Invoking the appraisal clause in your auto policy

Most personal auto policies contain a provision for resolving a disagreement about the amount of a loss. Each side names someone to value the vehicle, those two try to agree, and if they cannot they pick an umpire whose decision — or agreement with one of them — settles the amount.

It is a process your policy already gives you. It is not a lawsuit, and it is not free.

What your state records

State	What the rule says	Citation
Alabama confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. Chapter 482-1-125 contains no appraisal or umpire procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	Ala. Admin. Code ch. 482-1-125 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Alaska confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located. Alaska's substitute is the LONGEST recourse right in the ledger: the claimant may notify the insurer not later than 60 days after receipt of the claim payment that they cannot purchase a comparable vehicle for the settlement amount, and the claim must be reopened.	3 AAC 26.080(j) checked Sep 5, 2026
Arizona confirmed: no rule	No state rule. Arizona imposes no statutory or regulatory appraisal procedure for first-party auto physical damage — where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy, not a requirement of Arizona law.	Ariz. Admin. Code R20-6-801 (silent); A.R.S. Title 20 (no first-party auto appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Arkansas confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located. Rule 43's automobile section contains no appraisal or umpire machinery; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy. The rule does contemplate 'appraisal services' as a source of dealer-style quotations, which is a different thing.	Ark. Ins. Rule 43 § 10 (no appraisal procedure located) checked Sep 5, 2026
California	Policy-based; no California statute mandates or sets timelines for appraisal in personal auto policies. The regulation presupposes one: invoking 'the appraisal provision of the insurance policy' is one of the three remedies the insurer may use when a first-party total-loss insured triggers the 35-day reopen right. The statutory appraisal clause (Ins. Code § 2071: name appraiser within 20 days of written request; umpire within 15 days, else court-appointed; informal proceedings) governs the standard FIRE policy, not auto, though many auto forms track its structure.	10 CCR § 2695.8(c)(3); cf. Cal. Ins. Code § 2071 (standard form fire insurance policy) checked Sep 4, 2026
Colorado confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. Colorado imposes no statutory or regulatory appraisal procedure for first-party auto physical damage; where an appraisal provision applies it comes from the policy.	3 CCR 702-5-2-15 (silent); C.R.S. § 10-4-639 (silent) checked Sep 5, 2026
Connecticut confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located. What Connecticut supplies instead is a statutory dispute signpost: the insurer must tell the claimant, in prescribed type, that they may dispute the settlement amount by contacting the Insurance Department's Consumer Affairs Division.	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-353(b)(3) checked Sep 6, 2026
Delaware confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. § 2304(16) contains no appraisal or umpire procedure; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	18 Del. C. § 2304(16) (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Florida confirmed: no rule	Policy-based. No Florida statute requires or regulates an appraisal clause in personal auto policies; § 626.9743 is silent (the companion property statute § 626.9744(4) leaves settlement-dispute provisions to the policy)	Fla. Stat. § 626.9743 (silent); cf. § 626.9744(4) checked Sep 4, 2026
Georgia	Policy-based appraisal is standard; in addition, Georgia rule lets either party request Commissioner-administered arbitration when liability is affirmed but amount is disputed (3-member panel, costs split, binding and satisfies any policy arbitration clause). No statutory appraiser-naming deadline	Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 120-2-52-.03(6) checked Sep 4, 2026
Hawaii	Named in the statute as one of the permitted responses. Where the insured cannot buy a comparable vehicle at the determined market value within 30 days but has located one costing more, the insurer may pay the difference, purchase the vehicle, USE APPRAISAL, or reopen the claim file.	HRS § 431:10C-311(b)(3) checked Sep 6, 2026
