Louisiana's appraisal clause runs on a statutory clock

In most states, appraisal is whatever the policy form says it is. Louisiana writes the clause for you: R.S. 22:1892(G) requires residential property policies to contain a prescribed appraisal provision, and that provision is full of deadlines.

The clause the policy has to contain

If you and this Company fail to agree as to the amount of loss, either party may demand that the amount of the loss be set by appraisal. If either party makes a written demand for appraisal, each party shall select a competent appraiser and notify the other party of their appraiser's identity within twenty days of receipt of the written demand for appraisal. The appraisers shall select a competent and impartial umpire. If after fifteen days the appraisers have not agreed upon who will serve as umpire, the umpire shall be appointed by a judge of the court of record in which the property is located.

If the appraisers submit written notice of an agreement as to the amount of the loss to this Company, the amount agreed upon shall set the amount of the loss. If the appraisers fail to agree within thirty days, the appraisers shall submit their differences along with any supporting documentation to the umpire, who shall appraise the loss. The appraisers may extend the time to sixty days for which they shall agree upon the amount of loss or submit their differences and supporting documents to the umpire, if the extension is agreed to by the appraisers from both parties.

Who pays, and what the award does

A written agreement signed by the umpire and either party's appraiser shall set the amount of the loss, pursuant to the appraisal process, but shall not preclude either party from exercising its rights under the policy or the law. Each appraiser shall be paid by the party selecting that appraiser. Other expenses of the appraisal and the expenses of the umpire shall be divided and paid in equal shares by you and this Company.

Two consequences follow. First, appraisal is not a waiver: an award fixes the amount of the loss, and either side can still argue policy terms or law afterwards. Second, the cost split is specific — your appraiser is yours to pay, and the umpire and other expenses are shared equally.

The clock, in order

1. Written demand. Either party can start it. The deadlines run from the other side's receipt of that demand.
2. Day 20. Each party names a competent appraiser and notifies the other of the identity.
3. Day 15 of the appraisers' negotiation. If they cannot agree on an umpire, a judge of the court of record where the property sits appoints one.
4. Day 30. If the appraisers have not agreed on the amount, their differences and supporting documents go to the umpire.
5. Day 60, only by agreement. Both appraisers can extend the thirty-day window to sixty. One side cannot extend it alone.

What it does not settle

• It is not a route to a better number by itself. Appraisal fixes the amount of the loss; it does not decide coverage, and the policy's terms, limits, deductibles and conditions still apply to the award.
• It does not stop a lawsuit, and a lawsuit does not stop it. If suit is filed before appraisal is demanded, the clause provides that the suit is held in abatement between a timely demand and the deadline for executing the award.
• It does not define "competent." Neither the appraiser nor the umpire standard is spelled out beyond "competent" and "competent and impartial."
• It does not apply to every policy. The requirement is written for residential property insurance policies; commercial forms are a different question.

How to use it on a claim

1. Demand in writing and keep proof of the date it was received — every deadline depends on it.
2. Name your appraiser inside twenty days. Missing your own deadline hands the other side an argument it should not have.
3. Check the umpire step. If fifteen days pass without agreement, the appointment goes to a judge; that is a filing, not a letter.
4. Build the appraisal package the same way you would build a claim file: scope, pricing, photographs, and the documents behind each line.
5. Calendar day thirty and day sixty. The umpire step only happens if the appraisers disagree, and the extension only happens if both agree.

Sources

La. R.S. 22:1892(G), read at legis.la.gov on 24 October 2026. The quoted text is the clause the statute requires policies to contain, including the bracketed permission to substitute "this company" with the insurer's name.

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