Not in South Carolina? Public adjuster bonds in other states
South Carolina public adjuster bonds.
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Under 2026 Act No. 209, effective May 19, 2026, anyone who negotiates property-insurance claims for policyholders in South Carolina needs a surety bond of at least $20,000, filed with the S.C. Department of Insurance before the public adjuster license issues. A specialist confirms the premium for your bond amount, usually within one business day.
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From quote to a bond the Department will accept.
The Department of Insurance won’t issue — or keep in force — a public adjuster license without proof of financial responsibility on file. Here is the whole process with a bond:
Request a quote
Your name, business address, an effective date, and the bond amount you are filing — $20,000 unless you choose more. There is no credit section in the application.
A specialist quotes it
A surety specialist confirms the bond is written on the Department’s Public Adjuster Insurance Bond form at the amount you need and returns your exact premium. Accept the quote and pay, and the bond issues.
File with the Department of Insurance
Your executed bond arrives with the surety’s power of attorney attached, as the Department’s form requires, ready to submit with your license application or to bring an existing license into compliance. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the South Carolina public adjuster bond actually guarantees
A public adjuster is the claims professional a homeowner or business hires — for a fee, and on the policyholder’s side — to prepare, negotiate, and settle a first-party property claim against the policyholder’s own insurer. Until 2026 South Carolina licensed public adjusters under Title 38, Chapter 48, which required no bond at all. 2026 Act No. 209 (S.196), signed and effective May 19, 2026, repealed that chapter and replaced it with a new Chapter 92, “Public Insurance Adjusters”, administered by the S.C. Department of Insurance.
Section 38-92-100 now makes evidence of financial responsibility a condition of the license: before it issues and for its entire duration, the adjuster must secure either a surety bond or an irrevocable letter of credit, each at least $20,000. The bond must be issued by an insurer authorized to write surety bonds in South Carolina, run in favor of the State, and specifically let the Director of Insurance recover on behalf of anyone in South Carolina damaged by the adjuster’s erroneous acts, failure to act, conviction of fraud, or conviction of unfair practices. That is broader than a fraud-only license bond — a missed deadline or a botched claim can reach it.
The Department’s Public Adjuster Insurance Bond form is continuous: it stays in force until the Director releases the surety, the surety cancels on 30 days’ written notice to the Director and the licensee, or the full penal sum is paid out. Timing matters, because under § 38-92-100(E) your authority to act ends automatically if the bond terminates or becomes impaired, and the written contract you sign with every client must attest that you are fully bonded under state law (§ 38-92-130). The bond is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety.
You need this bond if you’re
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
Term and renewal are set in the underwriter's quote.
Keep the bond in force for as long as the obligation behind it runs.
How to file it
File with the Department of Insurance. Your executed bond arrives with the surety’s power of attorney attached, as the Department’s form requires, ready to submit with your license application or to bring an existing license into compliance. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
This bond is underwritten: the premium is quoted from the bond amount and your financial picture, so there is no flat price to show.
One short form to a quote request.
These are the actual issuing fields — the bond amount, the effective date, and your name and business details. No credit section, because this application collects no credit information. Submit once and a specialist returns your quote, usually within one business day. Free until issued.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other South Carolina bonds.
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Get bonded and keep your South Carolina license active.
Tell us the bond amount you are filing with the Department of Insurance, and a specialist quotes the bond — usually within one business day. Free until issued.