Idaho confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. § 41-1329 contains no appraisal or umpire procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	Idaho Code § 41-1329 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Illinois	Policy-based; no Illinois statute mandates an appraisal provision or sets appraiser-naming timelines. The regulation recognizes settlement 'under the appraisal section of the insurance contract' as one of the insurer's Right-of-Recourse options and deems the result binding on both parties.	50 Ill. Adm. Code 919.80(c)(2)(F)(iv) checked Sep 4, 2026
Indiana confirmed: no rule	No state rule. Indiana's statutes and insurance rules set no appraisal procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies, it is a term of the policy.	IC 27-1-13-7; 760 IAC 1-1 (no appraisal provision) checked Sep 13, 2026
Iowa confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located. Iowa's substitute is a recourse right: where the insured notifies the insurer within 35 days of receipt of the claim draft that they cannot purchase a comparable vehicle, recourse procedures apply.	Iowa Admin. Code r. 191-15.43(1)(a)(3) checked Sep 5, 2026
Kansas confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located. Kansas's substitute is a right of recourse with a duty to act on it: where the claimant notifies the insurer within 30 days after receiving the claim draft that they cannot purchase a comparable automobile for that amount, the insurer must reopen the claim file within FIVE BUSINESS DAYS.	K.A.R. 40-1-34 (right of recourse provision) checked Sep 5, 2026
Kentucky confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located. What 806 KAR 12:095 provides instead is a recourse right: if the insurer is notified within 35 days of receipt of the settlement check that the insured cannot purchase a comparable motor vehicle for fair market value, it must reopen the claim file.	806 KAR 12:095 § 7(1)(c) checked Sep 5, 2026
Louisiana confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located, but the statute does give the insured an express route: where they dispute the insurer's figure, they may present an independent valuation of the vehicle.	La. R.S. 22:1892(A)(5) checked Sep 5, 2026
Maine confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located in the sections read. Where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	24-A M.R.S. §§ 2436, 2436-A, 2907 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Maryland confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located — but Maryland supplies something more directly useful in its place: a regulated counteroffer procedure. The claimant may reject the offer in writing and counteroffer on dealer quotations, advertisements, or any other source of valuation for a substantially similar vehicle.	COMAR 31.15.12.06A(2), B checked Sep 5, 2026
Massachusetts confirmed: no rule	No state rule creating one. Massachusetts regulates licensed motor vehicle damage appraisers extensively at 211 CMR 133.00, but that is a licensing and inspection regime rather than a dispute-resolution procedure; where an appraisal provision applies to a valuation disagreement it comes from the policy.	211 CMR 133.00 (licensing and appraisal-practice regime; no policy appraisal procedure located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Michigan confirmed: no rule	Policy-based only. No Michigan statute or rule mandates an appraisal provision or sets appraiser/umpire timelines for auto physical damage; the standard personal auto policy's appraisal clause (each party names an appraiser, appraisers select an umpire) governs where present.	None (policy provision); no statutory counterpart located checked Sep 4, 2026
Minnesota confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. Minnesota's unfair claims practices statute contains no appraisal procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	Minn. Stat. § 72A.201 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Mississippi confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. Mississippi imposes no statutory or regulatory appraisal procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	Miss. Code § 83-11-551 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Missouri confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. Missouri's improper claims settlement practices regulation contains no appraisal procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	20 CSR 100-1.050 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Montana confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located. Where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy — though note that a policy provision measuring total-loss reimbursement by book value is void under § 33-23-202 regardless of what the appraisal machinery says.	MCA §§ 33-23-202, 33-18-201 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Nebraska confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located for a total loss. Nebraska does provide a recourse mechanism, but only for NON-total losses: where the claimant obtains a higher estimate, the insurer may pay the difference or promptly name at least one quality repair shop that will do the work for its figure.	210 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 60, § 009.04 checked Sep 5, 2026
