Insurance appraisal in Alaska
Alaska requires property policies to carry an appraisal clause, and the statute sets a short clock. Each side has 10 days after a written demand to name an appraiser. The panel values the covered loss. It does not decide whether the loss is covered.
At a glance
- Name an appraiser
- 10 days from the written demand (AS 21.96.035).
- Choose an umpire
- The two appraisers choose a competent and impartial umpire 'promptly.' The statute sets no day count.
- If they cannot agree
- The statute does not name anyone to break a tie on the umpire. Check your policy form for a court-appointment step.
- Does appraisal pause the deadline to sue?
- The appraisal statute says nothing about pausing the deadline to sue. Find the suit clause in your policy and note the date before you demand appraisal.
- Who may serve
- No license is part of the statute. It asks for a competent appraiser from each side and a competent and impartial umpire. More below
Deadlines in Alaska
The clock
- Day 0Written demandEither party, in writing
- By day 10Appraisers named10 days for each side
- By agreementUmpire chosenBy agreement, or a court appoints
- On siteInspectionBoth estimates, line by line
- The awardAward signedAny two of three
- After the awardPaymentPer policy and state rules
If you and the insurer cannot agree on the amount of a covered first-party loss, either side can make a written demand for appraisal. Within 10 days of that demand, each side must tell the other which competent appraiser it picked. The appraisers then choose an umpire promptly. Unless the umpire extends the time, each appraiser must state the amount of the loss in writing within 15 days after the umpire is chosen. Because the first window is so short, have your appraiser in mind before the demand goes out.
If the two appraisers submit a written report that agrees on the amount, that amount binds you and the insurer. If they do not agree, they send their differences to the umpire, and a decision agreed to by one appraiser and the umpire binds both sides.
What the panel decides
Value of a covered first-party loss
The statute covers disputes over the value of a covered first-party loss to real property, personal property, business property or similar risks. In McDonnell v. State Farm (Alaska 2013), the Alaska Supreme Court described appraisal as a narrower process than arbitration, and noted that questions of coverage, causation or liability are not resolved by it. The same case held that the statute does not reach personal injury claims such as uninsured motorist claims.
In practice, a panel in Alaska prices the damage. A dispute over whether a policy covers an item, or how its wording reads, is for a court.
Who may serve
The statute calls for a competent appraiser from each side and a competent and impartial umpire. It does not require a license. Your policy may add its own wording, so read the Appraisal condition. The umpire decides who pays the expenses and fees of the appraisal, other than counsel or adjuster fees.
The award
An agreed written report from the two appraisers binds the insured and the insurer. So does a decision agreed to by one appraiser and the umpire. The statute does not list grounds for challenging an award or set a time limit for doing so. Alaska treats appraisal as separate from arbitration, and arbitration has its own statute (McDonnell).
Points particular to Alaska
The umpire controls costs. Under the statute, the umpire decides who pays the appraisal's expenses and fees. Counsel and adjuster fees are left out of that decision.
The statute reaches more than homes. It applies to motor vehicle, property, and other first-party property, casualty and inland marine policies issued or delivered in Alaska, for disputes about the value of a covered loss.
Alaska's claim-handling regulation sets its own clocks. An insurer must accept or deny a first-party claim in writing within 15 working days after receiving a proof of loss, unless the policy sets a different period. It must pay the undisputed part of the claim within 30 working days after receiving the proof of loss (3 AAC 26.070). The same rule requires written notice, at least 60 days before a time limit expires, when the insurer is dealing directly with an unrepresented claimant (3 AAC 26.070(c)).
Common losses in Alaska
Each one links back to how we look at that kind of loss.
Questions
Does my Alaska homeowners policy have an appraisal clause?
It should. AS 21.96.035 requires motor vehicle, property and other first-party property, casualty and inland marine policies issued or delivered in Alaska to include an appraisal clause. Look in the conditions section under the heading Appraisal.
How long do we have to name an appraiser in Alaska?
Ten days from the written demand. Each side must tell the other which competent appraiser it has selected within that time (AS 21.96.035).
Who chooses the umpire in Alaska if the appraisers cannot agree?
The statute has the two appraisers choose a competent and impartial umpire promptly, with no day count and no named tie-breaker. Check your policy form for a court-appointment step. If the appraisers are stuck, talk to us.
Can the appraisers decide whether my loss is covered in Alaska?
No. The statute is about the value of a covered first-party loss. The Alaska Supreme Court has noted that coverage, causation and liability questions are not resolved by appraisal (McDonnell, 2013). Each appraiser must state the amount of the loss in writing within 15 days after the umpire is chosen, unless the umpire extends the time.
Does demanding appraisal pause the deadline to sue in Alaska?
The appraisal statute does not say it does. Find the suit clause in your policy, note the date, and treat it as running while appraisal goes on.
Do appraisers need a license in Alaska?
The statute asks for a competent appraiser from each side and a competent and impartial umpire. It does not mention a license.
Before you decide anything
Has a claim in Alaska stalled on the number?
Tell us what happened and where. We'll read the policy and tell you plainly whether appraisal fits.
When you write to us
- We read the policy, the estimates on both sides and the letters that came with them.
- We tell you plainly whether appraisal fits the disagreement, and if it doesn't, who can help.
- If it fits, we confirm next steps in writing before anything starts.
Reviewed against the sources listed, October 2026. General information, not legal advice.