DC Car Insurance Requirements: Minimum Coverage, Uninsured Motorist, PIP Offers and What to Ask Your Agent

DC requires continuous auto insurance on every vehicle registered or operated in the District. As of October 2, 2026, the minimums are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury liability, $10,000 for property damage liability, $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for uninsured motorist bodily injury, and $5,000 for uninsured motorist property damage with a $200 deductible, under DC Code § 31-2406 (opens in a new tab). Insurers must offer personal injury protection (PIP), but buying it is your choice. The DC DMV (opens in a new tab) requires proof of valid DC insurance to register or renew, new residents have 60 calendar days to register, and if coverage ends, the tags go back before the policy is canceled. D.C. Law 26-155 (opens in a new tab) raises several of these limits on October 1, 2027.

What are DC's minimum car insurance limits?

The District requires four coverages on every policy. Two protect other people when you cause a crash, and two protect you when the other driver has no insurance or can't be identified. DC Code § 31-2406(c) (opens in a new tab) sets the liability minimums, and § 31-2406(f) sets the uninsured motorist minimums and the deductible. The DC DMV (opens in a new tab) lists the same figures.

Liability coverage pays for injuries and damage you cause to other people, not for your own car. The two bodily injury numbers work together: no one injured person can receive more than $25,000 from a minimum policy, and everyone hurt in the same crash shares $50,000.

These limits date to the Compulsory/No-Fault Motor Vehicle Insurance Act, effective September 18, 1982. D.C. Law 26-155 (opens in a new tab), the Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Amendment Act of 2026, raises the property damage, bodily injury and uninsured motorist minimums, and its changes to § 31-2406 apply October 1, 2027. Until that date, the current limits are the legal floor. The minimum is a floor, not a measure of what a serious crash costs; our article on how much car insurance you need goes through the tradeoffs of carrying more.

Is uninsured motorist coverage required in DC?

Yes. DC Code § 31-2406(f)(2) (opens in a new tab) requires every insurer covering a vehicle registered or principally garaged in the District to include uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury or death, plus $5,000 for property damage. Section 31-2406(f)(3) makes property damage payments under this coverage subject to a $200 deductible.

An uninsured motor vehicle includes more than a car with no policy. Under the statute, it also covers a vehicle whose insurer denies coverage or becomes insolvent, and a vehicle whose owner or operator can't be identified, such as a hit-and-run driver.

Insurers can also offer higher uninsured motorist limits, up to $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage, under the same section. Ask your agent which uninsured motorist limits and deductible your policy carries, and our article on whether you need uninsured motorist coverage explains how the coverage works in general.

Does DC require personal injury protection?

No, but every insurer has to offer it. DC Code § 31-2404 (opens in a new tab) requires insurers to offer optional personal injury protection to anyone who must carry insurance under the District's auto insurance law. PIP covers injuries from the operation or use of the insured vehicle and pays benefits for medical and rehabilitation expenses, work loss and funeral costs, as the statute describes.

The decision in front of you is whether to accept or reject the PIP your insurer offers. PIP sits apart from the required liability and uninsured motorist coverages. Ask the agent what each PIP benefit pays, what it costs on your policy and how your choice is recorded. Our article on DC no-fault insurance covers the PIP benefit amounts and the no-fault rules, and the national article on whether personal injury protection is worth it compares PIP with other medical coverage.

What does DC DMV require to register or renew a vehicle?

Everyone applying for vehicle registration or a reciprocity sticker needs valid DC vehicle insurance, and the coverage has to stay continuous while the vehicle is registered, according to the DC DMV (opens in a new tab). DMV asks for proof of valid DC insurance at registration and at each renewal. If police stop you, you show your driver's license, registration and proof of insurance, so keep the insurance card in the car.

DC Code § 31-2403 (opens in a new tab) puts the same duty in law. Driving or keeping a vehicle registered without the required insurance can bring fines, penalties and suspension of the registration or reciprocity sticker.

Moving to DC

If you move to the District, you have 60 calendar days from the day you start living in DC to register your vehicle with DC DMV, according to the DMV's registration page (opens in a new tab). You first convert your out-of-state driver's license to a DC license or a non-driver ID card. Registration needs proof of valid DC insurance, so ask your insurer to issue a policy that meets DC requirements before your DMV visit, and confirm with DC DMV which proof it accepts if your current policy was written in another state.

Can temporary residents keep out-of-state tags?

Vehicles housed and operated in the District generally must be registered in DC. Students, diplomats, active military members, part-time residents, members of Congress and presidential appointees who want to keep a home-state license or tags apply for a reciprocity permit, according to the DC DMV (opens in a new tab).

A reciprocity sticker still requires valid DC vehicle insurance, according to the DMV's vehicle insurance page (opens in a new tab). Under DC Code § 31-2403 (opens in a new tab), a nonresident who owns a vehicle must also keep the insurance § 31-2406 requires while the vehicle is in the District.

A recurring visitor may qualify for the Registration of Out-of-State Automobiles (ROSA) exemption (opens in a new tab) in specified circumstances. That parking and registration exception is a separate question from insurance, so confirm the insurance your situation requires with DMV and your insurer.

What happens if your DC insurance is canceled or lapses?

Your insurer reports a cancellation to DMV. DC Code § 31-2403(d)(3) (opens in a new tab) requires authorized insurers to notify DMV of a cancellation within 30 days after it takes effect. DMV then mails the vehicle owner an insurance verification notice, and you or your insurer can answer it through the DC Insurance Verification System (opens in a new tab) with proof of replacement or continuing coverage, according to the DC DMV (opens in a new tab).

