Insurance appraisal in Iowa
Iowa now runs property appraisal under a statute with fixed deadlines, a state list of licensed appraisers and umpires, and a 60-day payment rule. Chapter 522F was enacted in 2025, and every property policy issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 must carry an appraisal clause that complies with it. The panel sets the amount of loss. Coverage stays with the court.
At a glance
- Name an appraiser
- 20 calendar days after you or the insurer receives the other side's written demand. Each side picks from the Insurance Division's list of licensed appraisers (§ 522F.14(2)).
- Choose an umpire
- 15 calendar days after the appraisers are selected to agree on a licensed umpire from the Division's list (§ 522F.14(3)). Objections for good cause are due within 5 business days.
- If they cannot agree
- Either side gives written notice to the Insurance Division, and the Division picks a licensed umpire at random. If an appraiser asks a judge instead, the judge gives deference to that random pick unless a party shows good cause for a different one (§ 522F.14(3)(c) and (d)).
- Does appraisal pause the deadline to sue?
- We found no Iowa statute or decision saying a demand for appraisal pauses the deadline to sue, so treat the clock as running. The statutory standard fire policy allows 12 months from the inception of the loss (§ 515.109), and in February 2026 the Iowa Court of Appeals enforced a two-year suit clause in a wind claim.
- Who may serve
- Required. Appraisers and umpires must hold an Iowa Insurance Division license, with a qualifying background, an exam, and conflict-of-interest rules (§§ 522F.3 and 522F.8). Acting without a license is a felony (§ 522F.21). More below
Deadlines in Iowa
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 awardPaymentWithin 60 calendar days of the written itemized award
The process starts when you or the insurer demands appraisal in writing. Under § 522F.14, it applies once you have given notice of the loss and the two sides disagree on actual cash value or the amount the insurer will pay, and each side has given the other its scope of loss with actual cash value and claimed loss listed item by item. Keep proof that the demand was delivered, because the 20-day clock runs from receipt.
After the appraisers are picked, they have 15 days to agree on an umpire. They then have 45 days from the umpire's selection to appraise the loss and send their separate itemized figures to the umpire. The umpire has 45 days after receiving those figures to issue a written itemized award, signed by the umpire and at least one appraiser. The two sides can end the process earlier at any point by settling. To ask the Division for an umpire, or to object to one, use the forms on the Insurance Division's website.
What the panel decides
Amount of loss, including the cause of the damage that goes into it
The statute defines amount of loss as the money needed to repair or replace damage tied to the scope of loss for a covered peril, limited to the coverages that apply to the covered items. In Walnut Creek Townhome Ass'n v. Depositors Ins. Co., 913 N.W.2d 80 (Iowa 2018), the Iowa Supreme Court held that appraisers may decide the factual cause of damage in order to set the amount of the loss. It also held that coverage questions are for the court. In that case the appraisal did not address how much of the roof damage was excluded as pre-existing, and the court sent that question back to be decided by a judge.
The umpire in Iowa may only rule on the items the two appraisers disagree on (§ 522F.13(6)).
Who may serve
Iowa licenses both roles. An appraiser needs experience or training in construction, repair or estimating property damage, plus at least three years as a professional engineer, architect, licensed adjuster, residential contractor or registered contractor (the Commissioner can waive the three years), a passing exam score, and the character and competence the Division requires (§ 522F.3). An umpire needs three years as an engineer, architect, adjuster, appraiser, insurance regulator, or an attorney with first-party property damage litigation experience, plus an exam (§ 522F.8).
Both must disclose conflicts of interest (appraisers within 5 business days of being hired, umpires within 3). An appraiser must attest in writing to the side that picked them that they are competent and disinterested. No one may serve as appraiser or umpire on a claim they adjusted. An appraiser or umpire may not charge on a basis that depends on the outcome of the award (§§ 522F.6, 522F.7, 522F.11, 522F.13). Each side pays its own appraiser, and the sides split the umpire and other costs equally. Crop-hail and multiperil crop claims are outside the chapter.
The award
A written itemized award signed by the umpire and at least one appraiser sets the amount. Unless the parties agree otherwise in writing, the insurer must pay it within 60 calendar days of receiving it, subject to policy limits, deductibles and prior payments, and must give the insured an itemized written explanation of the payment (§ 522F.16). The insurer has 30 calendar days from receiving the award to file a motion to vacate for good cause in a court of record. Under the Iowa Supreme Court's decisions, an appraisal award is presumed valid and will be set aside only on a showing of fraud, mistake or misfeasance by an appraiser or umpire (Walnut Creek, applying Central Life).
Points particular to Iowa
Chapter 522F came from Senate File 619, signed April 22, 2025. The Insurance Division's Bulletin 25-04 explains how people already working as appraisers and umpires could apply for a license under a modified process if they applied by October 1, 2025. Licensing rules for adjusters, public adjusters and appraisers changed in the same bill.
The chapter sits on top of the old standard fire policy in Iowa Code § 515.109, which has the familiar clause: 20 days to name an appraiser, 15 days to agree on an umpire, and a judge of a court of record to pick one if they cannot. Policies that cover fire and other perils must carry provisions on fire that are the substantial equivalent of that standard form. Chapter 522F now adds the licensed lists, the Division's random umpire pick, and the two 45-day work periods.
The statute does not say what happens to the suit deadline while appraisal is pending, so note it before you demand appraisal. The standard fire policy form says 12 months from the inception of the loss, and some policies use two years. Iowa courts allow the parties to an insurance contract to change the suit deadline as long as the new period is reasonable.
An umpire in Iowa cannot visit the property unless every appraiser consents, cannot take part in settlement talks unless asked by all parties, and cannot talk to one side without giving the other notice and a chance to join (§ 522F.13).
Common losses in Iowa
Each one links back to how we look at that kind of loss.
Questions
Does my Iowa property policy have an appraisal clause?
If it was issued, delivered or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, it must (§ 522F.15). Older policies carry the clause from the standard fire policy in Iowa Code § 515.109 or a form that is substantially equivalent to it. Look in the policy conditions under Appraisal.
How long do we have to name an appraiser in Iowa?
20 calendar days after receiving the other side's written demand. You must choose from the Iowa Insurance Division's list of licensed appraisers.
Who picks the umpire in Iowa if the appraisers cannot agree?
The Insurance Division picks a licensed umpire at random after one side sends it written notice. If an appraiser asks a judge to pick instead, the judge defers to the Division's random pick unless a party shows good cause.
Can the appraisers decide whether my loss is covered in Iowa?
No. They set the amount of loss, and under Walnut Creek they may decide the factual cause of the damage as part of that. Whether the policy covers the loss is a question for the court.
Does demanding appraisal pause the deadline to sue in Iowa?
We found no Iowa statute or court decision that says it does. Iowa courts enforce a reasonable suit deadline written into the policy, and the standard fire policy says 12 months from the loss. Check your suit clause and keep that date in view while appraisal runs.
Do appraisers need a license in Iowa?
Yes. Both appraisers and umpires must be licensed by the Iowa Insurance Division, and acting without a license is a felony. Licensees must disclose conflicts and cannot be paid on a basis that depends on the outcome of the award.
Before you decide anything
Has a claim in Iowa 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.