How do I look up a Florida adjuster license?
Search the Florida Department of Financial Services licensee database at licenseesearch.fldfs.com by name, license number, or NPN. A public adjuster must show license type 3-20 or 73-20 with a current appointment. South Carolina uses the Department of Insurance Individual License Search. Both are free, official, and take about two minutes.
| Florida lookup | DFS Licensee Search, licenseesearch.fldfs.com, free and public |
|---|---|
| Public adjuster license type | 3-20 resident, 73-20 non-resident, 31-20 apprentice |
| License is not enough | Licensed and appointed, both, under Fla. Stat. 626.854(20) |
| South Carolina lookup | DOI Individual License Search, individuals only, S.C. Code 38-48-20 |
| Florida fee cap | 10% on declared-emergency claims for one year, 20% otherwise, 626.854(11)(b) |
Open the official searches
Two links, both run by the state that issued the license. Nothing on this page replaces them. Open the one for the state where your damaged property sits, run the search, then come back for the fields.
DFS Licensee Search
Florida Department of Financial Services. Search by name, FL License #, NPN #, agency name, city, or county.
OPEN licenseesearch.fldfs.com ↗DOI Individual License Search
South Carolina Department of Insurance. Last name, individual number, or National Producer Number required.
OPEN online.doi.sc.gov ↗- • Florida: search the Department of Financial Services licensee database by name, FL license number, or NPN.
- • A Florida public adjuster holds license type 3-20 (resident), 73-20 (non-resident), or 31-20 (apprentice). 6-20 and 7-20 are all-lines adjuster licenses, the carrier side of the table.
- • A valid Florida license is not authority by itself. Fla. Stat. 626.854(20) requires a public adjuster to be licensed and appointed.
- • South Carolina: search the Department of Insurance Individual License Search. The license attaches to a person, so search the person, not the firm.
- • Before signing: Florida caps the fee at 10 percent on declared-emergency claims for one year, 20 percent otherwise. South Carolina sets no percentage cap.
Florida: the DFS licensee search, field by field
Why the two-part check matters: Fla. Stat. 626.854(20) says that except as otherwise provided, no person other than an attorney or a licensed and appointed public adjuster may, for money, commission, or any other thing of value, prepare, complete, or file an insurance claim for an insured. The license answers the first half. The appointment answers the second. The longer version of this check, with the reciprocity trap and the disciplinary history, is in the full verification guide.
What the result fields mean
The result screen is written for the industry, not for you. Six fields carry the whole answer.
| License type / category | The code that says what the person may legally do. 3-20 is the Florida resident public adjuster license, 73-20 the non-resident public adjuster license, 31-20 the public adjuster apprentice. 6-20 and 7-20 are resident and non-resident all-lines adjuster licenses, which is how company and independent adjusters work claims for a carrier. |
|---|---|
| FL License # | The Florida DFS number for that individual. A licensed public adjuster hands it over without hesitation. Searching the number instead of the name removes every middle-initial and married-name problem. |
| NPN # | National Producer Number, the multi-state identifier. Useful when the name is common, and it is also the field South Carolina accepts. |
| License status | Valid or Invalid. Invalid is the bucket that holds expired, suspended, revoked, and terminated. Run the Both filter so an invalid record surfaces instead of returning nothing. |
| Appointment status | The live authority to act, shown with the appointing entity, category, and status date. Fla. Stat. 626.854(20) requires a licensed and appointed public adjuster. A valid license with no current appointment is not permission to work your claim. |
| Resident status | Resident or Non-Resident. Non-resident is legitimate, it just means the 73-20 line rather than 3-20. It is not a reason to skip the check; it is a reason to read the type field carefully. |
The license codes are not folklore. The DFS licensing pages hang a separate qualification document off each code, which is where 3-20 resolves to the resident public adjuster license and 6-20 to the resident all-lines adjuster license. If the record shows a 6-20 and the person is pitching you on your own claim, the code and the pitch do not agree.
