Auto Liability Insurance Requirements
in Other States
By: Janet Kaminski Leduc, Senior Legislative Attorney
February 2, 2017 | 2017-R-0050

Issue
This report identifies the states that require people to purchase (1) auto liability insurance, (2)uninsured motorist coverage, and (3) underinsured motorist coverage. For the states that require
auto liability insurance, it lists the minimum levels of insurance required by law. (Information forthis report comes from the Insurance Information Institute’s September 2016 report, Compulsory
Auto/Uninsured Motorists.) (This report updates and replaces OLR Report 2013-R-0258.) This
report has been updated by OLR Report 2023-R-0090.

Auto Insurance Requirements
Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia require drivers to have auto liability insurance. New
Hampshire is the only state that does not require it. Instead, New Hampshire requires drivers toshow that they are able to provide sufficient funds in the case of an at-fault accident (i.e., proof offinancial responsibility) (see OLR Report 2013-R-0274).
Auto 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 andper accident and (2) property damage (PD). (Appendix 1 below lists the minimum liability limits
required in each jurisdiction.)
Twenty-one jurisdictions require uninsured motorist coverage (UM): Connecticut, District ofColumbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Southwww.cga.ct.gov/olr
OLRequest@cga.ct.gov

Connecticut General Assembly
Office of Legislative ResearchStephanie A. D’Ambrose, Director(860) 240-8400
Room 5300
Legislative Office BuildingDakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. UM compensates policyholders whenanother driver who is at fault for the accident (1) has no auto liability insurance or (2) is a hit-andrun driver.
Twelve states require underinsured motorist coverage (UIM): Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland,Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont,and Virginia. UIM compensates a policyholder when the at-fault driver has an insufficient amount of
auto liability insurance.
Appendix 1: Auto Insurance Requirements by StateState
Alabama

AlaskaArizona
Arkansas

California

Colorado
Connecticut
DelawareDistrict of Columbia
FloridaGeorgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
KansasKentucky2017-R-0050

Insurance Required

Minimum Auto Liability Limits(in thousands of $)Bodily injury and property
damage liability (BI & PD)

25/50/25

BI & PD
BI & PD
BI & PD, Personal Injury
Protection (PIP)

50/100/25
15/30/10
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 tothe PD liability limit ($25,000).

(PIP is mandatory in no-fault
states and generally covers
medical, rehabilitation, loss ofearnings, and funeral
expenses.)
BI & PD

15/30/5

BI & PD
BI & PD, UM, UIM
BI & PD, PIP
BI & PD, PIP, UM
PD, PIP
BI & PD
BI & PD, PIP
BI & PD
BI & PD, UM, UIM
BI & PD
BI & PD
BI & PD, PIP
BI & PD, PIP(Low-cost policy limits for low-income drivers in theCalifornia Automobile Assigned Risk Plan are10/20/3.)
25/50/15
20/40/10
15/30/10
25/50/10
10/20/10
25/50/25
20/40/10
25/50/15
25/50/20
25/50/10
20/40/15
25/50/25
25/50/10

February 2, 2017

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Appendix 1 (continued)
State
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
MichiganMinnesota
Mississippi
MissouriMontana
Nebraska
NevadaNew Hampshire
New Jersey

Insurance Required
BI & PD
BI & PD, UM
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM
BI & PD, PIP, UM
BI & PD, PIP
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM
BI & PD
BI & PD, UM
BI & PD
BI & PD, UM, UIM
BI & PD
Financial Responsibility only
(liability insurance is notmandatory), UM
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM

Minimum Auto Liability Limits(in thousands of $)15/30/25
50/100/25
30/60/15
20/40/5
20/40/10
30/60/10
25/50/25
25/50/10
25/50/20
25/50/25
15/30/10
25/50/25
15/30/5

BI & PD
BI & PD, PIP, UM(Optional basic policy limits are 10/10/5 without UMand UIM.)
25/50/10
25/50/10

North Carolina
North Dakota
OhioOklahoma
OregonPennsylvania
Rhode IslandSouth Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia

BI & PD, UM, UIM
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM
BI & PD
BI & PD
BI & PD, PIP, UM, UIM
BI & PD, PIP
BI & PD
BI & PD, UM
BI & PD,UM, UIM
BI & PD
BI & PD
BI & PD, PIP
BI & PD, UM, UIM
BI & PD*, UM, UIM(In addition, policyholders must have 50/100 for
wrongful death coverage.)
30/60/25
25/50/25
25/50/25
25/50/25
25/50/20
15/30/5
25/50/25
25/50/25
25/50/25
25/50/15
30/60/25
25/65/15
25/50/10
25/50/20

Washington
West Virginia
WisconsinWyoming(*compulsory to buy insurance
or pay an Uninsured Motorists
Vehicle fee to the Departmentof Motor Vehicles)
BI & PD
BI & PD, UM
BI & PD, UM
BI & PD

25/50/1025/50/25
25/50/1025/50/20

New Mexico
New York

Source: Insurance Information Institute

JKL:cmg
2017-R-0050

February 2, 2017

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