Wyoming requires at least $25,000 of bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 per accident and $20,000 of property damage liability, often written as 25/50/20. Uninsured motorist coverage at the same injury limits comes with every policy unless the named insured rejects it.
Wyoming doesn’t require personal injury protection or medical payments coverage. The penalties for driving uninsured are set by statute: a fine of $500 to $1,500, possible jail time and three years of SR-22 filings after a conviction.
Key Takeaways
- Wyoming’s minimum is 25/50/20 liability. Uninsured motorist coverage for injuries at $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident is included unless the named insured rejects it.
- Driving uninsured is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of $500 to $1,500, or both. On a second or later violation, the judge must have you turn in the vehicle’s registration and plates.
- After a conviction you must keep an SR-22 on file for three years. If you don’t file it within 30 days of being notified, your license is suspended.
- WYDOT says a driver without insurance in a crash causing more than $1,000 of property damage or injury to someone outside the driver’s household faces a license suspension regardless of fault, plus an SR-22 and a $50 reinstatement fee.
Wyoming Minimum Car Insurance at a Glance
| Coverage | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability | $20,000 per accident |
| Uninsured motorist (bodily injury) | Included at $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident unless the named insured rejects it |
| Personal injury protection | Not required |
| Medical payments | Not required |
| Collision and comprehensive | Not required by state law. A lender or lessor can set its own requirements. |
The limits come from W.S. 31-9-102, which defines proof of financial responsibility, and W.S. 31-9-405, which sets the same amounts for an owner’s policy. The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) lists 25/50/20 in its driver services FAQ. Under W.S. 31-4-103, the owner of a vehicle that has to be registered can’t drive it, or let someone else drive it, without a liability policy or bond in force at those amounts.
A policy isn’t the only option. W.S. 31-9-409 allows a $25,000 deposit of cash or securities, and the depositor has to show there are no unsatisfied judgments against them. Under W.S. 31-9-414, a person with more than 25 vehicles registered in their name can qualify as a self-insurer.
A 2009 bill that would have raised these limits failed in the Wyoming House. RateFrog’s guide to how liability limits work explains what each number pays for.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage in Wyoming
Under W.S. 31-10-101, a liability policy for a vehicle registered or principally garaged in Wyoming has to include uninsured motorist (UM) coverage at the state’s bodily injury limits. It protects people insured under the policy who are entitled to recover damages from an uninsured owner or driver for injury, sickness, disease or death.
The statute says the named insured may reject the coverage. If you reject it, the same insurer doesn’t have to include it when the policy renews unless you ask for it in writing. So if you dropped UM in the past and want it back, put the request in writing to that insurer.
W.S. 31-10-102 adds one situation to the meaning of uninsured: a vehicle that has insurance, but whose insurer can’t pay because it’s insolvent. The UM law is written around injuries. If you want coverage for drivers who carry too little insurance, or for damage to your own car, ask your insurer what it offers and read how it works on your policy. RateFrog’s guide to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage explains the general differences.
Proof of Insurance in Wyoming
Your insurer issues an ID card. Under W.S. 31-8-201, it has to show the insurer’s name, the insured’s name, the date coverage took effect and a description of the vehicle, including the year, make and VIN.
Since July 1, 2013, the same law has allowed the card in an electronic format, as long as you and your insurer both agree to it and it contains the required information. In practice that means an electronic ID card, such as one on your phone, if your insurer issues one. RateFrog’s guide to getting proof of insurance quickly can help if you need a card right away.
Under W.S. 31-4-103, an officer who writes you a ticket for a moving violation or inspects your vehicle has to ask for proof. If you can’t show it then, you have seven days to produce it. If you’re charged with driving uninsured, you can’t be convicted if you bring the court a policy or bond that was valid when you were cited. The law also lists excusable neglect or a mistake by someone else as a defense.
How Wyoming Checks Your Coverage
State law requires WYDOT to run an online verification system that’s available 24 hours a day, so police can check coverage at stops and crash scenes. According to WYDOT’s insurance verification page, the program covers vehicles insured under personal lines policies, commercial policies are exempt, and electronic verification is accepted as proof of insurance.
