Insurance appraisal in Ohio
Ohio has no appraisal statute. The right to appraisal comes from your policy, and nearly every property policy sold in the state has it. In July 2026 the Ohio Supreme Court made clear that a signed, binding award is very hard to reopen.
At a glance
- Name an appraiser
- 20 days after the written demand in the form we see most often. The number comes from the policy, so check yours.
- Choose an umpire
- 15 days for the two appraisers to agree. Some forms use different numbers.
- If they cannot agree
- A judge. Wording varies by form: some name a court of record in the county or state of the property, others say a court having jurisdiction.
- Does appraisal pause the deadline to sue?
- Nothing in Ohio's claims rule pauses the suit deadline during appraisal. Your policy sets that deadline, so note it before you demand appraisal.
- Who may serve
- No state license for appraisers or umpires. The policy sets the standard, usually competent and impartial. More below
Deadlines in Ohio
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 10 days once the carrier accepts the amount (Ohio Adm. Code 3901-1-54(G)(6))
Appraisal starts with a written demand from you or the carrier. In the Ohio policy forms we see most often, each side then has 20 days to name an appraiser and tell the other. The two appraisers have 15 days to agree on an umpire. If they cannot, either side can ask a judge to choose one.
Because these numbers come from the contract and not from a statute, read your own clause. Some forms change the day counts or the court. After the panel is set, the appraisers inspect the property, compare estimates and settle what they can. Only the open items go to the umpire. A decision signed by any two of the three sets the amount of loss.
What the panel decides
Amount of loss, with causation still contested
Appraisal answers one question: what is the loss worth. It does not decide whether the policy covers the loss, how the policy words are read, or whether the carrier acted in bad faith.
Causation is the gray area. In Eagle Highland Owners Ass'n v. State Farm (S.D. Ohio, Dec. 12, 2023), a federal court applying Ohio law ordered appraisal on a wind and hail claim even though the carrier said the damage came from an earlier storm. The clause was silent on causation, and the court reasoned that measuring the extent of a loss means separating storm damage from other damage. A 2025 federal decision in the same district, Village at Blacklick Creek Condominium Ass'n v. Greater New York Ins. Co., went the same way. The Ohio Supreme Court has not ruled on the point. If your clause says the panel may not decide causation, expect the carrier to rely on that wording.
Who may serve
Ohio does not license appraisers or umpires. The qualifications come from the policy. In the form quoted in Eagle Highland, each side picks a competent and impartial appraiser, and the appraisers pick the umpire. Some forms say disinterested instead. Someone who gains from a bigger award does not fit that wording. Ohio does license public adjusters under R.C. chapter 3951, but that is a separate job from sitting on an appraisal panel.
The award
A decision signed by any two of the three sets the amount of loss and binds both sides. In One Church v. Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co., 2026-Ohio-2764 (July 23, 2026), the Ohio Supreme Court held that a binding appraisal award is set aside only for fraud or a manifest mistake, an error so plainly wrong that it defeats what the parties agreed to. A claim of mistake has to be pleaded with particular facts. The church had been paid the $313,271.98 the appraisers set, then sought $206,663.09 more for hidden damage found during repairs. The Court held that was not enough to reopen the award. Damage found after the award does not reopen it on its own.
Points particular to Ohio
No Ohio statute requires an appraisal clause. R.C. 3929.25, the section on fire policies on buildings, says nothing about appraisal. The clause, the deadlines and the qualifications all come from your policy form.
Ohio's claim-handling rule, Ohio Adm. Code 3901-1-54(G), sets the pace of the claim itself. The carrier must accept or deny within 21 days of a properly executed proof of loss, or tell you why it needs more time and update you in writing at least every 45 days. Once a claim is accepted and the amount is not in dispute, payment is due within 10 days. The rule does not mention appraisal.
The same rule requires the carrier to warn a claimant in writing at least 60 days before a statute of limitation or a contractual time limit expires, if the carrier has not been told the claimant has a lawyer. That warning does not extend the deadline. It only tells you the date is coming.
When a carrier refuses to appraise, federal courts in Ohio have been asked to compel it. In Eagle Highland and in Village at Blacklick Creek, the courts ordered appraisal and left the carrier's coverage defenses for after the panel finished.
Common losses in Ohio
Each one links back to how we look at that kind of loss.
Questions
Does my Ohio policy have an appraisal clause?
Almost certainly, but not because Ohio law requires it. No Ohio statute mandates the clause. Insurers put it in their forms. Look in the conditions section under Appraisal. The wording, the day counts and the qualifications for appraisers all come from that page.
How long do we have to name an appraiser and an umpire in Ohio?
In the form we see most often, 20 days after the written demand to name an appraiser and 15 more days for the appraisers to agree on an umpire. These are policy terms, so confirm them in your clause. If the appraisers cannot agree, either side can ask a judge to choose.
Can the appraisers decide whether my loss is covered in Ohio?
No. They set the amount of loss. Coverage, policy wording and bad faith stay with the courts. Whether they may also decide what caused the damage is less settled. Federal courts applying Ohio law have allowed it when the clause is silent, and the Ohio Supreme Court has not ruled. A clause that expressly bars causation findings changes the picture.
Does demanding appraisal pause the deadline to sue in Ohio?
Do not count on it. Ohio's claims rule does not pause the suit deadline for appraisal. Your policy sets that deadline, so write it down before you demand appraisal. If the carrier has not been told you have a lawyer, it must warn you in writing at least 60 days before a limitation expires.
Can an Ohio appraisal award be challenged?
Only narrowly. In One Church v. Brotherhood Mutual (2026), the Ohio Supreme Court held that a binding award stands unless there is fraud or a manifest mistake pleaded with particular facts. Finding more damage after the award was not enough.
Do appraisers need a license in Ohio?
No. Ohio does not license property appraisers or umpires for insurance appraisal. The policy asks for a competent and impartial appraiser, or in some forms a disinterested one. Ohio does license public adjusters, which is a different role.
Before you decide anything
Has a claim in Ohio 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.