term; if it lapses, the license is automatically suspended (72B.041, subd. 3).

5. 5

   Apply through Sircon and pay the $50 fee

   Minnesota adjuster applications go through Sircon, not NIPR: the Department of Commerce directs resident and nonresident public adjuster applicants to apply online at Sircon. The application is the NAIC Uniform Individual Application (72B.041, subd. 1a), you must be at least 18, and the license fee is $50 for each initial license and $50 for each renewal (72B.041, subd. 9). Individual licenses expire on the last day of your birth month and renew biennially (72B.041, subd. 6).

6. 6

   Learn the 72B.135 contract rules before your first client

   Once licensed, every Minnesota public adjuster contract must give the insured the right to cancel within 72 hours of signing, disclosed in a boldface statement of at least 10-point type plus a duplicate detachable NOTICE OF CANCELLATION form (Minn. Stat. 72B.135). You must disclose your fee in writing (Minnesota has no fee cap), hold any client funds in a non-interest-bearing escrow or trust account (72B.136), never initiate contact with a prospective client between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., and keep client records for at least five years after the contracted employment period ends (72B.135).

Before you book with PSI, take our free practice exam to see whether you're ready. The exam fee is only $25, but every retake is another $25 and another trip to the testing center.

Rules that surprise new Minnesota public adjusters

Chapter 72B and Minnesota's storm-market statutes hide several rules that trip up new licensees, especially adjusters moving in from states with fee caps or different contract law:

• The 72-hour cancellation right, with mandatory paperwork (72B.135). The insured may cancel the contract within 72 hours after signing. Before signature, you must provide a boldface statement of that right in at least 10-point type plus a duplicate detachable NOTICE OF CANCELLATION form, also in boldface 10-point type. Mailed cancellation is effective on deposit in a mailbox, and you must refund the client's payments within ten business days, except compensation for emergency services such as water removal or boarding up.
• No fee cap, but a strict disclosure regime (72B.135). Minn. Stat. 72B.135 contains no percentage or dollar cap on public adjuster fees, unlike many states. The fee must be disclosed in writing, and the statute separately bans rebating part of a contracted fee to the client, splitting fees with unlicensed persons, and advancing money to a client that would be included in the final settlement.
• Client funds go in escrow (72B.136). A public adjuster holding funds on behalf of an insured toward settlement of a claim must keep them in a non-interest-bearing escrow or trust account in a federally insured financial institution in the adjuster's home state or the state where the loss occurred.
• No interests in construction, salvage, or appraisal firms (72B.135). A Minnesota public adjuster may not have an interest, directly or indirectly, in a construction firm, salvage firm, or appraisal firm, and may not represent both the insurer and the insured at the same time. If you run a restoration business, you cannot also adjust the claims that feed it.
• Minnesota's storm-market contractor laws (325E.66, 326B.811). Minn. Stat. 325E.66 prohibits residential contractors from advertising or promising to pay any part of an insurance deductible, and from interpreting the policy, advising on coverage, or adjusting the claim on the insured's behalf unless the contractor holds a public adjuster license under chapter 72B. Under Minn. Stat. 326B.811, a homeowner may cancel a written contract with a residential contractor within 72 hours after the insurer notifies them the claim has been denied. These two statutes define Minnesota's hail-market rules of the road.
• The 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. contact ban (72B.135). A public adjuster may not initiate contact with a prospective client between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., may not solicit a loss already under contract with another public adjuster, may not pay for referrals, must display the license when soliciting, and must immediately disclose non-affiliation with any insurer.
• The $20,000 bond myth. Several third-party licensing sites list a $20,000 Minnesota public adjuster bond. The statute says otherwise: Minn. Stat. 72B.041, subd. 3 sets the bond at $10,000, and the Department of Commerce licensing page confirms the $10,000 figure for both resident and nonresident public adjusters.

All of these, with citations, are in the free Minnesota Public Adjuster Field Guide, formatted so you can find the rule mid-conversation with a client.

What it costs to become a Minnesota public adjuster

Minnesota is one of the cheaper states to license in. Verified amounts as of 2026-08-09:

• PSI Property & Casualty Adjuster exam: $25 per attempt (PSI candidate bulletin)
• Fingerprinting: $63.75 electronic, or $32.00 manual payable to Commerce plus local police fees (Commerce adjuster licensing page)
• License fee: $50 initial and $50 per biennial renewal (Minn. Stat. 72B.041, subd. 9), paid with the Sircon application
• $10,000 surety bond (72B.041, subd. 3): the annual premium is set by the surety, typically a small fraction of the bond amount; quotes vary by carrier and your history
• Exam prep: our Minnesota course at /courses?state=MN (exam preparation, not state-required education; Minnesota mandates no pre-licensing course)

All-in, most candidates spend well under a few hundred dollars from first study session to active license. The biggest avoidable cost is retaking the exam, which is exactly what focused prep is for.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Every requirement above traces to a primary source: the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, or the PSI candidate information bulletin.

• Minn. Stat. ch. 72B, Insurance Adjusters (section index)
• Minn. Stat. 72B.02 (definitions, incl. public adjuster, subd. 6)
• Minn. Stat. 72B.03 (license requirement and classes)
• Minn. Stat. 72B.041 (license procedure, exam, $10,000 bond, $50 fee)
• Minn. Stat. 72B.045 (continuing education, 24 hours / 3 ethics)
• Minn. Stat. 72B.135 (public adjuster contracts, cancellation, solicitation, records)
• Minn. Stat. 72B.136 (escrow or trust accounts for client funds)
• Minn. Stat. 325E.66 (residential contractor claim restrictions)
• Minn. Stat. 326B.811 (storm damage right to cancel a contractor contract)
• Minnesota Department of Commerce, adjuster licensing page
• Minnesota Department of Commerce, consumer page on public adjusters
• Minnesota Department of Commerce, exam scheduling page
• PSI Minnesota insurance candidate information bulletin

Related guides

• Free practice exam
• Minnesota Public Adjuster Field Guide (free PDF)

Last verified 2026-08-09 against Minnesota Statutes chapter 72B (official text at revisor.mn.gov), the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and the PSI candidate information bulletin. Our course is exam preparation for the Minnesota Property & Casualty Adjuster examination; Minnesota does not require, and does not approve, pre-licensing education for adjusters. Fees and vendor procedures change periodically; verify current requirements at mn.gov/commerce before relying on any specific number. This guide is not legal advice.