Non owner SR22 insurance in Texas

Three main reasons appear on the Texas DPS SR-22 page: a crash-related license suspension, a second or subsequent conviction for lacking motor vehicle liability insurance, and a civil judgment against you. A security deposit paid to clear a crash suspension also leads DPS to ask for an SR-22.

The DPS questions and answers include examples such as intoxicated driving, drug offenses, and driving with an invalid license. The list does not include every possible reason.

There is a way out. The SR-22 requirement is waived if you send DPS proof of insurance that covered the vehicle when you received a second or later no-insurance ticket.

DPS provides a direct answer. Even without owning a vehicle, you must file an SR-22 and keep it active. A Texas non-owner SR-22 policy can meet this requirement. Speak with an insurance agent or provider, since DPS says some companies do not offer SR-22 filing services.

In its auto insurance guide, the Texas Department of Insurance explains the purpose of this policy. When you drive a borrowed car, nonowner liability coverage pays for harm that you cause to other people. Your injuries and the borrowed car are not covered.

You must maintain the SR-22 for two years. For a conviction that requires it, the period begins on the conviction date; after a crash, it begins on the judgment date. Filing one year late means you need to keep it only for the remaining year. Another conviction may extend the period.

Your insurance carrier submits the certificate to DPS. DPS says processing may take up to 21 working days, and neither an insurance card nor a policy is accepted as a substitute. License reinstatement requires a valid SR-22 and payment of the $100 reinstatement fee, along with any other outstanding fees. Since the DPS pages list no separate state charge for filing the SR-22 itself, ask your insurer about its filing fee.

The minimum amounts from DPS cover one person's injury or death in a crash at $30,000. They cover two or more people at $60,000 and property damage at $25,000. Coverage of 30/60/25 is what the Texas Department of Insurance calls this.

Your insurer reports cancellation, ending or lapse of the SR-22 to DPS on its own. Unless a replacement SR-22 reached the state before the prior policy ended, DPS may then suspend your license and vehicle registration.

On the question and answer page, the cost is spelled out. A lapse means paying another $100 reinstatement fee and facing a new suspension plus a new SR-22.