Insurance appraisal in Louisiana

At a glance

Name an appraiser

Twenty days after the written demand (R.S. 22:1892(G) residential clause; R.S. 22:1311 standard fire policy).

Choose an umpire

Fifteen days. If the appraisers cannot agree, a judge of a court of record appoints, or, if both appraisers agree in writing, the Commissioner supplies a random panel (R.S. 22:1807.19).

If they cannot agree

A judge of a court of record, or the Commissioner's random panel by written agreement of the appraisers.

Suit deadline paused?

Not tolled. A lawsuit filed before appraisal is demanded is held in abatement from a timely demand until the award deadline (R.S. 22:1892(G)).

Licensing

For policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, no one may act as an appraiser or umpire without registering with the Commissioner (R.S. 22:1807.1). Registrants must be a licensed adjuster, public adjuster, architect, engineer or contractor with three years' experience. Contingent fees, gifts and ex parte contact with the umpire are prohibited. Disqualifying conflicts include being a party, an employee or contractor of a party, or an employee of the adjuster or public adjuster who handled the loss (R.S. 22:1807.14, .17). An umpire must disclose conflicts within five days of appointment.

The clock

Appraisal in Louisiana 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 tolled. A lawsuit filed before appraisal is demanded is held in abatement from a timely demand until the award deadline (R.S. 22:1892(G)).

What the panel decides

Amount of loss. Appraisers do not decide whether the policy covers the loss, interpret policy language, or rule on bad faith. Those questions stay with the courts.

Everywhere, including Louisiana, 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

For policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, no one may act as an appraiser or umpire without registering with the Commissioner (R.S. 22:1807.1). Registrants must be a licensed adjuster, public adjuster, architect, engineer or contractor with three years' experience. Contingent fees, gifts and ex parte contact with the umpire are prohibited. Disqualifying conflicts include being a party, an employee or contractor of a party, or an employee of the adjuster or public adjuster who handled the loss (R.S. 22:1807.14, .17). An umpire must disclose conflicts within five days of appointment.

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

A written agreement of the umpire and either appraiser sets the amount of loss, but by statute it does not preclude either party from exercising its rights under the policy or the law (R.S. 22:1892(G)).

Points particular to Louisiana

The appraisers must agree or submit their differences to the umpire within thirty days, extendable to sixty by agreement, and the award must be paid within thirty days (R.S. 22:1892(G)). The Commissioner may extend deadlines by up to one hundred twenty days in total (R.S. 22:1807.24).

Ocean Side appraisers who serve on Louisiana claims are registered with the Louisiana Department of Insurance as the statute requires.

Common losses in Louisiana

The disputes we see most often in Louisiana arise from:

• Hurricane and tropical storm
• Wind and roof damage
• Water and mold after storms
• Hail

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

Authorities

• Act 625 of 2024 (HB 609)
• La. R.S. 22:1892
• 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 Louisiana

Nearby: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas