Insurance appraisal in Louisiana
Louisiana rewrote its appraisal rules in 2024. For property policies issued, delivered or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, appraisers and umpires must be registered with the Commissioner of Insurance, conflicts of interest are defined by statute, and the panel works to a 30-day clock. A signed appraisal decision sets the amount of loss, but by statute it does not cut off either side's other rights under the policy or the law.
At a glance
- Name an appraiser
- 20 days after receiving the written demand for appraisal (R.S. 22:1892(G) for residential property policies; the standard fire policy in R.S. 22:1311(F)(2) also says 20 days).
- Choose an umpire
- 15 days for the appraisers to agree on a competent and impartial umpire (R.S. 22:1892(G)).
- If they cannot agree
- A judge of the court of record where the property is located. If both appraisers agree to it, the Commissioner of Insurance instead sends a panel of possible umpires, and the appraisers can agree in writing to let the Commissioner pick one at random. Without that written agreement, a judge picks (R.S. 22:1807.19).
- Does appraisal pause the deadline to sue?
- The statute does not pause the deadline to sue. A lawsuit filed before the appraisal demand is held in abatement from a timely demand until the deadline for the award (R.S. 22:1892(G)). The standard fire policy sets 24 months from the inception of the loss for first-party claims, and R.S. 22:868(B) bars policies from setting a shorter period for the first-party property lines it lists.
- Who may serve
- Registration with the Commissioner is required for appraisers and umpires. An appraiser needs three years in a licensed profession and an active license as an engineer, architect, adjuster, public adjuster or general contractor (R.S. 22:1807.1, 22:1807.14). An umpire must be a qualified appraiser or a Louisiana attorney with first-party property damage litigation experience (R.S. 22:1807.17). More below
Deadlines in Louisiana
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 30 days of the signed award
The process starts with a written demand for appraisal. Each side then has 20 days after receiving the demand to choose an appraiser and tell the other side who it is. The appraisers have 15 days to agree on an umpire. The appraisers have 30 days to agree on the amount of loss, or else to send their differences and supporting documents to the umpire. The appraisers from both sides can agree to extend that period to 60 days. The Commissioner of Insurance can extend any deadline in the subpart for reasonable cause, up to 120 days in total, and a court controls extensions once a suit has been filed (R.S. 22:1807.24).
The umpire does not start work until the appraisers fail to agree and tell the umpire in writing to begin. A party or appraiser may object to an umpire for good cause within 10 days of receiving a Commissioner's panel, or within 30 days after the appraisal is complete based on information not disclosed earlier (R.S. 22:1807.26). The statutory process applies when the insurer has accepted coverage, in whole or in part, and the dispute is about the amount it will pay on the accepted part (R.S. 22:1807.12).
What the panel decides
Amount of loss on a claim the insurer has accepted
The appraisal subpart applies when the insurer has accepted coverage in whole or in part and the two sides dispute how much to pay on the accepted portion (R.S. 22:1807.12). The decision sets the amount of loss, subject to the policy's terms, limits, deductibles and conditions. A coverage denial is outside that process, and the panel does not decide it. The statute does not say whether appraisers may decide what caused the damage, and we did not find a Louisiana appellate decision on that point.
The residential clause adds that a signed agreement of the umpire and either side's appraiser sets the amount of loss but does not preclude either party from exercising its rights under the policy or the law (R.S. 22:1892(G)).
Who may serve
For policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, no one may act as an appraiser or umpire on a Louisiana property claim without registering with the Commissioner (R.S. 22:1807.1). An appraiser needs three years of experience in the profession in which they are licensed, experience or training in estimating property damage, and an active license as a professional engineer, architect, adjuster, public adjuster or general contractor (R.S. 22:1807.14). An umpire must meet the appraiser qualifications or be a Louisiana-licensed attorney with first-party property damage litigation experience (R.S. 22:1807.17).
