Insurance appraisal in Virginia
Virginia writes the appraisal clause into the statute that sets the standard fire policy. Each side names an appraiser, the appraisers pick an umpire, and if they cannot, a circuit court judge appoints one. Every appraiser and umpire must first swear an oath about who they work for and whether they are related to either side.
At a glance
- Name an appraiser
- 20 days after the written demand (Va. Code § 38.2-2105).
- Choose an umpire
- 15 days for the appraisers to agree on a competent and disinterested umpire.
- If they cannot agree
- A judge of the circuit court for the county or city where the property was located, on written application of either side (§ 38.2-2121). The court gives all parties 21 days' notice before it appoints.
- Does appraisal pause the deadline to sue?
- No pause is written into the statute. The standard policy allows two years from the start of the loss to sue, and we found no Virginia rule that stops that clock during appraisal.
- Who may serve
- No license is named for the role. Each appraiser and the umpire must be competent and disinterested and must swear they are not employed by the insured or any insurer and not related to the insured or an insurer's officer (§ 38.2-2122). More below
Deadlines in Virginia
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 awardPaymentPayable 60 days after proof of loss and a filed award
Either side starts appraisal with a written demand when you and the carrier cannot agree on actual cash value or the amount of loss. Each side then picks a competent and disinterested appraiser and tells the other within 20 days of the demand. The two appraisers have 15 days to agree on an umpire.
If they cannot, either side applies in writing to the circuit court where the property was located. The applicant first delivers a copy to the other side. After 21 days' notice to all parties, the judge appoints a competent and disinterested person as umpire (§ 38.2-2121). The standard form makes the loss payable 60 days after proof of loss is received and the amount is fixed by written agreement or a filed award.
What the panel decides
Actual cash value and amount of loss
The statute sends two questions to appraisal: actual cash value and the amount of loss. The appraisers state each separately, item by item, and only the items they cannot agree on go to the umpire.
Neither the statute nor the clause hands the panel the question of whether the policy covers the loss or how its words are read. In Church Mutual v. Ephesus Richmond SDA Church, the Court of Appeals of Virginia quoted a legal encyclopedia for the point that appraisal sets the amount of a loss, not liability for it. We have not found a Virginia appellate decision on whether a dispute over cause falls inside "amount of loss." If cause is the real fight, deal with it before demanding appraisal.
Who may serve
Virginia sets no license for the role, but it does set a test and an oath. Each appraiser and the umpire must be competent and disinterested. Before acting, each must swear that they are not directly or indirectly employed by the insured, the insurer or any other insurer, that they are not related to the insured or an insurer's officer, and that they will do the job faithfully (§ 38.2-2122). Someone with a stake in the result or a tie to either side has trouble meeting that.
The award
A written, itemized award signed by any two of the three and filed with the carrier fixes the actual cash value and the loss (§ 38.2-2105). In Church Mutual v. Ephesus Richmond SDA Church (Va. Ct. App. Apr. 8, 2025), an insurer asked a court to modify a $1.69 million award under the Virginia Uniform Arbitration Act. The court held that, on the language of that insurance contract, the award was an appraisal and not an arbitration award, so the court had no power to modify it under that statute. The court expressly left open whether the arbitration act could ever reach an appraisal.
Points particular to Virginia
The oath in § 38.2-2122 is a Virginia-specific requirement. It is taken before the appraiser or umpire acts, and it is aimed at employment and family ties to either side or to any insurer.
Virginia adds a cost rule to the standard form. Each party pays the appraiser it chose and the two share the umpire and other appraisal expenses equally. If the carrier is the one who makes the written demand, the carrier must reimburse the insured for the reasonable cost of the insured's appraiser and the insured's share of the umpire's cost.
The Church Mutual case involved a church's wind and hail claim. The carrier's appraiser put replacement cost near $68,000, the church's appraiser near $1.69 million, and the umpire agreed with the church. The Court of Appeals decided the case on the policy's wording, which used the word appraisal and kept the word arbitration for a different part of the policy. A policy worded differently could be argued differently.
Policies written in plainer words than the standard form are allowed only if they are no less favorable to the insured than the standard form (§ 38.2-2107). Virginia's unfair claim practices law, § 38.2-510, uses phrases such as "reasonably promptly" and sets no fixed number of days for payment.
Common losses in Virginia
Each one links back to how we look at that kind of loss.
Questions
Does my Virginia homeowners policy have an appraisal clause?
Almost certainly. Virginia's standard fire policy statute includes it, and policies written in other words must be no less favorable to the insured. Look in the conditions section under the heading Appraisal.
How long do we have to name an appraiser in Virginia?
20 days after the written demand. Each side picks a competent and disinterested appraiser and tells the other within that time.
Who chooses the umpire in Virginia if the appraisers cannot agree?
After 15 days without agreement, either side can apply in writing to the circuit court for the county or city where the property was located. The judge appoints a competent and disinterested umpire after 21 days' notice to the parties.
Can the appraisers decide whether my loss is covered in Virginia?
No. The panel sets actual cash value and the amount of loss. Coverage and the meaning of policy language are for a court. Courts elsewhere disagree on whether disputes about cause belong in appraisal, so raise any cause dispute early.
Does demanding appraisal pause the deadline to sue in Virginia?
We found no rule that says so. The standard policy allows two years from the start of the loss, and the statute has no pause for appraisal. Note the date before you demand appraisal.
Do appraisers need a license in Virginia?
We found no license for the role. Instead, each appraiser and the umpire must be competent and disinterested and must swear an oath that they are not employed by or related to either side.
Before you decide anything
Has a claim in Virginia 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.