Every state except New Hampshire requires liability insurance or another form of financial responsibility for the cars it registers, and getting caught without it costs more than the premium: a fine that runs from $50 to several thousand dollars, a suspended license or registration in many states, reinstatement fees and, in some states, an SR-22 filing for years afterward. This page lists the penalties for all 50 states and the District of Columbia as of September 28, 2026, taken from each state's insurance law and motor vehicle agency, and the checker below shows what applies in your state.
First-offense penalties for driving without the insurance the state requires, as of September 28, 2026. The checker above adds second-offense penalties, fees and SR-22 rules where the state sets them.
| State | First-offense fine | Jail | License and registration | SR-22 or proof after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Up to $500 | Up to 3 months | Registration suspended; $200 reinstatement fee | Proof of insurance for 1 year |
| Alaska | $500 (infraction) | - | After a crash: license suspended at least 90 days without proof | Proof for 3 years after a crash suspension |
| Arizona | At least $500 (civil penalty) | - | Driving privilege suspended 3 months | Proof required after a third violation |
| Arkansas | $100 to $250 | - | Registration suspended until proof | - |
| California | $100 to $200 plus assessments | - | After an uninsured collision: suspended up to 4 years | SR 22 for 3 years after a collision |
| Colorado | $500 to $1,000 | 10 days to 1 year | Suspended until proof is filed | Proof for 3 years |
| Connecticut | $100 to $1,000 | - | License and registration suspended 1 month | - |
| Delaware | $1,500 to $2,000 | - | License suspended 6 months | - |
| District of Columbia | $500 civil fine | - | License suspension up to 30 days; registration suspended | - |
| Florida | No fine | - | License and registration suspended (up to 3 years) | Proof of coverage kept 2 years; $150 fee |
| Georgia | $200 to $1,000 | Up to 12 months | License suspended; 60 days before reinstatement | SR-22A for 3 years after a second conviction |
| Hawaii | $500 | - | License suspended 3 months (or a 6-month nonrefundable policy) | - |
| Idaho | $75 (infraction) | - | - | Proof for 1 year (3 years after a second offense) |
| Illinois | More than $500, up to $1,000 | - | License suspended 3 months; $100 fee | - |
| Indiana | Not stated | - | License suspended until an SR22 is filed | SR22 for 180 days; $250 reinstatement fee |
| Iowa | $325 to $645 (scheduled fine) | - | Officer may remove the plates and registration | - |
| Kansas | $300 to $1,000 | Up to 6 months | License and registration subject to suspension | Insurance evidence on file for 1 year |
| Kentucky | $500 to $1,000 | Up to 90 days | Registration revoked | - |
| Louisiana | No court fine (administrative sanctions) | - | Plate removed and registration revoked | $100 to $500 reinstatement fee |
| Maine | $100 to $500 | - | License and registration suspended until proof is filed | Proof of financial responsibility |
| Maryland | Up to $1,000 | Up to 1 year | Registration suspended; MVA lapse penalty | - |
| Massachusetts | Up to $500 | - | License suspended 60 days | - |
| Michigan | $200 to $500 | Up to 1 year | - | - |
| Minnesota | $200 to $1,000 | Up to 90 days | License and registration revoked up to 12 months | Insurer certificate before reinstatement |
| Mississippi | $1,000 | - | License suspended 1 year or until proof | - |
| Missouri | Up to $500 | - | License suspended; $20 reinstatement fee with proof | - |
| Montana | $250 to $500 | - | - | - |
| Nebraska | Up to $1,000 | Up to 6 months | License, registration and plates suspended until proof | Proof on file for 3 years |
| Nevada | $250 to $1,250 (DMV fees and fines) | - | Registration suspended | SR-22 for 3 years after a 91-day lapse |
| New Hampshire | No fine (insurance not required) | - | After an uninsured crash: license and registration suspended | SR-22 after an uninsured crash |
| New Jersey | $300 to $1,000 | - | License suspension up to 1 year | - |
| New Mexico | Up to $300 | Up to 90 days | Registration may be suspended up to 1 year | - |
| New York | Up to $1,500 (court) | - | Uninsured crash: license and registration revoked 1 year or more | - |
| North Carolina | $50 civil penalty | - | License plate may be revoked | - |
| North Dakota | $150 | - | Insurer certificate on file for 1 year | Proof for 1 year |
| Ohio | No fine; $40 reinstatement fee | - | License suspended until an SR-22 or bond is filed | SR-22 or bond for 1 year |
| Oklahoma | Up to $250 | Up to 30 days | License suspended until fees and proof | - |
| Oregon | Up to $1,000 | - | Proof for 1 year or the license is suspended | Proof for 1 year |
| Pennsylvania | $300 | - | License and registration suspended 3 months | $500 civil penalty option; $88 restoration fee |
