Washington Drivers License - Mandatory Car Insurance

Mandatory insurance

When you drive in Washington, you must have insurance. If you drive a vehicle that is registered in Washington, or is required to be registered under Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 46.16, you must have one of the following:

• An auto insurance policy with limits of at least:
  • $25,000 of bodily injury or death of one person in any one accident.
  • $50,000 of bodily injury or death of any two persons in any one accident.
  • $10,000 of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.
• Self insurance. If you or your company have 26 vehicles or more, you may qualify for self-insurance. For more information, contact us at:
  
  Driver Records
  Department of Licensing
  PO Box 9030
  Olympia, WA 98507-9030
• A certificate of deposit for at least $60,000. You can make a deposit of collateral with the State Treasurer’s office or in a bank account set up for the state of Washington.
• A liability bond for at least $60,000. The bond must be filed by a surety bond company authorized to do business in this state.

Vehicles registered in another state

When you drive a vehicle that is required to be registered in another state, you must be able to provide proof of insurance as required by the laws of that state. You must show this proof of insurance to law enforcement if requested.

Exceptions to mandatory insurance

You don’t need to provide mandatory insurance when you operate a vehicle registered as a:

• Motorcycle. (RCW 46.04.330)
• Motor-driven cycle. (RCW 46.04.332)
• Moped. (RCW 46.04.304)
• Antique vehicle. (RCW 46.16.305(1))
• Collector vehicle more than 30 years old. (RCW 46.16.305(1))
• State or publicly-owned vehicle. (RCW 46.16.020)
• Common or contract carrier with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.

Penalties

Operating a vehicle without the required coverage, other than the exempt vehicles listed above, is a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of at least $450.

Proof of insurance

Any time you operate a vehicle in Washington, you must have one of the types of proof of insurance listed below. You must show written proof of insurance to law enforcement officers when you are asked to do so. Failing to show proof creates a presumption that you don’t have motor vehicle insurance, which is a traffic infraction. Knowingly providing false evidence of coverage is a misdemeanor.

Insurance identification card

Whenever an insurance company issues or renews an auto insurance policy, the company provides the policy holder with an identification card that must include all of the following:

• The name of the insurance company.
• The policy number.
• The effective date of the policy.
• The expiration date of the policy.
• A description of the year, make, or model of the insured vehicles, or the name of the insured driver. The word “fleet” may be used for over 5 vehicles under common ownership.

Self-insurance certificate

The information may be printed on any size document and must include:

• a Self-Insurance Certificate number issued by the Department of Licensing.
• the effective date of the Self-Insurance Certificate.
• a description of the year, make, or model of the vehicles covered by the certificate of self-insurance, or the name of the driver covered by the certificate of self-insurance. The word “fleet” may be used in place of the vehicle description.

Certificate of deposit

The information may be printed on any size document and must include:

• the certificate number issued by the state treasurer.
• the name of the driver covered by the certificate of deposit.

Liability bond

The information may be printed on any size document and must include:

• the name of the company issuing the bond.
• the bond number.
• the name of the driver covered by the bond.

Related laws

Vehicle registration

• RCW 46.16: Vehicle licenses (defines what vehicles are required to be registered in Washington)

Mandatory insurance Laws

• RCW 46.29.090: Requirements as to policy or bond
• RCW 46.29.630: Self-insurers
• RCW 46.29.550: Money or securities as proof
• RCW 46.30.040: Providing false evidence of financial responsibility—Penalty
• RCW 46.30.030: Insurance identification card
• WAC 308-106-020: Insurance identification card—Content
• WAC 308-106-030: Insurance identification card—Self-insurance—Certificate of deposit—Bond

Find information about specific to Seattle vehicle-related matters such as renewing your tags, transferring or replacing a title, ordering specialized or vanity plates or obtaining a bill of sale. If you’ve misplaced your Seattle, WA registration card, need to submit a change of address, or have questions on vehicle inspection and smog, you’ll find what you need here.

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