Insurance appraisal in Connecticut
Connecticut writes the appraisal steps into its standard fire policy statute: 20 days to name an appraiser, 15 days for the appraisers to agree on an umpire, then a judge picks. The same statute sets payment at 30 days after proof of loss and a filed award. Connecticut courts treat appraisal like arbitration in important ways, so a challenge to an award may have to be filed within 30 days.
At a glance
- Name an appraiser
- 20 days after the written demand (Conn. Gen. Stat. 38a-307).
- Choose an umpire
- The appraisers first try to agree on an umpire. If they fail for 15 days, either side can ask a court to appoint one.
- If they cannot agree
- A judge of a Connecticut court of record where the property is located, on request of the insured or the insurer.
- Does appraisal pause the deadline to sue?
- The statute does not pause it. The standard policy requires suit within 24 months after the inception of the loss, and a combined homeowners policy must carry that time limit unchanged (38a-307, 38a-308(b)).
- Who may serve
- No license for property appraisers that we found. The statute requires each appraiser and the umpire to be competent and disinterested. More below
Deadlines in Connecticut
The clock
- Day 0Written demandEither party, in writing
- By day 20Appraisers named20 days for each side
- By day 35Umpire chosen15 days, or a court appoints
- On siteInspectionBoth estimates, line by line
- The awardAward signedAny two of three
- After the awardPayment30 days after proof of loss and the filed award (statute)
Appraisal starts with a written demand from either the insured or the insurer. Each side then has 20 days from the demand to select a competent and disinterested appraiser and tell the other side who it is. The two appraisers then try to agree on a competent and disinterested umpire. If they fail for 15 days, either side can ask a judge of a court of record where the property is located to choose one.
The appraisers then appraise the loss and state actual cash value and loss separately for each item. If they do not agree, they send only their differences to the umpire. An itemized written award signed by any two, once filed with the insurer, determines the amount. Each side pays its own appraiser and the two split the other expenses and the umpire equally. The statute makes the amount payable 30 days after proof of loss and the filing of the award.
What the panel decides
Actual cash value and amount of loss
The statute gives the panel the actual cash value and the amount of loss, stated item by item. It says nothing about letting the panel decide whether the policy covers the loss, and that question is not one of amount. A coverage dispute belongs in court, not in appraisal.
Who may serve
There is no Connecticut license for property claim appraisers that we found. The statute sets the test: each appraiser must be competent and disinterested, and so must the umpire. Each side picks and pays its own appraiser. A person who is paid a share of the award has a financial stake in the number, which is the situation the word disinterested is aimed at, though we did not find a Connecticut decision that applies it to contingency fees.
The award
An itemized written award signed by any two and filed with the insurer determines the amount (38a-307). To challenge one, Connecticut's arbitration chapter is the likely route. The Connecticut Supreme Court held in Covenant Ins. Co. v. Banks, 177 Conn. 273 (1979), that a fire policy's appraisal clause falls within the state's arbitration statutes, and in Kellogg v. Middlesex Mutual Assurance Co. (Conn. 2017) it reviewed a homeowner's attack on an appraisal award under 52-418. That section lists the grounds for vacating: corruption, fraud or undue means; evident partiality or corruption of an arbitrator; misconduct that prejudiced a party; or exceeding powers so that no final award was made. Under 52-420(b), no motion to vacate, modify or correct an award may be made after 30 days from notice of the award to the person making the motion. We did not find a decision that squarely says the 30 days applies to every property appraisal award, but a concern about an award should be raised quickly.
Points particular to Connecticut
Connecticut requires fire policies on Connecticut property to match the standard form in 38a-307 (38a-308(a)). Combined policies that cover fire along with other perils, such as most homeowners policies, are allowed if they meet conditions in 38a-308(b). Four provisions must come over from the standard policy without change: mortgagee interests, the definitions of actual cash value and depreciation, the time for payment after proof of loss, and the time limit for suit. The appraisal wording is not on that list, so read the Appraisal condition in your own policy.
Courts in Connecticut have been strict about how an umpire gets appointed. In Covenant, the insured got an umpire appointed by the court without the required writ of summons and complaint, and the Supreme Court held the resulting award invalid. The same decision also held that an insured can use the arbitration statutes to compel an insurer that refuses to take part in appraisal.
In Kellogg, a trial court vacated an appraisal award on the ground that it was too low. The Supreme Court reversed. As reported by commentators, it read the statute's catch-all language as covering procedural errors, not the size of the award. In short, disagreeing with the number is not a ground to set it aside.
The Connecticut Insurance Department's consumer page on disputing an insurer's estimate describes appraisal as a way to settle the amount without going to court, says each side hires its own appraiser, and says the decision is binding on both sides.
Common losses in Connecticut
Each one links back to how we look at that kind of loss.
Questions
Does my Connecticut homeowners policy have an appraisal clause?
Almost certainly. Connecticut's standard fire policy statute includes an appraisal clause, and fire policies on Connecticut property must follow it. Homeowners policies are combined policies with their own wording, so find the Appraisal condition in yours.
How long do we have to name an appraiser in Connecticut?
20 days after the written demand, under the standard fire policy statute. Each appraiser must be competent and disinterested, and you must tell the other side who it is within that time.
Who chooses the umpire if the appraisers cannot agree?
If the appraisers fail for 15 days to agree on an umpire, either the insured or the insurer can ask a judge of a Connecticut court of record where the property is located to select one. The request has to follow the court's procedure, as Covenant v. Banks shows.
Can the appraisers decide whether my loss is covered in Connecticut?
The statute gives them the amount: actual cash value and loss, item by item. Whether the policy covers the damage is a coverage question for a court.
Does demanding appraisal pause the deadline to sue in Connecticut?
Nothing in the statute pauses it. The standard policy requires suit within 24 months after the inception of the loss, and combined homeowners policies must carry that period unchanged. Write down the date before you demand appraisal.
How long do I have to challenge an appraisal award in Connecticut?
Under the arbitration chapter, a motion to vacate, modify or correct an award cannot be made more than 30 days after notice of the award. We did not find a case that squarely applies that limit to every property appraisal, but courts treat appraisal like arbitration, so a concern should be raised quickly.
Before you decide anything
Has a claim in Connecticut 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.