Red flags in the record
- No record at all under the exact legal name, the FL license number, or the NPN. Fla. Stat. 626.112(10) makes knowingly transacting insurance without a license a felony of the third degree.
- A 6-20 or 7-20 all-lines adjuster license and no 3-20 or 73-20. That is authority to adjust for a carrier, not authority to adjust your claim for a fee.
- A valid license with no current appointment, or an appointment that ended. Fla. Stat. 626.854(20) requires both.
- License status Invalid: expired, suspended, revoked, or terminated. An expired license is not a license.
- A contractor who wants to negotiate the claim value for a share of it. S.C. Code 38-48-130 lists acting as both contractor and public adjuster on the same claim among the unlawful acts, and Fla. Stat. 626.854(20) reserves claim preparation and negotiation for money to attorneys and licensed, appointed public adjusters.
- Reluctance to give a full legal name and a license number, or pressure to sign before you have had two minutes to search.
- Florida: DFS Consumer Assistance Portal ↗, the Division of Consumer Services channel for insurance questions and formal complaints.
- South Carolina: DOI Licensing and CE ↗, Individual Licensing at 803-737-6095 or agentmail@doi.sc.gov.
South Carolina: the DOI individual search
South Carolina licenses the person. Chapter 48 of Title 38 opens by requiring that every individual commonly called a public adjuster be licensed, and defines a public insurance adjuster as an individual who engages in public adjusting for compensation. So the search that answers your question is an individual search, and a company name proves nothing on its own.
One consequence worth naming: because South Carolina licenses individuals, the person who signs your contract and the person on the roster have to be the same person. If a firm sends someone else to handle the file, run the search again on that name. Firms across both states are listed in the public adjuster firm directory by license, which is exactly why you still do the verifying.
Check before you sign
A clean license record is the entry ticket, not the contract. Two things decide what signing costs you: the fee ceiling, and the window to back out. Florida puts both in statute. South Carolina puts only the window there and leaves the fee to the contract. The fee math, worked out, is on the public adjuster fees page.
- Fee cap, declared emergency
- 10 percent of claim payments or settlements, exclusive of attorney fees and costs, for claims based on events that are the subject of a declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor. Fla. Stat. 626.854(11)(b)1 adds: this provision applies to claims made during the year after the declaration of emergency.
- Fee cap, everything else
- 20 percent of claim payments or settlements, exclusive of attorney fees and costs, under Fla. Stat. 626.854(11)(b)2. That is also the rate that applies after the emergency year runs out.
- Cancellation window
- Fla. Stat. 626.854(7): cancel without penalty or obligation within 10 days after the contract is executed. If the contract was entered into based on events subject to a state of emergency, the window is 30 days after the date of loss or 10 days after execution, whichever is longer.
- Bond
- Fla. Stat. 626.865 requires a $50,000 surety bond conditioned on faithful performance of the duties of a public adjuster. It is a licensing requirement, not a guarantee of outcome.
- Fee cap
- S.C. Code Title 38, Chapter 48 sets no percentage cap on public adjuster compensation. The number in the written contract is the ceiling, because the legislature did not write one.
- Cancellation window
- S.C. Code 38-48-110: the insured has until the close of business on the fifth business day after signing to rescind, in writing, to the adjuster address listed on the agreement.
- What the contract must contain
- S.C. Code 38-48-80 requires the full consideration, a bold disclosure that compensation comes from sums recovered, the adjuster full name and address, the insured and policy details, a bold notice that hiring a public adjuster is optional, the date both parties signed, the five-day rescission right, and an outline of services.
- Conflicts
- S.C. Code 38-48-70 requires a public adjuster to have no financial interest in any aspect of the claim other than the compensation established in the written contract, and 38-48-90 bars paying an unlicensed person for a referral.
Lookup questions, answered
How do I look up a Florida adjuster license? +
Open the Florida Department of Financial Services licensee database at licenseesearch.fldfs.com and search by individual name, FL License #, or NPN #. Set License Status to Both so lapsed records still appear. Confirm the license category is a public adjuster line and that a current appointment is showing. The search is free and no account is needed.
What does license type 3-20 mean in Florida? +
3-20 is the Florida resident public adjuster license. 73-20 is the non-resident public adjuster license and 31-20 is the public adjuster apprentice. 6-20 and 7-20 are the resident and non-resident all-lines adjuster licenses used by company and independent adjusters working for a carrier. The DFS qualifications page maps each code to its own licensing document.
Is a valid license enough in Florida, or does the adjuster also need an appointment? +
Both. Fla. Stat. 626.854(20) reserves preparing, completing, or filing an insurance claim for money to attorneys and to licensed and appointed public adjusters. DFS treats agent and adjuster licenses as perpetual only while the licensee is properly appointed, and a license expires after 48 months without one. Read the appointment section of the search result, not just the license line.
How do I check a public adjuster license in South Carolina? +
Use the South Carolina Department of Insurance Individual License Search on its online services portal. The form requires last name, individual number (not SSN), or National Producer Number. Search the person: S.C. Code 38-48-20 requires every individual acting as a public adjuster to be licensed, and 38-48-10 defines a public insurance adjuster as an individual.
What can a public adjuster charge in Florida? +
Fla. Stat. 626.854(11)(b) caps compensation at 10 percent of claim payments or settlements, exclusive of attorney fees and costs, for claims based on events subject to a Governor declaration of a state of emergency, applied to claims made during the year after the declaration. Everything else, and everything after that year, is capped at 20 percent.
Can I cancel a public adjuster contract after I sign it? +
In Florida, Fla. Stat. 626.854(7) allows cancellation without penalty or obligation within 10 days after the contract is executed, or for emergency-related claims within 30 days after the date of loss or 10 days after execution, whichever is longer. In South Carolina, S.C. Code 38-48-110 gives you until the close of business on the fifth business day after signing, in writing.
What if the adjuster does not appear in the database at all? +
Do not sign. Re-run the search with the exact legal name, then with the license number and the NPN. If the record still does not exist, report it: Florida through the DFS Consumer Assistance Portal, South Carolina to the Department of Insurance. Fla. Stat. 626.854(23)(c) provides fines up to $10,000 per act for unlicensed public adjusting, and up to $20,000 per act during a declared emergency.
- Florida DFS Licensee Search (name, FL license number, NPN, license status, appointment) · licenseesearch.fldfs.com ↗
- Florida DFS, license qualifications by code (3-20, 6-20, 7-20, 73-20, 31-20) · myfloridacfo.com ↗
- Florida DFS licensing FAQ (appointment required; perpetual licenses; 48 months without an appointment) · myfloridacfo.com ↗
- Fla. Stat. 626.854 (public adjuster defined; licensed and appointed; 10 and 20 percent caps; cancellation) · flsenate.gov ↗
- Fla. Stat. 626.865 ($50,000 surety bond; qualifications) · flsenate.gov ↗
- Fla. Stat. 626.112(10) (knowingly transacting insurance without a license: felony of the third degree) · flsenate.gov ↗
- Florida DFS Consumer Assistance Portal · assistcon.myfloridacfo.gov ↗
- South Carolina DOI Individual License Search · online.doi.sc.gov ↗
- South Carolina DOI, Licensing and CE (Individual Licensing contact) · doi.sc.gov ↗
- S.C. Code Title 38, Chapter 48 (38-48-10, 38-48-20, 38-48-40, 38-48-70, 38-48-80, 38-48-90, 38-48-110, 38-48-130) · scstatehouse.gov ↗
Lookup URLs and result screens confirmed live August 22, 2026; state search tools change without notice. Statute summaries drafted August 2026 and simplified for education; verify against current statute. Not legal advice; consult an attorney about your specific claim.
The record did not match the pitch?
Send the contract, the letter, or just the name. You will get a straight answer on where the claim stands and what the strongest next move is, before you sign anything.
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