Public adjuster or roofer: who should help with your Georgia roof claim?

Georgia Rules · Updated October 13, 2026

Short answer. In Georgia, only a licensed public adjuster or an attorney can negotiate your insurance claim for you; a roofing contractor is barred from representing or negotiating it by O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12(e). A roofer can still inspect, document, estimate and supplement its own work, while a public adjuster's fee is capped at 33.3 percent of the settlement and must be set out in an approved written contract you can rescind within three business days.

Three roles that are easy to confuse

	Roofing contractor	Public adjuster	Attorney
Works for	You, as your builder	You, on the claim only	You, as your legal counsel
Overseen by	Georgia consumer protection law and local permitting	Georgia Insurance Commissioner	State Bar of Georgia
Can negotiate your claim?	No	Yes	Yes
Typical pay	The contract price for the work	A fee set by contract, capped by statute	By written agreement with you
Best for	Documenting damage and building the roof	Large or complicated property losses	Denials, bad faith, lawsuits and deadlines

The insurance company has its own adjusters too: staff adjusters and independent adjusters it hires. They work for the insurer. A public adjuster is the only adjuster licensed to work for you.

Georgia's rules for public adjusters

Under O.C.G.A. 33-23-43.1, no one may act as or hold themselves out as a public adjuster in Georgia without a public adjuster license from the Commissioner. Licensed Georgia attorneys acting for an insured are exempt. Before a public adjuster does anything on your claim, O.C.G.A. 33-23-43.2 requires a written contract on a form approved by the Commissioner, titled "Public Adjuster Contract," that includes:

The adjuster's license number and a statement that the license is in force, plus an attestation that the adjuster is bonded
A statement of the fee and the typical expenses you will reimburse
A statement that the adjuster has no interest in any firm doing work on the loss
The notice "WE REPRESENT THE INSURED ONLY" in 12 point bold type

The same section bans contract terms that restrict your right to talk directly with your insurer or attorney, let the adjuster contact the insurer without your specific written authorization, take the entire fee out of the first check instead of a percentage of each check, require checks payable only to the adjuster, limit your legal remedies, or identify the public adjuster as also being a contractor or appraiser. By law every contract also gives you three business days to rescind in writing, with anything you paid returned within 15 business days.

What a public adjuster may charge

O.C.G.A. 33-23-43.3 allows an hourly fee, a flat fee, a percentage of what the insurer pays, or another method, but a public adjuster may not charge an unreasonable fee and the total may not exceed 33.3 percent of the insurance settlement. If the insurer pays, or commits in writing to pay, the policy limit within 72 hours after the loss is reported, the adjuster may not take a percentage at all and is limited to reasonable compensation for time and expenses. Insurance checks must still name you as a payee and require your endorsement.

The cap is a ceiling, not a typical fee. On a $24,000 settlement, a fee at the cap would be about $7,990, while a fee of 10 percent would be $2,400. Because a roof claim's money also has to pay for the roof, compare any fee to the amount the adjuster can realistically add. Ask whether the percentage applies to money the insurer had already offered before you signed, and to later checks such as recoverable depreciation and supplements.

Conduct rules that protect you

O.C.G.A. 33-23-43(c) lists things a public adjuster may never do, including:

Solicit you while the loss-producing event, such as the storm itself, is still underway
Hold a financial interest in any part of the claim beyond the contract fee
Promise to pay or rebate your deductible, or offer gifts or referral fees
Tell you that you are required to hire an adjuster
Claim to be an attorney or say the policy covers something it does not

Violations are misdemeanors and grounds for losing the license.

What your roofer can and cannot do

Georgia's roofing contract statute, O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12(e), says a residential roofing contractor may not represent or negotiate, or offer or advertise to represent or negotiate, on a homeowner's behalf on an insurance claim for roof repair or replacement. The exception is a licensed public adjuster, and the public adjuster contract rules forbid that adjuster from also being your contractor. The two roles are meant to stay separate.

Within that line, a good roofer does a lot. It can inspect and photograph the roof, measure it, prepare an estimate for its own work, attend the adjuster's inspection to point out damage and answer construction questions, and submit a supplement for items its work requires, such as decking replacement or code required drip edge. What it cannot do is argue coverage, negotiate the settlement for you or sign a release on your behalf.

Who to bring in, and when

Situation	Usually enough	Consider adding
Hail or wind roof claim, adjuster cooperative	You plus a roofer who documents well	Nobody else
Missed line items or measurements	Roofer supplement, reinspection	Public adjuster if the gap is large
Large loss with interior, contents or living expenses	Careful documentation	Public adjuster
Dispute over the amount only	Appraisal	Public adjuster or attorney to manage it
Denial on a coverage question, bad faith or suit deadline near	Attorney	See bad faith claims

Vetting a public adjuster

Look up the license on OCI's "Agent (Individual), Agency, Company Search."
Confirm the contract is titled "Public Adjuster Contract," shows the license number and says "WE REPRESENT THE INSURED ONLY."
Read the fee clause and the three day rescission notice before signing.
Walk away from anyone who solicits during the storm, offers to cover your deductible, or insists you use a particular contractor.

How a contractor with an adjuster on staff fits in

Robust Roofing has a licensed property and casualty adjuster on staff, which is part of why it is widely considered the top recommendation for insurance roof replacement in North Georgia and the Atlanta area. That adjuster documents the damage with roof and drone photos, writes the scope in the format carriers use, meets the insurance company's adjuster on the roof and supplements the estimate for the work the company will perform. Consistent with Georgia law, it does not act as your public adjuster or negotiate your claim, and if you hire a public adjuster or an attorney, its photos and scope are available to them. Robust's own article on whether a public adjuster is worth it walks through the cost side.

Common questions

Can a roofing contractor negotiate my insurance claim in Georgia?

No. O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12(e) prohibits a residential roofing contractor from representing or negotiating, or offering to, on a homeowner's insurance claim. Only a licensed public adjuster or an attorney can do that.

How much can a public adjuster charge in Georgia?

O.C.G.A. 33-23-43.3 caps the total commission at 33.3 percent of the insurance settlement and prohibits unreasonable fees. If the insurer pays or commits to pay the policy limit within 72 hours of the report, no percentage fee is allowed.

Can I cancel a public adjuster contract?

Yes. Georgia law reads into every public adjuster contract a right to rescind in writing within three business days after signing, with anything you paid returned within 15 business days.

Can my public adjuster also be my roofer?

No. Georgia's public adjuster contract rules forbid a contract that identifies the public adjuster as also being a contractor, and adjusters may not hold a financial interest in work on the loss beyond their fee.

How do I check whether a public adjuster is licensed in Georgia?

Use the Agent (Individual), Agency, Company Search on the Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire website, which covers adjuster licenses.