Insurance appraisal in Pennsylvania

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 statute calls for a competent and disinterested appraiser, and Pennsylvania courts have considered an appraiser's prior relationships with a party when deciding whether that standard was met.

The clock

Appraisal in Pennsylvania 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. 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 Pennsylvania, 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 statute calls for a competent and disinterested appraiser, and Pennsylvania courts have considered an appraiser's prior relationships with a party when deciding whether that standard was met.

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

An award is treated as binding on the amount of loss. Courts set awards aside only on narrow grounds such as fraud, mistake, an appraiser exceeding the authority the clause gives, or a partial appraiser.

Points particular to Pennsylvania

In Ice City, Inc. v. Insurance Co. of North America, 456 Pa. 210 (1974), the court held that where liability is admitted the carrier cannot unilaterally refuse appraisal, and the policyholder may obtain specific performance of the clause.

Common losses in Pennsylvania

The disputes we see most often in Pennsylvania arise from:

• Wind and severe thunderstorm
• Ice dams and winter storm
• Water and burst pipes
• Hurricane remnants and flooding (flood is separate)

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

Authorities

• 40 Pa. Stat. § 636
• Ice City, Inc. v. Ins. Co. of North America, 456 Pa. 210 (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 Pennsylvania

Nearby: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont