Insurance appraisal in Indiana

At a glance

Name an appraiser

The policy form (most homeowners forms use 20 days).

Choose an umpire

If the two appraisers cannot agree within 15 days, either party may ask a judge of a court of record in the county where the property sits to choose the umpire.

If they cannot agree

A judge of a court of record in the county of the property, on request (policy form).

Suit deadline paused?

No tolling. Ind. Code § 27-1-13-17 bars residential property policies from limiting suit to less than two years from the date of loss.

Licensing

No license for appraisers. Ind. Code § 27-1-27-15 bars a public adjuster's contract from letting the public adjuster act as appraiser on the claim.

The clock

Appraisal in Indiana 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: No tolling. Ind. Code § 27-1-13-17 bars residential property policies from limiting suit to less than two years from the date of loss.

What the panel decides

Amount and scope of loss, including causation. Federal courts applying Indiana law hold that appraisers are not mere estimators and may decide what caused the damage they are valuing (Mesco, 2025; Villas at Winding Ridge v. State Farm, 7th Cir. 2019). Coverage itself remains for the court.

Everywhere, including Indiana, 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 for appraisers. Ind. Code § 27-1-27-15 bars a public adjuster's contract from letting the public adjuster act as appraiser on the claim.

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

Binding unless the challenger pleads and proves fraud, mistake or misfeasance (Atlas Constr. Co. v. Indiana Ins. Co., 160 Ind. App. 33 (1974)). An award signed by the umpire and one appraiser is valid. In Mesco Mfg. v. Motorists Mut. (7th Cir. 2025) the court rejected a carrier's attempt to pay only part of a hail award.

Points particular to Indiana

Indiana follows the common form without notable departures. The general guide to how appraisal works applies as written.

Common losses in Indiana

The disputes we see most often in Indiana arise from:

• Hail and wind
• Tornado
• Freeze and burst pipes

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

Authorities

• Atlas Constr. Co. v. Indiana Ins. Co., 160 Ind. App. 33, 309 N.E.2d 810 (1974)
• 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 Indiana

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