Nevada confirmed: no rule	No state rule. Nevada's insurance statutes and claims regulation set no appraisal procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies, it is a term of the policy.	NAC 686A.600 to 686A.690; NRS 686A.310; NRS chapters 687B and 690B (no appraisal provision) checked Sep 13, 2026
New Hampshire confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located, but a strong statutory reconsideration right in its place: if within 20 days of receipt of the settlement payment the claimant presents evidence from 2 reliable sources that the vehicle would have a higher fair market value, the insurer must reconsider.	N.H. Admin. Code § Ins 1002.15(c) checked Sep 5, 2026
New Jersey	Recognized by regulation as one of the routes out of a disputed total loss. Where a claim is reopened because the insured cannot buy a comparable vehicle at the insurer's figure, either party may conclude the settlement under the policy's own appraisal section, and the result is binding on both — without waiving other rights under the contract or at law.	N.J.A.C. 11:3-10.4(b)4 checked Sep 5, 2026
New Mexico confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. § 59A-16-20 contains no appraisal or umpire procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	NMSA § 59A-16-20 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
New York confirmed: no rule	Policy-based. Neither Regulation 64 (§ 216.7 contains no appraisal provision — unlike California's § 2695.8(c)(3)) nor the Insurance Law mandates appraisal for auto physical damage. The statutory appraisal clause (Ins. Law § 3404(e), standard fire policy lines: each party names a competent, disinterested appraiser within 20 days of written demand; umpire within 15 days, else court-selected) applies to fire policies only. NY personal auto policies (ISO PP 00 01 Part D) customarily include an appraisal clause with similar 20-day/15-day mechanics, so cite the policy, not a statute.	cf. N.Y. Ins. Law § 3404(e) (standard fire insurance policy, appraisal lines); 11 NYCRR § 216.7 (no appraisal provision) checked Sep 4, 2026
North Carolina	Statutory. Every NC motor vehicle liability policy must contain an appraisal procedure for disputed vehicle property-damage amounts (including diminution in value) when coverage/liability is not disputed: either party may demand in writing if the gap exceeds the lesser of $2,000 or 25% of pre-accident retail value; each names a licensed, disinterested appraiser within 20 days; appraisers pick an umpire (magistrate selects if no agreement in 15 days); either party may reject the report within 15 days, otherwise binding; each pays own appraiser, umpire cost split equally.	N.C.G.S. § 20-279.21(d1); 11 NCAC 04 .0425(3)-(4); 11 NCAC 04 .0421(b)(5), (d) checked Sep 4, 2026
North Dakota confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. § 26.1-04-03(9) contains no appraisal or umpire procedure; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	N.D.C.C. § 26.1-04-03(9) (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Ohio confirmed: no rule	Policy-based; Ohio Adm. Code 3901-1-54 contains no appraisal provision, appraiser-naming timeline or appraiser licensing requirement (full-text search of the rule finds no occurrence of 'apprais'). Any appraisal right comes from the personal auto policy's own appraisal condition.	Ohio Adm. Code 3901-1-54 (silent) checked Sep 23, 2026
Oklahoma confirmed: no rule	No state rule for auto policies. Oklahoma's statutory appraisal procedure belongs to the standard fire insurance policy; nothing in the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act or elsewhere in Title 36 prescribes one for a first-party auto valuation dispute, so any appraisal right is a term of the policy.	36 O.S. §§ 1250.1 to 1250.16; 36 O.S. § 4803 (standard fire policy only) checked Sep 13, 2026
