USPAP is an acronym for Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice as promulgated by The Appraisal Foundation of Washington, DC. USPAP are the generally accepted standards for all appraisers in the United States - be they real property appraisers, personal property appraisers, or business valuators. The purpose of USPAP is to promote and maintain a high level of public trust in appraisal practice by establishing requirements for appraisers. If properly understood and complied with, USPAP establishes a basis for credibility so that a report can be properly developed, meaningful, not misleading and worthy of belief. There is a high level of probability that a report has been developed competently and ethically if it has been written to the standards of USPAP.

USPAP was originally written in 1986-1987 by an appraisal profession Ad Hoc Committee and was donated to The Appraisal Foundation in 1987. The Financial Institutions Reform Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) of 1989 cites USPAP as the standard to be enforced by state real estate appraiser licensing and certification boards. In the Pension Protection Act of 2006 the Internal Revenue Service cites USPAP as a recommended standard to which all donation appraisals must be written. USPAP compliance is also required by professional appraisal associations, client groups and by dozens of federal, state and local agencies. USPAP is updated on a periodic basis, and is growing in acceptance throughout the world. Many professional associations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia have accepted USPAP as the standard of practice for their membership.