The short answer: Friedman & Associates provides Gatlinburg and Sevier County public adjuster representation for wildfire, smoke, wind, hail, water, cabin, and commercial losses, and for our specialty: claims that were denied or underpaid. We are licensed in Tennessee and inspect in person, on the roof and inside the loss. The initial claim review is free. If we offer representation, the written agreement states the contingency fee before you decide. No recovery, no fee. Call 877-650-3515 or text the partners.
Call us before you call your carrier. The first phone call shapes the whole claim. Already filed, or an adjuster already assigned? We're still your next call.
NOAA ledger
TDCI Rule 0780-01-05
Every kind of Sevier County loss.
Results and press
$1,664,329 recovered above the carriers' first offers on just 10 recent published files, from more than a decade of this work. See real case results. You could be next.
"He helped me recover 4 times what insurance was offering… extremely diligent and moralistic in how he worked."Kelly, Google review · 4.8★ across 23 reviews · read them all
When you hire the firm, you get the partners: Joshua and Hannah Friedman, with Callie Macho on client success. Not a call center, and not a drive-by inspection either.
Want the fuller picture first? The film, the results register, and the client portal are all at the front door. Meet the firm →
What a Gatlinburg claim looks like
A Parkway building and a hillside cabin produce different claim files. Downtown losses can reach tenant improvements, stock, equipment, and business income. On the ridges, one roof opening can carry water through several floors before anyone arrives; steep access also changes drying, debris removal, and reconstruction.
Overnight rentals add a second ledger. Keep the city permit and inspection file beside booking calendars, cancellations, platform statements, tax returns, and the management agreement. The structure estimate does not prove lost rent.
The 2016 Chimney Tops 2 fire reached Gatlinburg during drought and extreme wind. A fire file must separate burned material from smoke, soot, heat, suppression water, contents, code work, landscaping, and access.
High-value claims get private-client handling: strict confidentiality, your file held at the partner level, and the expert bench a complex property deserves. Private client services →
Not every claim qualifies. Four quick moves build your private review.
The law and the clock
Tennessee's claim rules call for acknowledgment within 30 days and generally an accept-or-deny decision with written reasons within 60 days after completed proof of loss, subject to the rule's fraud-investigation exception. Undisputed amounts are due within 30 days after liability is accepted (TDCI Rule 0780-01-05). Under fire and extended-coverage policies that provide replacement-cost coverage, Rule .10 addresses a reasonably uniform appearance according to the policy and requires the depreciation worksheet on request. If an applicable appraisal clause assigns a valuation dispute to the panel, either party may demand appraisal; the policy and claim record control (Merrimack Mutual v. Batts, 2001). After the statutory 60-day demand, a bad-faith refusal to pay can expose the carrier to up to 25% more (§ 56-7-105).
One clock outranks everything: your policy's own "Suit Against Us" clause. Tennessee has a six-year statutory period for contract claims, but policies commonly impose shorter suit deadlines of one or two years. Do not assume negotiations extend the clause; have Tennessee counsel calculate and preserve the earliest plausible deadline.
The Sevier County record
Two preliminary wind reports on August 17, 2026, including one three miles west-southwest of Gatlinburg. The county record contains 57 logged events since 2020. The 2026 season is already on the record: 3 reports so far. The biggest hail on the record near here in the last twelve months is 1.25", at 4 W Pigeon Forge, about 9 miles from Gatlinburg, on September 4, 2025. Already this year, Aug 17, 2026: damaging wind logged at Gatlinburg, in this county. Tying your damage to a dated event on this record is how a wear-and-tear opinion gets rebutted.
