Insurance appraisal in Arkansas

At a glance

Name an appraiser

Whatever the parties agree to once both have consented to appraisal. Neither side can impose a deadline on the other.

Choose an umpire

By agreement of the parties.

If they cannot agree

By agreement. A court cannot be compelled to appoint one.

Suit deadline paused?

Not applicable to a demand. Arkansas voids policy suit clauses shorter than the five-year period for written contracts (Ark. Code § 23-79-202).

Licensing

No license. Whether an appraiser was competent and disinterested is a question of fact for a jury under Arkansas case law.

The clock

Appraisal in Arkansas begins with a written demand from one party to the other. The deadlines in the table above run from that demand: first the period to name an appraiser, then the period for the two appraisers to agree on an umpire. Send the demand by certified mail with return receipt, and keep a copy with the policy.

Once the panel is complete, the appraisers inspect the property, prepare their estimates and work through the differences line by line. Only what they cannot settle goes to the umpire.

On the deadline to sue: Not applicable to a demand. Arkansas voids policy suit clauses shorter than the five-year period for written contracts (Ark. Code § 23-79-202).

What the panel decides

Amount of loss, by agreement.

Everywhere, including Arkansas, the panel leaves alone whether the policy covers the loss, how the policy language is read, and whether the carrier acted in bad faith. Those are for the courts. An award that strays into them is the one most likely to be set aside.

Who may serve

No license. Whether an appraiser was competent and disinterested is a question of fact for a jury under Arkansas case law.

Whatever the statute says, the policy standard is the one that decides most challenges: an appraiser must be competent and impartial, or in some forms disinterested. The contractor who will do the work, a public adjuster paid a share of the claim, or anyone employed by a party does not meet it. We are paid a flat fee for that reason.

The award

Not binding unless the parties agree it will be. A completed award is presumed valid absent fraud, mistake or lack of authority (National Fire Ins. Co. v. Boon, Ark. 1905), and a separate post-loss appraisal agreement may be revoked before award (Insurance Co. of North America v. Kempner, Ark. 1918).

Points particular to Arkansas

Ark. Code § 23-79-203 voids any policy provision that deprives the insured of a jury trial on a question of fact. Bulletin 19-89 requires an amendatory endorsement making appraisal voluntary and non-binding.

Many carriers will still agree to appraisal in Arkansas when asked, because it is faster and cheaper for them too. The difference is that it is a request, not a demand, and the result binds only if both sides agree it will.

Common losses in Arkansas

The disputes we see most often in Arkansas arise from:

• Tornado and straight-line wind
• Hail
• Ice storm and freeze

Flood is insured separately, usually through the National Flood Insurance Program, under federal rules rather than Arkansas's. Its appraisal clause settles price only, and its deadlines are its own. How a flood claim works

Authorities

• Arkansas Insurance Department Bulletin 19-89
• Ark. Code § 23-79-202
• The general guide to insurance appraisal

Statutes, regulations and case law change. This page was reviewed against official sources in October 2026 and describes the general rule; it is not legal advice about your claim.

Questions about appraisal in Arkansas

Nearby: Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas