Adjuster
ADJUSTER LICENSING MENU
WHAT IS AN ADJUSTER?
An adjuster is an individual or business that is paid to adjust, investigate or negotiate insurance claim settlements on behalf of an insurance company or insured. ARS § 20-321.
- "Public adjuster" is a term often used to describe a person hired to adjust, investigate or negotiate insurance claim settlements on behalf of the insured.
- "Independent adjuster" is a term often used to describe a person who is an independent contractor for an insurance company or managing general agent (not a salaried employee) who adjusts, investigates or negotiates insurance claim settlements for the insurer.
A salaried employee of an insurance company or managing general agent may, without an adjuster license, adjust, investigate and negotiate settlements of claims on behalf of an insurance company if the employee's compensation is not contingent upon the outcome of claim determinations. ARS § 20-321(1)(b)(ii).
WHO MUST BE LICENSED?
You (individual or business entity) must be an Arizona-licensed adjuster in order to act as an adjuster or to hold yourself out to act as an adjuster unless the scope of your activities is limited to one or more of the following conditions (ARS § 20-321):
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You are a licensed attorney qualified to practice law in Arizona;
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You are a salaried employee of an insurer or managing general agent whose compensation is not contingent on the outcome of a claim determination;
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You are an Arizona-licensed insurance producer and you only perform adjuster activities for losses under policies you sold;
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You are an independent contractor retained by an adjuster to provide technical assistance in connection with a claim, such as photography, estimation, engineering, private detection, handwriting evaluation, etc.
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Both of the following two conditions apply:
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You are licensed or otherwise permitted to act as an adjuster in your domicile state, AND
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An insurer sends you to Arizona to investigate or adjust a particular loss under an insurance policy or a series of losses resulting from a catastrophe common to all those losses. ARS § 20-321.01(D).
Individuals who act as adjusters or hold themselves out to be adjusters must be individually licensed, even if they work for a business-entity adjuster.