Insurance appraisal in Oklahoma

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 of the property, on request.

Suit deadline paused?

No. Demanding appraisal does not pause the deadline to sue under the policy. Note that deadline before you demand appraisal.

Licensing

No license. The statutory clause calls for a competent and disinterested appraiser.

The clock

Appraisal in Oklahoma 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. Demanding appraisal does not pause the deadline to sue under the policy. Note that deadline before you demand appraisal.

What the panel decides

Amount of loss only. Massey confirms the award has no bearing on coverage, causation or liability.

Everywhere, including Oklahoma, 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 statutory clause 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

Under Massey v. Farmers Ins. Group (Okla. 1992), an award is binding on the party who invoked appraisal but not on the party who was required to participate. If you demand appraisal and the carrier does not, the carrier may still contest the amount in court, and the reverse is also true.

Points particular to Oklahoma

Because of Massey, the decision about who demands appraisal in Oklahoma is a strategic one. Talk it through before sending the letter.

Under 36 Okla. Stat. § 1250.7 a carrier must accept or deny a claim within a set period, with an outside limit of one hundred twenty days for investigation.

Common losses in Oklahoma

The disputes we see most often in Oklahoma arise from:

• Hail
• Tornado and wind
• Wildfire
• Freeze and burst pipes

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

Authorities

• 36 Okla. Stat. § 4803
• Massey v. Farmers Ins. Group, 1992 OK 80
• 36 Okla. Stat. § 1250.7
• 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 Oklahoma

Nearby: Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas