North Carolina law requires every public adjuster operating in the state to hold an active license issued by the North Carolina Department of Insurance (NC DOI). Business entities acting as public adjusting firms must also be licensed. Verifying that license takes two minutes, and it is the single most important check you can run before hiring anyone to represent you on an insurance claim.

Why Verification Matters

After hurricanes, hailstorms, and major fires, North Carolina sees a predictable wave of out-of-state "storm chasers" soliciting claim work. Some are licensed. Many are not. NC DOI has consistently warned consumers that unlicensed claim assistance is illegal in North Carolina, and that hiring an unlicensed adjuster leaves you with no bond protection, no regulatory recourse, and — often — no legitimate advocate at all.

Verification also exposes lapsed licenses, licenses in the wrong line of authority, pending disciplinary actions, and mismatches between the name on the business card and the legal licensee.

Step 1: Get Their License Number

Ask the adjuster directly for their individual license number and, if they operate as a firm, the business entity license number. A legitimate adjuster provides these on first request, often printed on their business card, website footer, or contract.

Mantis Claims Group publishes NC License #21778092 and Bond No. 101008840 on every page of our site for this reason. Transparency is not a favor — it's the baseline.

Red flag: any deflection. "I'll send it later," "I'm licensed — you can trust me," or "my partner handles the paperwork" are not answers.

Step 2: Open the NC DOI Licensee Lookup

Go directly to the North Carolina Department of Insurance website (ncdoi.gov) and navigate to the Agent and Adjuster Licensing section. Look for "License Lookup" or "Licensee Search." Do not use third-party sites — go to the source.

Step 3: Search

You can search by license number (fastest), by individual name, or by business entity name. Use the license number they gave you as the first check — it should resolve to exactly one record.

Step 4: Confirm Four Things

Status is Active. "Inactive," "Expired," "Suspended," or "Revoked" = do not hire.
Line of authority includes Public Adjuster. Insurance producers, claims adjusters (company adjusters), and independent adjusters are different licenses. Only a Public Adjuster license authorizes someone to represent you, the insured, against your carrier for compensation.
The name matches. The person you are speaking with should be the licensee. If they claim to work "under" someone else's license, that's a problem — NC requires each public adjuster acting for hire to hold their own license.
No open disciplinary action. If the record shows any pending action, read it before proceeding.

Step 5: Verify the Business Entity (If Applicable)

If the adjuster operates through an LLC, corporation, or trade name, run a second lookup on the entity. Both the individual and the entity must be licensed to accept compensation for adjusting claims in North Carolina.

Step 6: Check the Bond

NC public adjusters must maintain a surety bond as a condition of licensure. Ask for the bond number and the surety company. The number should be consistent with what NC DOI has on file.

What If You Can't Find the Adjuster in the System?

Stop. Do not sign. Do not pay a retainer. Do not allow an inspection under any representation of agency. Call NC DOI's Agent Services Division directly and report the name, phone number, and any documents the person provided. Unlicensed adjusting is a violation of NC law, and NC DOI investigates these complaints.

Common License-Verification Mistakes

Confusing a "claims adjuster" license (carrier-side) with a "public adjuster" license (policyholder-side). They are different authorities.
Accepting a license from another state. A license from Florida, South Carolina, or anywhere else does not authorize work in North Carolina. A reciprocal or non-resident license through NC DOI is valid — but you must see it on the NC record.
Trusting a screenshot or PDF copy. Always verify directly on ncdoi.gov in real time.
Skipping the entity check. An individual might be licensed while the firm they operate under is not.

Verify Us Right Now

If you are considering Mantis Claims Group, here is the data you need to run the check:

NC Public Adjuster License: #21778092
Surety Bond: No. 101008840
Line of Authority: Public Adjuster, North Carolina
Permanent NC business address — published on our Contact page

Enter the license number in the NC DOI lookup and you will find an active record. That is the standard. Apply it to every adjuster you interview.

How to Verify a Public Adjuster License in North Carolina