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June 27, 2013 |
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2013-R-0258 |
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AUTO LIABILITY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS IN OTHER STATES |
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By: Janet L. Kaminski Leduc, Senior Legislative Attorney |
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You asked which states require people to purchase (1) auto liability insurance, (2) uninsured motorist coverage, and (3) underinsured motorist coverage. In states that require auto liability insurance, you want to know the minimum levels of insurance required.
Information for this report comes from the Insurance Information Institute’s June 2013 report titled Compulsory Auto/Uninsured Motorists (http://www.iii.org/issues_updates/compulsory-auto-uninsured-motorists.html).
(This report has been updated by OLR Report 2017-R-0050.)
summary
Auto liability insurance is mandatory in 49 states and the District of Columbia. New Hampshire, the only state that does not require auto liability insurance, requires drivers to show that they are able to provide sufficient funds in the case of an at-fault accident (i.e., financial responsibility). Liability insurance generally pays another driver’s medical, vehicle repair, and other costs when the policyholder is the at-fault driver in an accident. It covers (1) bodily injury (BI) per person and per accident and (2) property damage (PD). (Table 1 below lists the minimum liability limits required in each jurisdiction.)
Twenty two jurisdictions require uninsured motorist coverage (UM): Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. UM compensates policyholders when another driver who is at fault for the accident (1) has no auto liability insurance or (2) is a hit-and-run driver.
Fourteen states require underinsured motorist coverage (UIM): Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. UIM compensates a policyholder when the at-fault driver has an insufficient amount of auto liability insurance.
For a more detailed look at Connecticut’s auto insurance requirements, see OLR Research Report 2008-R-0493.
Table 1: Auto Insurance Requirements by State, June 2013
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State |
Insurance Required |
Minimum Liability Limits (in thousands of $) |
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Alabama |
Bodily injury and property damage liability (BI & PD) |
25/50/25.
The first number refers to BI liability limit for one person injured in an accident ($25,000). The second number refers to BI liability limit for all persons injured in an accident ($50,000). The third number refers to the PD liability limit ($25,000).
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Alaska |
BI & PD |
50/100/25 |
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Arizona |
BI & PD |
15/30/10 |
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Arkansas |
BI & PD, Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
(PIP is mandatory in no-fault states and generally covers medical, rehabilitation, loss of earnings, and funeral expenses.) |
25/50/25 |
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California |
BI & PD |
15/30/5
(Low-cost policy limits for low-income drivers in the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan are 10/20/3.) |
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Colorado |
BI & PD |
25/50/15 |
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Connecticut |
BI & PD, UM, UIM |
20/40/10 |
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Delaware |
BI & PD, PIP |
15/30/10 |
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District of Columbia |
BI & PD, UM |
25/50/10 |
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Florida |
BI & PD, PIP |
10/20/10 |
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Georgia |
BI & PD |
25/50/25 |
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Hawaii |
BI & PD, PIP |
20/40/10 |
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Idaho |
BI & PD |
25/50/15 |
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Illinois |
BI & PD, UM |
20/40/15 |
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Indiana |
BI & PD |
25/50/10 |
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Iowa |
BI & PD |
20/40/15 |
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Kansas |
BI & PD, PIP, UM |
25/50/10 |
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Kentucky |
BI & PD, PIP |
25/50/10 |
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Louisiana |
BI & PD |
15/30/25 |
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Maine |
BI & PD, UM, UIM |
50/100/25 |
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Maryland |
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM |
30/60/15 |
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Massachusetts |
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM |
20/40/5 |
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Michigan |
BI & PD, PIP |
20/40/10 |
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Minnesota |
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM |
30/60/10 |
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Mississippi |
BI & PD |
25/50/25 |
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Missouri |
BI & PD, UM |
25/50/10 |
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Montana |
BI & PD |
25/50/10 |
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Nebraska |
BI & PD, UM, UIM |
25/50/25 |
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Nevada |
BI & PD |
15/30/10 |
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New Hampshire |
Financial Responsibility only (liability insurance is not mandatory), UM |
25/50/25
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New Jersey |
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM |
15/30/5
(Optional basic policy limits are 10/10/5 without UM and UIM.) |
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New Mexico |
BI & PD |
25/50/10 |
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New York |
BI & PD, PIP, UM |
25/50/10
(In addition, policyholders must have 50/100 for wrongful death coverage.) |
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North Carolina |
BI & PD, UM, UIM |
30/60/25 |
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North Dakota |
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM |
25/50/25 |
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Ohio |
BI & PD |
12.5/25/7.5
(Effective December 22, 2013, Ohio’s limits increase to 25/50/25.) |
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Oklahoma |
BI & PD |
25/50/25 |
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Oregon |
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM |
25/50/20 |
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Pennsylvania |
BI & PD, PIP |
15/30/5 |
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Rhode Island |
BI & PD |
25/50/25 |
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South Carolina |
BI & PD, UM |
25/50/25 |
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South Dakota |
BI & PD,UM, UIM |
25/50/25 |
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Tennessee |
BI & PD |
25/50/15 |
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Texas |
BI & PD |
30/60/25 |
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Utah |
BI & PD, PIP |
25/65/15 |
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Vermont |
BI & PD, UM, UIM |
25/50/10 |
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Virginia |
BI & PD*, UM, UIM
(*compulsory to buy insurance or pay an Uninsured Motorists Vehicle fee to the Department of Motor Vehicles) |
25/50/20 |
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Washington |
BI & PD |
25/50/10 |
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West Virginia |
BI & PD, UM |
20/40/10 |
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Wisconsin |
BI & PD, UM, UIM |
25/50/10 |
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Wyoming |
BI & PD |
25/50/20 |
Source: Insurance Information Institute
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