LEGAL · FLORIDA & NEW JERSEY

Florida and New Jersey Property Claim Deadlines, All in One Place

Q: How long do I have to file a homeowners insurance claim in Florida?

Under Fla. Stat. §627.70132 , notice of an initial or reopened claim must be given within 1 year after the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months.

Q: How long does an insurance company have to pay a claim in Florida?

Under Fla. Stat. §627.70131 , the insurer must pay or deny the claim within 60 days after receiving notice of it, with a written explanation of any denial or partial payment.

Q: How long does an insurer have to decide a claim in New Jersey?

Under N.J.A.C. 11:2-17.7 , a first-party property claim must be decided within 30 calendar days after the insurer receives properly executed proofs of loss, unless there is a clear justification, with written updates every 45 days if it can't.

Q: How long do I have to sue my insurance company in Florida?

Under Fla. Stat. §95.11(2)(e) , an action for breach of a property insurance contract must be brought within 5 years, counted from the date of loss. A notice of intent to sue must be filed first, under §627.70152 .

By Nelson Avila, Licensed Florida Public Adjuster (License G332385) · Florida Certified Contractor
Homeland Public Adjusters · Last reviewed: October 2026

Infographic listing Florida and New Jersey property insurance claim deadlines side by side, with the statute or regulation for each

Most deadlines start on the date of loss

Short answer: In Florida, you must report a property claim within 1 year of the date of loss (18 months for a supplemental claim), the insurer must pay or deny within 60 days of notice, and a lawsuit on the policy must generally be filed within 5 years of the date of loss. New Jersey sets insurer response times by regulation, and most policies require a lawsuit within 12 months, paused while the claim is pending.

Florida deadlines

Deadline	Time limit	Source
Report an initial or reopened claim	Within 1 year after the date of loss	Fla. Stat. §627.70132
Report a supplemental claim (more damage, same event)	Within 18 months after the date of loss	§627.70132
Insurer acknowledges your claim	Within 7 days	§627.70131
Insurer begins its investigation	Within 7 days after receiving proof of loss	§627.70131
Insurer's physical inspection, if needed	Within 30 days after receiving proof of loss	§627.70131
Insurer sends you the adjuster's detailed estimate	Within 7 days after the adjuster creates it	§627.70131
Insurer pays or denies (initial, reopened or supplemental)	Within 60 days after notice of the claim, in writing	§627.70131
Notice of intent to sue, before filing	At least 10 business days before filing a lawsuit	§627.70152
Insurer responds to the notice of intent	Within 10 business days	§627.70152
Back out of a DFS mediation settlement	Within 3 business days, unless you've cashed or deposited the check	§627.7015
File a lawsuit for breach of the policy	Within 5 years after the date of loss	§95.11(2)(e)

Some insurer deadlines pause during mediation or other dispute resolution, and while the insurer waits for information it has requested. Older policies issued before the December 2022 changes may follow earlier reporting deadlines; check your policy's effective date.

New Jersey deadlines

Deadline	Time limit	Source
Insurer acknowledges your claim	Within 10 working days of notice	N.J.A.C. 11:2-17.6
Insurer begins its investigation	Within 10 working days of notice	N.J.A.C. 11:2-17.7
Insurer decides a first-party property claim	Within 30 calendar days after receiving properly executed proofs of loss, unless clearly justified	N.J.A.C. 11:2-17.7
If it can't decide in time	Written notice by the end of that period, then every 45 days	N.J.A.C. 11:2-17.7
Insurer pays after you agree to a settlement	Within 10 working days	N.J.A.C. 11:2-17.7
File a lawsuit on the policy	Usually 12 months after the loss under the policy, paused from notice of the claim until a formal denial	Policy terms; Peloso v. Hartford Fire Ins. Co., 56 N.J. 514 (1970)

Your New Jersey policy requires prompt notice of a loss, so report it as soon as you can. Check your policy for its own proof of loss and replacement cost deadlines too.

What "date of loss" means after a storm: in Florida, for hurricanes and windstorms the statute ties the date of loss to the storm itself (for a hurricane, its landfall date). Write that date down; most of the deadlines above count from it.

Deadlines run the same in Tampa, Jacksonville and Trenton; the difference is which state's statute applies.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a homeowners insurance claim in Florida?

Under Fla. Stat. §627.70132, notice of an initial or reopened claim must be given within 1 year after the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months.

How long does an insurance company have to pay a claim in Florida?

Under Fla. Stat. §627.70131, the insurer must pay or deny the claim within 60 days after receiving notice of it, with a written explanation of any denial or partial payment.

How long does an insurer have to decide a claim in New Jersey?

Under N.J.A.C. 11:2-17.7, a first-party property claim must be decided within 30 calendar days after the insurer receives properly executed proofs of loss, unless there is a clear justification, with written updates every 45 days if it can't.

How long do I have to sue my insurance company in Florida?

Under Fla. Stat. §95.11(2)(e), an action for breach of a property insurance contract must be brought within 5 years, counted from the date of loss. A notice of intent to sue must be filed first, under §627.70152.

Deadlines are one of the first things Homeland checks on every claim. If you're unsure where yours stands, call us 24/7 and we'll tell you.

This article is for general information only and is not legal or insurance advice. Statutes, regulations and policy wording change, and how they apply depends on your own policy and the facts of your claim. Homeland Public Adjusters is a public adjusting firm, not a law firm.

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