Insurance appraisal in Vermont
Vermont does not write an appraisal clause into its insurance statutes, so appraisal depends on the wording of your own policy. Most property forms follow the same pattern: a written demand, one appraiser for each side, and an umpire if the two appraisers cannot settle the number. Read the clause and the suit deadline in your policy before you demand anything.
At a glance
- Name an appraiser
- Set by your policy. Most forms give each side 20 days from the written demand.
- Choose an umpire
- Set by your policy. Most forms give the appraisers 15 days to agree on an umpire.
- If they cannot agree
- Under the common forms, either side may ask a judge of a court of record in the state to choose the umpire. Check the exact wording of your clause.
- Does appraisal pause the deadline to sue?
- Do not assume it does. Vermont has no statute that pauses the suit deadline during appraisal, so the deadline in your policy keeps running. Note it before you demand appraisal.
- Who may serve
- No Vermont license is named for the role. The test comes from the policy, usually that each appraiser be competent and impartial (some forms say disinterested). More below
Deadlines in Vermont
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 awardPaymentFire losses: due 60 days after satisfactory proof of loss
Appraisal starts with a written demand from one side to the other. The days run from that demand: first the period to name an appraiser, then the period for the two appraisers to agree on an umpire. We suggest certified mail with a return receipt, and a copy of the demand kept with the policy.
Vermont's fire insurance chapter adds a payment rule that sits alongside appraisal. Under 8 V.S.A. § 3868, a fire loss is due and payable 60 days after the insurer receives satisfactory proof of loss. That clock is tied to the proof of loss, not to the date an award is signed, so ask the carrier in writing when it will pay once the award is filed.
What the panel decides
Amount of loss
The clause asks the panel to set the amount of loss when you and the carrier cannot agree on it. Whether the policy covers a given item, how its words are read and whether the carrier acted in bad faith are questions for a court, not the panel.
Courts around the country disagree about how far "amount of loss" reaches into the cause of the damage, and we are not relying on a Vermont decision that settles it. If the real disagreement is about cause or coverage, sort that out before you demand appraisal.
Who may serve
Vermont names no license for appraisers or umpires. The policy usually requires each appraiser to be competent and impartial, and some forms say disinterested. That is the test a court would apply if the choice were challenged, so we look hard at anyone who will do the repair work, works for one side, or has a stake in the size of the award.
The award
Under the common forms, a written award signed by any two of the three (two appraisers, or one appraiser and the umpire) sets the amount of loss. Vermont has no statute listing the grounds to set an award aside, and we are not relying on a Vermont decision on the point. Courts that have addressed it elsewhere review awards narrowly, for example for fraud, bad faith, or a panel that did not do the task the clause gave it.
Points particular to Vermont
No standard fire policy and no appraisal clause appear in the sections of Vermont's fire and casualty insurance chapter (8 V.S.A. ch. 105). Appraisal is a contract term here, which means a policy that leaves it out or words it differently changes the process.
Two nearby provisions affect timing. Under 8 V.S.A. § 3867, a fire policy is not voided for failing to file a proof of loss unless the insurer first sends written notice and the insured does not file within 30 days. A defect in a filed proof of loss does not void the policy unless the insurer points it out in writing within 10 days. Section 3868 then makes the loss payable 60 days after satisfactory proof.
Do not confuse claim appraisal with the valuation process in 8 V.S.A. §§ 3961 to 3968. Those sections let an owner whose policy has a coinsurance clause ask the Commissioner to have a building valued before any loss. They fix a building value for coinsurance purposes. They are not a way to resolve a pending claim.
Vermont's unfair claim practices law, 8 V.S.A. § 4724(9), lists conduct such as failing to act promptly on claim communications or failing to try in good faith to settle fairly once liability is clear. It uses phrases like "reasonably promptly" and sets no fixed number of days.
Common losses in Vermont
Each one links back to how we look at that kind of loss.
Questions
Does my Vermont homeowners policy have an appraisal clause?
Most property policies do, but Vermont does not require it by statute, so check yours. Look in the conditions section under the heading Appraisal. If your policy has no clause, appraisal only happens if both sides agree to it.
How long do we have to name an appraiser in Vermont?
Your policy sets it. Most forms say each side must name an appraiser and tell the other within 20 days of the written demand.
Who chooses the umpire in Vermont if the appraisers cannot agree?
Under the common forms, the appraisers have 15 days to agree. After that, either side can ask a judge of a court of record in the state to choose one. Your clause controls, so read its exact wording.
Can the appraisers decide whether my loss is covered in Vermont?
No. The panel sets the amount of loss. Coverage, the meaning of policy language and bad faith are for a court. If the carrier's position is that damage was not caused by the storm, raise that before you demand appraisal.
Does demanding appraisal pause the deadline to sue in Vermont?
Do not count on it. Vermont has no statute that pauses the deadline during appraisal, and the deadline comes from your policy. Find it and note the date before you send the demand.
Do appraisers need a license in Vermont?
We found no Vermont license for the appraiser role. The policy asks for someone competent and impartial, or disinterested in some forms, and that is the standard a challenge would turn on.
Before you decide anything
Has a claim in Vermont 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.