Chapter 1813 — created by Senate Bill 458 (89th Texas Legislature) — makes the auto insurance appraisal clause mandatory instead of optional, effective January 1, 2026. Here's what's confirmed, what's still being verified, and what it actually means for a Texas claim.
Before Chapter 1813, appraisal clauses varied policy to policy, and some insurers argued the clause wasn't available until both sides were at a complete impasse — a procedural stall tactic. Chapter 1813 removes that ambiguity for personal auto and residential property policies:
Chapter 1813 requires an appraisal provision in every personal auto and residential property policy issued or renewed in Texas on or after this date. This is confirmed and settled — not a proposal.
The Texas Department of Insurance's procedural rule (28 TAC §§5.9800–5.9806, Docket 2862) — which sets the specific deadlines and appraiser/umpire qualifications — was targeted to take effect on this date. We confirm the current, applicable status of this rule as part of every free review, since implementation timing can shift right up to a rule's effective date.
TDI's rule under Docket 2862 sets out a specific sequence: a written demand window, a period for each side to name an appraiser, a period for the appraisers to try to agree, and an outer deadline once an umpire is involved. Two of these figures have been consistent across every draft and version of the rule: a 120-day demand window from the insurer's notice, and a 20-day window for each side to name its appraiser after a demand is made.
The remaining deadlines — how long appraisers have to agree before an umpire is required, and the outer limit once an umpire is engaged — have been reported differently across sources during the rule's drafting process. Rather than publish a specific number we can't fully verify as final, we confirm the exact current deadlines that apply to your claim as part of every free review.
One provision has drawn real pushback during TDI's rulemaking process: an early draft would have let insurers pre-select a vendor-based umpire mechanism inside the policy, before any dispute even exists. Public adjusters, attorneys, and consumer advocates raised concerns that this lets a carrier shape the umpire pool in its own favor. Kingdom First's position is straightforward: when appraisers can't agree, judicial appointment of the umpire — not a carrier's preferred vendor network — is what keeps the process genuinely independent.
We invoke the Chapter 1813 appraisal clause on your behalf, name a qualified appraiser, and push for judicial appointment of the umpire when the two sides can't agree — across total loss, repair, and diminished value disputes.
We review your insurer's valuation or repair estimate, tell you plainly whether appraisal is worth invoking, and handle the process if it is.
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