Inside the one-year window: 13 logged events in this county in the last twelve months, the most recent on Aug 17, 2026, including 6 hail reports. Policies commonly shorten the suit deadline to one or two years by clause, so those are the dates still working for you.
| Date | Event | Size or speed | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2026 † | Damaging wind | damage reported | Gatlinburg |
| Aug 17, 2026 † | Damaging wind | damage reported | Sevierville |
| Jul 28, 2026 † | Damaging wind | damage reported | Pigeon Forge |
| Dec 19, 2025 † | Damaging wind | 61 mph | Harrisburg |
| Oct 21, 2025 | Hail | 1" | Kodak |
| Jun 24, 2025 | Hail | 1" | Gatlinburg |
| Apr 10, 2025 | Hail | 1.25" | Gatlinburg |
| May 6, 2024 | Hail | 1.25" | Glades |
† preliminary NWS Local Storm Report; NOAA finalization pending. More of the record lives at Sevier County: per-row federal links, refreshed weekly (last: 2026-08-10). Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, cross-read against NWS Local Storm Reports. Storm reports are point observations from spotters, stations, and survey teams — a sample of what happened, never an inventory. The absence of an entry for a date or place is not evidence that no damage occurred there.
The most severe on the county record
Carriers audit storm claims against this same federal record. By its own measurements, the worst of it looked like this:
| Date | Event | Where | Measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2025 | Hail | Beech Spgs | 1.75" hail |
| May 6, 2024 | Hail | Glades | 1.5" hail |
| Sep 4, 2025 | Hail | Walden Creek | 1.25" hail |
Ratings, hail sizes and wind speeds as recorded by the National Weather Service. NOAA also logs a rough dollar figure for some events; those are whole-event estimates entered by the local office, frequently blank and often far below real losses, so we do not publish them as if they meant anything about your claim.
Questions from around Gatlinburg
Should I call you before I call my insurance company?
Yes. What gets said in the first call shapes the whole claim, so talk to us first. Already filed, or an adjuster already assigned? Call us anyway. We step in at any stage, and the earlier the better.
Is there a public adjuster near me in Gatlinburg?
Yes. Friedman & Associates is licensed in Tennessee and provides in-person Gatlinburg public adjuster inspections for homes, cabins, overnight rentals, and commercial property. Your claim is handled by the partners, with a secure portal for the live file.
How much does a public adjuster cost in Gatlinburg?
The initial claim review is free. If we offer representation, the written agreement states the contingency fee and scope before you decide. No recovery, no fee.
Can you handle a wildfire or smoke claim?
Yes. A wildfire claim can include direct fire damage, smoke and soot, heat, suppression water, contents, landscaping, code work, and covered access-related income loss. Photograph every elevation and room before cleaning starts; preserve damaged material when safe.
What is different about a Gatlinburg cabin or overnight-rental claim?
The building and income losses need separate proof. Preserve booking calendars, cancellations, platform statements, tax returns, management agreements, and permit records. The carrier’s building estimate does not prove lost rent.
Was recent Gatlinburg hail large enough to damage a roof?
NOAA logged 1.25-inch hail at Gatlinburg on April 10, 2025, and 1.5-inch hail near Glades on May 6, 2024. That is large enough to bruise asphalt shingles and dent soft metals, but the claim still needs a dated inspection that ties the damage pattern to the event.
How long does an insurance company have to decide a Tennessee claim?
Tennessee’s claims rules call for acknowledgment within 30 days and generally an accept-or-deny decision within 60 days after completed proof of loss, subject to the rule’s fraud-investigation exception. Undisputed amounts are due within 30 days after liability is accepted. Put every missed deadline in writing.
Our contractor offered to handle the insurance claim. Is that normal?
It is common after every storm, and claim negotiation in Tennessee is licensed public adjuster work. That is no knock on your contractor. We handle the carrier, your builder handles the build, and we work well beside good contractors. Do not let cleanup outrun the camera: tarps, tear-off, and soot cleaning erase evidence.
Prefer a quieter first step? Ask us anything, free: a real answer from a licensed adjuster, no strings.
Friedman & Associates are licensed Tennessee public adjusters, not attorneys. Our work is the licensed practice of public adjusting: reading the policy, documenting and valuing the loss, negotiating with the carrier, and preparing appraisal. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and litigation, including bad-faith suits under § 56-7-105, is referred to independent policyholder counsel.
Don't take the carrier's first number. A free, confidential review by Tennessee-licensed public adjusters. Under § 56-6-913, nothing is ever owed before your claim settles. No recovery, no fee.
See if my case qualifies 877-650-3515