Insurance appraisal in Missouri

At a glance

Name an appraiser

Twenty days after the written demand.

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 (or city not within a county) where the property is located, on request.

Suit deadline paused?

Not applicable in the usual way. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 431.030 voids contractual suit-limitation clauses, so the ten-year statute for written contracts governs.

Licensing

No license. The regulation calls for a competent and disinterested appraiser.

The clock

Appraisal in Missouri 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 in the usual way. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 431.030 voids contractual suit-limitation clauses, so the ten-year statute for written contracts governs.

What the panel decides

Amount of loss only, read narrowly. In Brewer v. State Farm (Mo. App. 2022) the court treated a dispute over the extent of repair as a coverage issue for the court and found an umpire appointment premature. How the disagreement is framed matters more in Missouri than almost anywhere.

Everywhere, including Missouri, 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. The regulation calls for a competent and disinterested appraiser.

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

Once invoked, appraisal is a condition precedent to suit and an unchallenged award is conclusive on the amount (Abercrombie v. Allstate, Mo. App. 1994). Appraisal is not arbitration in Missouri, and the arbitration act excludes insurance contracts.

Points particular to Missouri

Missouri's form requires the umpire to issue an award within thirty days of receiving the appraisers' differences.

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 379.140 is the valued policy law for total fire losses. It is not an appraisal statute.

Common losses in Missouri

The disputes we see most often in Missouri arise from:

• Hail
• Tornado and wind
• Freeze and burst pipes
• Earthquake (separate coverage)

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

Authorities

• 20 CSR 500-1.100
• Brewer v. State Farm, WD84331 (Mo. App. 2022)
• Mo. Rev. Stat. § 379.140
• 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 Missouri

Nearby: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin