Non-Owner SR-22 Minimum Coverage Limits by State

Non-owner SR-22 policies must meet the same state minimum liability limits as standard auto policies in 47 states. The SR-22 certificate itself is not a type of insurance — it is a filing that proves you carry at least the state-required liability coverage. If you file a non-owner policy with limits below your state's minimum, the DMV rejects the certificate, your filing period does not begin, and your license suspension continues. Three states do not accept non-owner SR-22 filings: Delaware, Minnesota, and New Mexico require you to file SR-22 on a vehicle you own or are listed on as a named driver. If you live in one of these states and do not own a car, you must either purchase a vehicle and insure it with SR-22, or be added to a household policy with an SR-22 endorsement. Attempting to file non-owner SR-22 in these states results in automatic rejection. The most common filing error occurs when drivers move between states and assume their previous state's minimums still apply. California requires 15/30/5 liability limits, but if you relocate to Ohio and file non-owner SR-22 there, you need 25/50/25 coverage. Filing at California minimums in Ohio triggers a rejection notice, which typically adds 7 to 14 days to your reinstatement timeline while you refile with correct limits.

State minimum liability limits follow a three-number format: bodily injury per person / bodily injury per accident / property damage per accident, expressed in thousands. Alabama requires 25/50/25, meaning $25,000 bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage per accident. Alaska requires 50/100/25. Arizona requires 25/50/15. Arkansas requires 25/50/25. California requires 15/30/5, the lowest liability minimum accepted for SR-22 filing in the country. Colorado requires 25/50/15. Connecticut requires 25/50/20. Florida requires 10/20/10 for standard policies but 25/50/10 for SR-22 filings following a DUI or serious violation, creating one of the few scenarios where SR-22 minimums exceed standard policy minimums. Georgia requires 25/50/25. Hawaii requires 20/40/10. Idaho requires 25/50/15. Illinois requires 25/50/20. Indiana requires 25/50/25. Iowa requires 20/40/15. Kansas requires 25/50/25. Kentucky requires 25/50/25. Louisiana requires 15/30/25. Maine requires 50/100/25. Maryland requires 30/60/15. Massachusetts requires 20/40/5. Michigan requires 50/100/10 for property damage but also mandates unlimited personal injury protection (PIP), making it the most expensive state for non-owner SR-22 policies — expect $150 to $280 per month even with no vehicle. Mississippi requires 25/50/25. Missouri requires 25/50/25. Montana requires 25/50/20. Nebraska requires 25/50/25. Nevada requires 25/50/20. New Hampshire does not require insurance but mandates SR-22 filings carry at least 25/50/25 if ordered by the court. New Jersey requires 15/30/5. New York requires 25/50/10. North Carolina requires 30/60/25. North Dakota requires 25/50/25. Ohio requires 25/50/25. Oklahoma requires 25/50/25. Oregon requires 25/50/20. Pennsylvania requires 15/30/5. Rhode Island requires 25/50/25. South Carolina requires 25/50/25. South Dakota requires 25/50/25. Tennessee requires 25/50/15. Texas requires 30/60/25. Utah requires 25/65/15. Vermont requires 25/50/10. Virginia requires 25/50/20 or payment of the $500 annual uninsured motorist fee, but the fee does not satisfy SR-22 filing requirements. Washington requires 25/50/10. West Virginia requires 25/50/25. Wisconsin requires 25/50/10. Wyoming requires 25/50/20. Delaware, Minnesota, and New Mexico do not accept non-owner SR-22 filings. If you are required to file SR-22 in one of these states, you must own a vehicle or be added as a named driver on someone else's policy.

Filing a non-owner SR-22 policy with limits below your state's minimum triggers an automatic rejection from the DMV, typically delivered by mail 7 to 10 business days after your insurer submits the certificate. The rejection notice does not count as filing compliance, which means your SR-22 clock does not start and your license suspension or reinstatement hold remains in place until you refile with correct coverage. Most carriers will not refund your premium if the rejection was caused by selecting incorrect limits during the quote process. You paid for a valid non-owner policy — the coverage itself is active, but it does not meet SR-22 filing requirements in your state. You must upgrade your liability limits, pay the difference in premium for the billing period, and request a new SR-22 filing from your insurer. The insurer submits the corrected certificate, and the DMV processing clock restarts, adding 10 to 21 days to your total reinstatement timeline depending on your state's processing speed. Some drivers attempt to file non-owner SR-22 at minimum limits in a low-limit state while residing in a higher-limit state, assuming the lower cost will be accepted. This does not work. Your SR-22 must be filed in your state of legal residence, and it must meet that state's minimum liability requirements. Filing in a different state to avoid higher premiums results in rejection and potential fraud flags on your driving record.

Non-owner SR-22 premiums at state minimum limits typically range from $25 to $75 per month for drivers with a single DUI or at-fault accident, and $50 to $140 per month for drivers with multiple violations, license suspensions, or DUI combined with other infractions. These rates assume you select the minimum liability limits required by your state — increasing your limits to 50/100/50 or 100/300/100 adds $10 to $35 per month depending on your violation profile. Carriers price non-owner SR-22 policies based on your violation type, time since violation, state filing requirements, and claims history. A first-time DUI in California with no prior violations typically costs $30 to $60 per month for a non-owner SR-22 policy at 15/30/5 limits. The same driver in Michigan faces $150 to $280 per month due to mandatory unlimited PIP coverage, even though Michigan's property damage minimum is only $10,000. A driver with two DUIs in Texas within three years pays $90 to $160 per month for non-owner SR-22 at 30/60/25 limits. Filing at state minimums keeps your monthly cost as low as legally possible, but it also leaves you exposed if you cause an accident while driving a borrowed or rental vehicle. A single at-fault accident with $50,000 in bodily injury claims exceeds California's 15/30/5 minimums, meaning you would be personally liable for the remaining $35,000. Increasing to 50/100/50 costs an additional $15 to $25 per month but covers most accident scenarios without out-of-pocket liability.

Non-owner SR-22 policies are written by non-standard and high-risk carriers, not the major national insurers most drivers are familiar with. Progressive, The General, and National General write non-owner SR-22 in most states. Dairyland, Bristol West, and Acceptance Insurance specialize in high-risk filings and offer non-owner policies in 40+ states. State Farm, Allstate, and GEICO either do not offer non-owner SR-22 or restrict it to drivers with clean records, which excludes most people required to file. Rates vary significantly between carriers for the same coverage and violation profile. One carrier may quote $45 per month for non-owner SR-22 at state minimums following a DUI, while another quotes $95 for identical coverage in the same state. The difference comes from each carrier's risk appetite and filing volume — insurers that write high volumes of SR-22 policies typically offer lower rates because they spread risk across a larger pool of non-standard drivers. Most drivers compare quotes from 3 to 5 carriers before selecting a policy. Requesting quotes directly from non-standard carriers takes 20 to 40 minutes per insurer and requires repeating your violation details, license number, and SR-22 filing dates multiple times. Using a comparison tool that specializes in high-risk and SR-22 coverage allows you to enter your information once and receive quotes from multiple carriers that write non-owner SR-22 in your state, typically within 10 to 15 minutes.

SR-22 filing periods range from 1 to 5 years depending on your state and violation type. California, Florida, and Indiana require 3 years for most DUI and serious violations. Virginia requires 3 years for DUI but only 1 year for certain license suspensions. Illinois requires 3 years for DUI, but some court orders specify longer periods. Texas has no state-mandated SR-22 duration — your filing period is set by the court order or DMV notice, which means many drivers file longer than legally required because they assume a 3-year default. Your SR-22 filing period does not pause if you cancel your policy, miss a payment, or allow coverage to lapse. Any lapse triggers an SR-26 notice from your insurer to the DMV, which immediately suspends your license and restarts your filing clock from zero in most states. A driver 2.5 years into a 3-year SR-22 requirement who cancels their non-owner policy will have their license suspended and must refile SR-22 for another full 3-year period starting from the date of reinstatement. You must maintain at least state minimum liability limits continuously for the entire filing period. Dropping below minimums, even for a single day, counts as a lapse and triggers the same SR-26 notice and suspension as full cancellation. Once your filing period ends, your insurer files an SR-26 or SR-22 release with the DMV, notifying them that you completed the requirement. You are no longer required to carry SR-22, but you must still maintain at least state minimum liability coverage as long as you hold a driver's license.