If continuous coverage isn't shown, DMV can suspend the registration or reciprocity sticker, assess fines and recover the tags and registration. The insurance lapse assessment is $150 a day for days 1 through 30, then $7 a day, up to $2,500, according to the DMV's fee schedule (opens in a new tab) and DC Code § 31-2413 (opens in a new tab). Our article on DC insurance lapse fees covers the fines and reinstatement in more detail.

The order matters when you sell a car, store it or leave the District. If the vehicle won't stay registered, return or surrender the DC tags and registration first, then cancel the insurance. If you're switching insurers, have the new policy in force before the old one ends.

What notice must an insurer give before canceling or nonrenewing?

A cancellation or nonrenewal generally can't take effect unless the insurer mails or delivers written notice to the named insured at least 30 days ahead, under DC Code § 31-2409 (opens in a new tab). For nonpayment of premium, the notice period is at least 15 days. The statute limits the grounds for cancellation, which include nonpayment and the suspension or revocation of the vehicle registration or an insured's license.

The notice must state the specific reasons and explain your right to ask the Commissioner, in writing, to review the action within 15 days of receiving it. It must also say that coverage may be available through an agent, another insurer or the DC Automobile Insurance Plan, and warn that the registration or reciprocity sticker may be suspended or revoked if required insurance isn't kept. Read the notice date and reason as soon as it arrives.

If private insurers turn you down

The DC Automobile Insurance Plan is the assigned-risk market for eligible drivers who can't get ordinary coverage, according to the DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) (opens in a new tab). You usually apply through an insurance agent or broker, and you may need proof of the cancellation, termination or nonrenewal.

Can someone else drive your car?

Auto insurance follows the vehicle rather than simply following the driver, according to DISB (opens in a new tab). An occasional driver using your car with your permission may be covered under your policy, subject to its terms.

The policy's definitions, exclusions, listed-driver rules, household-driver rules and business-use provisions decide the details. A household member who drives the car regularly may need to be listed. An excluded driver may have no coverage under the policy even with your permission. Ask your agent whether permissive use applies, whether every household member must be listed and what happens if an excluded driver takes the car.

Are collision and comprehensive required in DC?

The District's statutory minimums don't include collision or comprehensive coverage, the two coverages that pay for damage to your own car. A lender or leasing company can require them as part of the loan or lease contract, often with set deductibles, so confirm the exact terms with the lender or lessor and your agency. Our article on comprehensive vs collision insurance explains the difference between the two.

Business driving is a separate question. DISB's overview of liability insurance (opens in a new tab) distinguishes personal auto from commercial auto coverage, so if you drive for deliveries, client visits or rideshare, ask the agent whether your personal policy covers that use. Our article on whether you need commercial auto insurance covers when a business policy comes into play.

How do you check an agent or file a complaint?

Use the DC insurance license lookup (opens in a new tab) to check the license status of an agent, agency or insurer before you send personal documents. DISB's insurance producer licensing page (opens in a new tab) has licensing information and contacts. A license lookup confirms licensing, not whether a policy suits you or whether an agency sells every coverage.

To complain about an insurer or agent, contact the company or agency first, preferably in writing, with your policy number and the resolution you want. If the answer doesn't resolve it, file a complaint with DISB (opens in a new tab) and attach copies of your documents. DISB Consumer Services is at (202) 727-8000.

Questions to ask your agent

• Does this policy meet DC's current minimums, and how will it change when the October 1, 2027 limits apply?
• What liability and uninsured motorist limits are available above the minimum?
• What deductible applies to uninsured motorist property damage?
• Is PIP offered, what does each benefit pay, and how is my election documented?
• What does the policy exclude?
• Which household members and regular drivers do I need to list?
• How does the policy treat a driver who doesn't live with me?
• Does my lender or lease require collision, comprehensive or a set deductible?
• What are the collision and comprehensive deductibles?
• Is business, delivery or rideshare use covered?
• Can you give me the limits, deductibles, exclusions and premium in writing?
• What happens if the policy is canceled or nonrenewed?
• If insurers decline me, can you submit an application to the DC Automobile Insurance Plan?

For help choosing someone to work with, see how to choose an insurance agent. Riskado's directory lists insurance agencies across the US, including in DC. If you live near the line, compare these rules with Maryland car insurance requirements and Virginia car insurance requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Do the October 2027 limits apply to my policy now?

No. D.C. Law 26-155 (opens in a new tab) raises several minimums, but its changes to § 31-2406 apply October 1, 2027. Until then, the current minimums apply: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, $10,000 for property damage, and the same 25/50 plus $5,000 for uninsured motorist coverage.

Can I register a car in DC with an out-of-state policy?

DMV requires proof of valid DC insurance for registration, according to the DC DMV (opens in a new tab). Confirm acceptable proof with DMV and ask your insurer to write coverage that meets DC requirements before you register.

What if my insurer reported a cancellation by mistake?

Answer the DMV's insurance verification notice. You or your insurer can send proof of continuing coverage through the DC Insurance Verification System (opens in a new tab), according to the DC DMV (opens in a new tab).

Do temporary tags need DC insurance too?

Yes. A 45-day temporary registration requires proof of valid DC insurance, according to the DMV's temporary registration page (opens in a new tab).

A quick compliance checklist

Confirm your vehicle's registration or reciprocity status and that the policy carries the four required coverages at DC's current limits. Decide on the PIP offer with your agent and keep the insurance card in the car. If you're moving to DC, register within 60 calendar days unless an exception applies. If coverage will end, line up replacement coverage or return the tags first, and answer any DMV verification notice right away. To compare agencies, start with Riskado's DC listings.