The deadline question
The honest answer is: it depends on which clock governs you — and there are two. Your policy's clock, and your state's legal floor. Insurers quote the first. This page lays out both, state by state, from the statutes themselves.
The standard ISO HO-3 Loss Settlement language gives the homeowner 180 days from the date of loss to notify the insurer of the intent to repair or replace and claim the full replacement cost. Read that carefully: in the standard form it is a notice deadline. Many carrier forms pair it with — or convert it into — a completion-and-proof deadline, and adjuster letters routinely blur the two. Which clock you are actually on is written in your own policy's Loss Settlement section; nobody at the carrier volunteers the distinction. Carrier guidance says the same in plainer words: Travelers tells its own policyholders to notify their claim professional of the intent to recover depreciation within 180 days of the date of loss.
Sources: ISO HO-3 standard form language as quoted by practitioner sources; Travelers, "Understanding depreciation" (carrier guidance), checked Oct 20, 2026.
| State | The floor | The law |
|---|---|---|
| California | No limit under 12 months from the first ACV payment; 36 months for losses tied to a declared state of emergency; insurer must grant 6-month extensions for good cause | Cal. Ins. Code § 2051.5(b) |
| Maryland | 2 years after the date of loss to claim the ACV-to-replacement-cost difference for completed repairs (the insurer may still require intent notice within 180 days) | Md. Code, Insurance § 19-213 |
| New Mexico | No timeframe condition is authorized at all — paying only ACV because work wasn't finished in a set time "is not allowed"; insurers were ordered to withdraw forms with time limits | NMSA § 59A-18-17(C); OSI Bulletin 2024-003 |
| Colorado | At least 365 days after your living-expense coverage expires to replace property and recover depreciation (total-loss contents); 365 days to submit the inventory | C.R.S. § 10-4-110.8(11)(c) |
| Every other state | No state minimum located in our research — your policy's deadline controls. Flagged honestly in the state table | Your policy's Loss Settlement section |
Take the later of the two clocks — that is the deadline a court or a regulator would measure. Then work to the earlier one anyway: notice is cheap, extensions are routinely granted when asked before the date, and a proof packet sent early cannot be argued with. The checker computes both dates from your loss date and your state, and counts the days left.
One more clock hides behind these: most policies impose a deadline to sue (commonly 1–2 years from the loss, modified by state law). It is the hard wall behind every other negotiation — the kit's deadline calendar puts it on the same page as the rest.
Not the end. In order: (1) send the written extension request with your good-cause facts — permit delays, material and contractor unavailability are the classic grounds, and California's statute names them; (2) if the insurer's own letters suggested more time, or it kept paying on the claim after the date, say so in writing — that is documented push-back ground; (3) complain to your state insurance department (free; the insurer must answer in writing). Doors and wording are in the kit; your department's link is in the state table.
Run your own numbers. The free checker takes your state, your dates, and the figures on the insurer's estimate — and returns the dollars still held back, your real deadline, and the next document to send. Run the checker →
The pages above are the map. The kit is the paperwork: the proof packet that releases the money, the letters that protect the clocks, and the complaint pack for when the stall continues.
One payment, yours to keep. We never ask you to upload your policy — you file everything yourself. See everything inside the kit →