44-9203.

Terms, defined.

As used in the Public Adjusters Licensing Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Business entity means a corporation, association, partnership, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or any other legal entity;

(2) Catastrophic disaster means an event declared to be a catastrophic disaster by the President of the United States or the governor of the state in which the disaster occurred that (a) results in large numbers of deaths and injuries, (b) causes extensive damage or destruction of facilities that provide and sustain human needs, (c) produces an overwhelming demand on state and local response resources and mechanisms, (d) causes a severe long-term effect on general economic activity, and (e) severely affects state, local, and private sector capabilities to begin and sustain response activities;

(3) Department means the Department of Insurance;

(4) Director means the Director of Insurance;

(5) Home state means the District of Columbia or any state or territory of the United States in which the principal place of residence or principal place of business of the public adjuster is located;

(6) Individual means a natural person;

(7) Insured means a person insured under the insurance policy against which the claim is made;

(8) Person means an individual or a business entity;

(9) Public adjuster means any person who, for compensation, does any of the following:

(a) Acts for or aids an insured in negotiating for or effecting the settlement of a first-party claim for loss or damage to real or personal property of the insured;

(b) Advertises for employment as a public adjuster of first-party claims or otherwise solicits business or represents to the public that the person is a public adjuster of first-party claims for loss or damage to real or personal property of an insured; or

(c) Directly or indirectly solicits the business of investigating or adjusting losses or of advising an insured about first-party claims for loss or damage to real or personal property of the insured;

(10) Uniform business entity application means the uniform business entity application prescribed by the director which conforms substantially to the uniform business entity application for resident and nonresident business entities adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; and

(11) Uniform individual application means the uniform individual application prescribed by the director which conforms substantially to the uniform application for individual adjuster licensing adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.