A disqualifying conflict for an appraiser includes being, or having an immediate family member who is, a party to the claim, a current employee or contractor of a party, or a current employee of the adjuster or public adjuster who handled the loss, or being a party to a lawsuit against the insurer. An umpire has similar disqualifiers plus an open claim with the insurer, and the parties can waive an umpire conflict only in writing after full disclosure. Appraisers and umpires may not charge on a contingent, percentage, barter, gift or in-kind basis. Appraisers disclose conflicts within 5 days of being hired, and umpires do the same. Neither may talk to the other side's people about the case without notice (R.S. 22:1807.16, 22:1807.20, 22:1807.22, 22:1807.23).
The award
A written, itemized decision agreed to by both appraisers, or by one appraiser and the umpire, sets the amount of loss the insurer will pay, subject to the policy's terms, limits, deductibles and conditions (R.S. 22:1807.13). The insurer should pay within 30 days of the award being submitted in a signed writing. If it does not, the award amount may be used as evidence but is not binding unless the parties agree otherwise, and any longer payment period the law allows is honored (R.S. 22:1807.27(A)). An insurer that wants to challenge the award must file a motion to vacate for good cause in the court of record where the property is located within 30 days of receiving the award amount (R.S. 22:1807.27(B)).
Points particular to Louisiana
The rewrite is Act 625 of 2024 (House Bill 609), effective August 1, 2024. Section 2 of the Act applies it to property insurance policies issued, delivered or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. It amended the standard fire policy at R.S. 22:1311(F)(2), wrote a new mandatory appraisal clause for residential property policies into R.S. 22:1892(G), and created the registration and process rules at R.S. 22:1807.1 through 22:1807.27.
The residential clause in R.S. 22:1892(G) also lets the court of record where the property is located enforce the clause's deadlines, set a reasonable deadline to demand appraisal after the parties have filed pleadings in a lawsuit, and require compliance with discovery on parts of the lawsuit unrelated to the appraisal.
Each side pays its own appraiser and half of the umpire and other reasonable appraisal costs. If the parties settle before the umpire begins work, the umpire may not charge. When the Commissioner selects the umpire, the umpire charges an hourly rate set by the Commissioner, may charge a minimum two-hour fee, must send notice within 7 days saying whether the umpire is insured by the insurer, and works under a written contract (R.S. 22:1807.21, 22:1807.23).
Louisiana's general claims statute, R.S. 22:1892, requires payment within 30 days of satisfactory proof of loss and adds penalties, plus attorney fees, when the insurer's failure to pay is arbitrary, capricious or without probable cause. Catastrophic losses follow a separate penalty section, R.S. 22:1892.2.
Common losses in Louisiana
Each one links back to how we look at that kind of loss.
Questions
Does my Louisiana property policy have an appraisal clause?
If it is a residential property policy issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, the law requires one in the form set out in R.S. 22:1892(G). Fire policies carry the standard clause in R.S. 22:1311(F)(2). Look in the conditions section under Appraisal.
How long do we have to name an appraiser in Louisiana?
20 days after receiving the written demand for appraisal. Your appraiser must be registered with the Commissioner of Insurance.
Who picks the umpire in Louisiana if the appraisers cannot agree?
After 15 days without agreement, a judge of the court of record where the property is located picks. If both appraisers agree, the Commissioner of Insurance can send a panel of possible umpires instead, and the appraisers can agree in writing to let the Commissioner pick from it at random.
Can the appraisers decide whether my loss is covered in Louisiana?
No. The appraisal process in the statute applies when the insurer has accepted coverage and the dispute is about how much to pay. A coverage denial is not part of it. The statute does not address whether appraisers may decide the cause of damage.
Does demanding appraisal pause the deadline to sue in Louisiana?
The statute does not say it pauses the deadline. It does say that a lawsuit filed before the appraisal demand is held in abatement from a timely demand until the award deadline. The standard fire policy gives 24 months from the inception of the loss for first-party claims, so keep that date in view.
Do appraisers need a license in Louisiana?
They must register with the Commissioner of Insurance, and they must also hold an active professional license, such as engineer, architect, adjuster, public adjuster or general contractor, with at least three years of experience. Umpires can also be attorneys with first-party property damage litigation experience.
Before you decide anything
Has a claim in Louisiana 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.