| Rhode Island | $100 to $500 | - | License and registration suspended up to 3 months | Proof of financial security to restore |
| South Carolina | $100 to $200 | 30 days (instead of the fine) | Owner's license and plates suspended until a $600 fee | SR-22 for 3 years (owner) |
| South Dakota | Up to $500 | Up to 30 days | License suspended 30 days to 1 year | - |
| Tennessee | Up to $300 | - | - | - |
| Texas | $175 to $350 | - | - | Proof required after a second conviction |
| Utah | $400 to $750 | Up to 90 days | - | - |
| Vermont | Up to $500 | - | - | - |
| Virginia | Up to $500 | - | Owner's license and plates suspended until a $600 fee | SR-22 for 3 years |
| Washington | $250 base penalty | - | - | - |
| West Virginia | $200 to $5,000 | Up to 1 year | Owner's license suspended 30 days; registration revoked | - |
| Wisconsin | Up to $500 forfeiture | - | - | - |
| Wyoming | $500 to $1,500 | Up to 6 months | Suspended if proof is not filed within 30 days | Proof for 3 years |
What happens depends on where you are stopped and whether you were in a crash. The table above shows the first-offense rule in each state; the pattern looks like this:
A ticket for not carrying proof is often different from driving uninsured. In Alaska and Missouri, for example, a driver who shows the court that valid insurance was in force at the time is not convicted.
Most states raise the penalty for a second offense, usually one within three to five years of the first:
Many states also check insurance electronically and penalize a lapse in coverage on a registered car even if nobody was pulled over. The checker's second tab estimates these DMV penalties:
Cancel the registration or surrender the plates before dropping insurance on a car you no longer drive; several of these penalties apply only while the car stays registered.
After a suspension, getting back on the road usually takes three things: proof of current insurance, a reinstatement fee, and in some states an SR-22 filed by your insurer.
The consequences grow when an uninsured driver is in a crash. California suspends the driving privilege for up to four years after a collision without insurance, New York revokes the license and registration for at least one year and charges a $750 civil penalty to restore the license, and in Illinois driving uninsured and causing bodily harm is a class A misdemeanor. Alaska suspends the license for at least 90 days if a driver in a crash with injury or more than $501 of damage cannot prove insurance.
The fine is usually the smaller cost. Without insurance you can be personally responsible for the other driver's injuries and car repairs. See minimum car insurance requirements by state for the coverage each state requires, and the UM/UIM coverage guide if an uninsured driver hit you.
For each state and the District of Columbia we read the compulsory insurance law and its penalty section and, where the statute was silent or not readable, the motor vehicle agency or insurance department page, and we recorded the exact words for each fine, jail term, suspension, fee and SR-22 period. Every figure in the table appears in that wording, and the sources are listed below. Where a state website did not answer our server, we read an archived copy of the same official page; a few codes that are not freely readable online were read in a Justia copy. Courts add costs, surcharges and assessments to many of these fines, so the amount on your ticket can be higher.
The table shows the law as of September 28, 2026. Next scheduled review: January 1, 2027.
In most states you get a fine, and many states also suspend your license or registration until you show proof of insurance and pay a reinstatement fee. Some states allow jail for a first offense, and several require an SR-22 filing afterward. The checker above shows the rule for your state.
It depends on the state: $75 in Idaho for a first offense, $100 to $250 in Arkansas, $175 to $350 in Texas, $500 to $1,000 in Kentucky, $1,500 to $2,000 in Delaware and up to $5,000 in West Virginia. Courts can add costs and assessments.
In some states, yes. The statutes allow jail for a first offense in states such as Alabama (up to 3 months), Georgia (up to 12 months), Maryland (up to 1 year) and West Virginia (up to 1 year). Many other states set only a fine.
A penalty the motor vehicle agency charges when insurance on a registered car lapses, even if you were not stopped. New York charges $8 to $12 a day for up to 90 days, Maryland $200 plus $7 a day after 30 days, and Nevada $250 to $1,250 depending on how long the lapse lasted.
Often. Delaware suspends it for 6 months, Arizona for 3 months and Connecticut for 1 month on a first conviction, and Ohio and Florida suspend it until you file proof and pay a reinstatement fee.
In some states. Colorado, Nebraska, Virginia and Wyoming require proof for 3 years, Georgia requires an SR-22A for 3 years after a second conviction, and Alabama, North Dakota, Ohio and Oregon require proof for 1 year.