What are my claim timelines under Georgia law?

Georgia insurers work under fixed deadlines set by the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act, O.C.G.A. 33-6-30 through 33-6-37. Once a claim is reported, the insurer must acknowledge it within 15 days. For a property claim, the insurer must make a decision within 15 days of receiving a completed proof of loss, a signed, itemized statement describing what was damaged, when it happened, and the dollar amount being claimed, or within 30 days of the claim being reported if no proof of loss has been requested yet. These are outside deadlines for a response, not a promise that the claim pays in full or that the process ends there.

A separate statute covers what happens when an insurer refuses a claim without a reasonable basis. Under O.C.G.A. 33-4-6, a policyholder can send the insurer a written demand for payment. If the insurer does not pay within 60 days of that demand and a court later finds the refusal was in bad faith, meaning the denial lacked a reasonable basis in the policy or the facts, the policyholder can recover a penalty of up to 50 percent of the loss amount or $5,000, whichever is greater, on top of the underlying claim payment, plus attorney fees. That 60-day demand is a specific legal step, not simply asking the adjuster to reconsider by phone.

An example makes the sequence concrete. A Fulton County homeowner files a $40,000 water-damage claim, submits a complete proof of loss, and the insurer neither pays nor issues a written denial after 45 days. That already exceeds the 15-day decision deadline tied to a completed proof of loss. If the homeowner then sends a formal 60-day demand letter and the insurer still does not respond with a reasonable basis for denial, the bad-faith penalty framework in O.C.G.A. 33-4-6 becomes available.

These timelines apply across most personal lines, home, auto, and renters claims alike, though the underlying claim-handling steps differ by coverage type. For what happens in the first hours and days after a loss, including documentation that supports a stronger proof of loss, see the insurance claims guide. The proof of loss glossary entry covers what that document needs to include in more detail. Auto and homeowners claims each carry their own carrier-specific reporting steps; see auto insurance and homeowners insurance for coverage-specific context. A coverage review before a loss happens is the point at which documentation gaps and coverage limits get caught, rather than during a claim under a 15-day clock.