Oregon confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located. Oregon's substitute is the 35-day recourse right: if the insurer is notified within 35 days of receipt of the claim draft that the insured cannot purchase a comparable vehicle at the market value determined, it must reopen the claim file.	OAR 836-080-0240(6) checked Sep 5, 2026
Pennsylvania	Policy-based; no Pennsylvania statute mandates an appraisal condition in personal auto policies or sets appraiser-naming timelines. IMPORTANT WORDING CONSTRAINT: in Pennsylvania 'appraiser' and 'appraisal' of motor vehicle physical damage are licensed activities under the Motor Vehicle Physical Damage Appraiser Act (63 P.S. §§ 851-863); no person may act or hold themselves out as an appraiser without a PID license, and total-loss evaluation reports must be prepared by a licensed appraiser (31 Pa. Code § 62.3(e)(5)-(7)). Product output for PA must not describe itself as an 'appraisal' or the user as an 'appraiser'.	63 P.S. § 853; 31 Pa. Code § 62.3(e)(5)-(7) checked Sep 4, 2026
Rhode Island confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located. Rhode Island's substitute is a 35-day recourse right: if the insurer is notified within 35 days of receipt of the claim draft that the insured cannot purchase a comparable vehicle for the fair market value, it must reopen the claim file.	230-RICR-20-40-2.8(B)(2) checked Sep 5, 2026
South Carolina confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. South Carolina's unfair claim practices statute contains no appraisal or arbitration procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	S.C. Code § 38-59-20 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
South Dakota confirmed: no rule	No state rule. South Dakota's statutes and insurance rules set no appraisal procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies, it is a term of the policy.	SDCL title 58; ARSD article 20:06 (no appraisal provision) checked Sep 13, 2026
Tennessee confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. Tennessee's unfair claims chapter contains no appraisal procedure for first-party auto physical damage; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-01-05 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Texas	Policy-based. Standard Texas personal auto policies include an appraisal clause (each side hires an appraiser; appraisers pick an umpire; decision binding). No statutory appraisal timeline for auto	TDI Consumer Guide 'Auto insurance guide' (cb020), Resolving problems — Ask for an appraisal checked Sep 4, 2026
Utah confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. R590-190-12 contains no appraisal or umpire procedure for a first-party auto valuation dispute; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	Utah Admin. Code R590-190-12 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Vermont confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located in the regulation, but the settlement offer must itself tell the claimant they may dispute the valuation — and a claimant who rejects a replacement-vehicle offer has that rejection documented in the claim file.	Vt. Reg. I-79-2 § 8(B)(2)(g)(3); § 8(B)(1) checked Sep 5, 2026
Virginia confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. Virginia's automobile claim settlement regulation contains no appraisal procedure; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	14 VAC 5-400-70, -80 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Washington	Recognized by regulation, though the procedure itself is the policy's. Where the parties fail to agree on actual cash value and the policy contains an appraisal provision, either the insurer or the first-party claimant may invoke it to resolve the dispute.	WAC 284-30-391(3) checked Sep 5, 2026
West Virginia confirmed: no rule	No state appraisal procedure located. § 114-14-7 contains no appraisal or umpire machinery; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	W. Va. Code R. § 114-14-7 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026
Wisconsin	Wisconsin is unusually protective here, though it works through arbitration rather than an appraisal provision. Failing, where appropriate, to make use of arbitration procedures authorized or permitted under the policy is itself an unfair claim settlement practice — and so is adopting a policy of appealing arbitration awards that favor claimants in order to compel them to accept less than the award.	Wis. Admin. Code Ins 6.11(3)(a)12, (3)(a)13 checked Sep 5, 2026
Wyoming confirmed: no rule	No state rule located. § 26-13-124 contains no appraisal or umpire procedure; where an appraisal provision applies it is a term of the policy.	Wyo. Stat. § 26-13-124 (no appraisal provision located) checked Sep 5, 2026

