Determining the correct adjuster license to get is the first step in a prospective adjuster’s career path.  For residents of Texas, Florida, or any of the common states licensing adjusters it is generally recommended you first obtain a resident license in your home state. If, however, your home state’s licensing rules are prohibitively difficult (California, Nevada) you may wish to look into Texas or Florida licensing as an alternative way to get your foot in the door of the independent/cat industry.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are those folks residing in states that do not license adjusters at all – and there are a surprising lot of them (17 in all). Let’s examine the states that don’t license adjusters and consider how that impacts adjuster licensing in general.

According to my research, the following states don’t license adjusters:

Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

With hail, wind, and flood yearly affecting the Midwest (KS, MO, IL, OH, IA, etc), many of these states have quite a few cat adjusters working in their jurisdiction. Still, licensing and certification is unregulated. So if you can’t get a resident license if your home state is above, what is the recommended course of action for beginning a career in cat adjusting?

Most adjusting firms still want to see that you are licensed in some state and the prevailing opinion is that Texas is the best. In reality, there is virtually no difference between a Texas non-resident license and a Florida non-resident license in terms of reciprocity. But perception and reality aren’t always in accord so, all things being equal, you’ll get better mileage out a Texas non-resident license than Florida because a higher percentage of companies hold Tx in greater esteem.

Regarding Continuing Education – if you hold a Texas non-resident license and come from a state that doesn’t license adjusters you will be expected to comply with their 30 hours of Continuing Education required every two years. In the eyes of TDI (Texas Department of Insurance), if you have no home state license then Texas is automatically designated as your “home” state and you become subject to a resident’s requirements vis a vis Continuing Education.

Regarding reciprocity – according to our data, you will be able to use your non-resident Texas (or Florida) license to reciprocally obtain licenses in the following states:

Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina,

These states will not grant reciprocity to residents of non-licensing states holding a non-resident Tx or Fl license:

Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Wyoming, West Virginia, Washington,

These states have unclear reciprocal licensing rules for residents of non-licensing states holding a non-resident Tx or Fl license: Delaware, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Vermont (any solid information on these states? Please email dan@adjusterpro.com)

Summary

For those residents of states not licensing adjusters, it is strongly recommended that you seek a Texas adjuster license (Florida works as well). There are excellent options for both online and classroom licensing courses in both Tx and Fl. Check out Texas adjuster licensing or Florida adjuster licensing for more details.