The pattern is worth noticing: in most of these states the provision is policy-based rather than statutory. That means the terms that matter — who pays for what, how long each side has, whether either side can be compelled — come from your own policy document, not from a regulation. Read the paragraph before you invoke it.

When it beats another letter

Consider it when three things are true:

1. The gap is large enough to be worth the cost. Each side generally pays for its own valuer and splits the umpire, so a dispute of a few hundred dollars rarely justifies it.
2. The disagreement is genuinely about amount, not about coverage. Appraisal provisions resolve the size of a loss, not whether the loss is covered.
3. You have already put your position in writing and been refused. Invoking this first skips a step that often works on its own.

What it costs and how long it takes

Both depend on your policy and your market, and any specific figure you read online is a guess about someone else's claim. The honest answer is that you should ask, in writing, before you commit: what the insurer's position is on costs, and what timetable the policy sets.

Three questions are worth putting in that letter, because the answers are what decide whether this is worth doing.

Who pays the umpire, and what if we never need one? The usual arrangement is that each side pays its own valuer and the umpire is split, but "usual" is not "your policy". If the two valuers agree, there may be no umpire cost at all.

Is the outcome binding on the amount? In most policies it is, on amount only. That is the point of the process and it is also the risk: a determination below your figure is still a determination, and you will have paid for it.

What does the insurer say the timetable is? Some policies set periods for naming a valuer and for the valuers to select an umpire. Where the policy is silent, ask the insurer to state a timetable in writing so there is something to hold them to.

Whether it is the right move at all

For a dispute in the low hundreds it usually is not, and the arithmetic is worth doing honestly before you start. Against a four-figure gap on a report with identifiable defects, the calculation is different — and it is different again if the insurer has simply stopped replying, because this is a process they cannot ignore in the way they can ignore a letter.

It is also worth knowing that invoking it often produces movement before it produces a valuation. A claim that is heading into a formal amount-resolution process gets looked at by someone more senior, and a report with a comparable 200 miles away and an undocumented condition deduction does not look better under that scrutiny than it did under yours.

One state licenses the people who do this

Where a state licenses those who value motor vehicle physical damage, engaging someone unlicensed under this provision of your policy has consequences beyond the claim. Confirm the license before you agree to anything, and ask for the number rather than the assurance.

Everywhere else, the person you name is your choice and their credibility is part of what you are buying. Someone who works on total-loss valuations routinely, who will put their reasoning in writing, and who is willing to explain their comparables is worth more than the cheapest available quote — because the document they produce is the thing that has to persuade a stranger.

In most states there is no statutory procedure at all

This is the single most useful fact on the page, and it surprises people who have read that the appraisal clause is a right. In the large majority of states the section that would carry a statutory appraisal provision has been opened and read, and there is nothing there.

What that means in practice is that your route runs through the policy rather than the code. The clause is in the contract, its timetable is whatever the contract says, and the state has no view on how long either side may take to name someone or what happens if they do not. So the first thing to do is not to look up your state's rule — there is not one — but to find the appraisal clause of your own policy and read the timetable it sets.

What those states give you instead

The absence of a statutory provision does not always mean the absence of a remedy, and several states substitute something that is arguably more useful than the appraisal clause ever was.

The most common substitute is a right of recourse: where the settlement will not actually buy a comparable vehicle, the claimant notifies the insurer within a set window and the insurer must reopen the file and either pay the difference or find the car itself. That is a stronger position than the appraisal clause gives you, in one specific way — it puts the obligation to act on the insurer rather than requiring you to hire and pay someone. The windows differ, and one state's runs for sixty days where most run thirty-five.

Other states substitute a duty to explain rather than a duty to act: the insurer must give a written basis for the figure, or must tell you in writing about any policy provision limiting your time to sue. Those are weaker, but they are the hook for a written request, and a written request creates a dated record that a regulator complaint can rest on later.

The point is that "no statutory appraisal provision" is not the end of it. It tells you which door to try, and on this site each state's row names the one it has. Read that before you spend money under an appraisal clause your policy may not even require the insurer to participate in.

Before you invoke it

Ask for the complete valuation file first. In several states you are entitled to it, and it is often the cheaper route to the same place.

Note what those two require. In one, the evaluation report is owed to you automatically within days, without your asking. In the other, the cost of the comparable vehicle must be itemized and explained in writing at the time the offer is made — again as a matter of course, not on request.

If your state owes you the file and you did not receive it, that is worth raising before anything else, and it is a better opening than a valuation argument. It is a specific failure with a date attached, the remedy is a document rather than money, and an insurer that has to produce the file often answers the valuation question in the act of producing it.

Read the file when it arrives before deciding anything. A surprising number of disputes end there — not because the report turns out to be right, but because the defect turns out to be arithmetic that the insurer will simply correct once someone points at it.