WYDOT’s accident procedures page says insurance on all drivers is verified online. If WYDOT can’t verify yours, it contacts you by mail, so keep your address current. WYDOT’s mail isn’t forwarded, and W.S. 31-7-137 expects you to report an address change within 10 days.
Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in Wyoming
The consequences come from the court, from WYDOT’s driver services office or from both.
Court Penalties
Under W.S. 31-4-103, driving uninsured, or letting someone drive your uninsured vehicle, is a misdemeanor. It’s punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of at least $500 and no more than $1,500, or both. The judge can suspend part or all of the sentence and put you on probation.
For a second or later violation, the judge must require you to turn in the vehicle’s registration and license plates to the county treasurer. The treasurer holds them until the judge decides you’ve met your legal obligations. Some older sources list fines of $250 to $750, which date from before a 2017 change.
License and Registration Consequences
A conviction also means you have to file proof of financial responsibility, usually an SR-22, and keep it for three years. If you don’t provide it within 30 days after you’re notified, your driver’s license is suspended until WYDOT receives it. WYDOT’s driving privilege withdrawal brochure says probationary licenses aren’t available for this kind of suspension.
Under W.S. 31-9-401, when a license is suspended under a law that requires proof of financial responsibility, the registrations for all vehicles in that person’s name are suspended too. Neither is renewed or reissued until the person gives and keeps that proof. WYDOT’s reinstatement page lists a $50 reinstatement fee for most suspensions.
A Crash Without Insurance
According to WYDOT’s FAQ, a driver in a crash that causes more than $1,000 of property damage or injury to someone outside the driver’s immediate household has to show proof of current liability insurance. If the driver can’t, WYDOT says Wyoming law requires it to suspend that driver’s license, regardless of who was at fault. WYDOT’s brochure adds that this suspension can also result when WYDOT can’t electronically verify your insurance.
WYDOT’s accident procedures page lists the ways to avoid or end an uninsured accident suspension:
- A notarized release
- A notarized conditional release, which is a payment agreement
- A security deposit for the amount in the notice, made by certified check (no personal checks), surety bond or certificate of deposit
A cash deposit can be refunded after one year if there are no judgments against you. After one year, a notarized affidavit saying there are no judgments against you also ends the suspension, along with the $50 fee. WYDOT requires an SR-22 for three years from the date the suspension started, and letting it lapse during that time leads to another suspension. RateFrog’s guide to what happens when car insurance lapses covers the wider risks.
SR-22 Filings in Wyoming
WYDOT uses the term SR-22. Its FAQ describes it as a form that tells the department the driver with the requirement has a valid insurance policy. You buy the policy, and the insurer files the form, which WYDOT says typically reaches Driver Services electronically within 24 to 72 hours.
An SR-22 can be required after a no-insurance conviction, after an uninsured accident suspension and after other suspensions or revocations under laws that require proof. Under W.S. 31-9-401, the proof generally has to be kept for three years from the date it’s required. If you used a bond or a cash or securities deposit instead, W.S. 31-9-413 says WYDOT won’t agree to cancel the bond or return the deposit while a damages lawsuit is pending, while a judgment is unpaid or if you had a crash causing injury or damage in the prior year.
If your policy is certified as proof, W.S. 31-9-406 says it can’t be canceled until at least 10 days after a notice of cancellation is filed with the state. If you move out of Wyoming, WYDOT says it can release the requirement once you file a non-resident proof form, though you may still owe a reinstatement fee. RateFrog’s SR-22 guide explains how these filings work in general.
If You Can’t Find Coverage
The Wyoming Automobile Insurance Plan is for eligible drivers who can’t get coverage in the regular market. According to AIPSO, it’s administered through the Western Association of Automobile Insurance Plans, and applications go through an insurance agent. The plan office is at (800) 227-4659.
Under Wyoming Department of Insurance (DOI) rule Chapter 14, an insurer that cancels or nonrenews auto liability coverage has to tell you that you may be eligible for this plan, in or with the notice. That duty doesn’t apply when the reason is nonpayment.
How Wyoming Insurers Set Rates
Wyoming allows insurers to use credit information, with limits. Under W.S. 26-2-134:
- Credit history or a credit score can’t be the sole basis to cancel, deny or nonrenew a policy.
- An insurer can use credit history only in combination with other valid underwriting factors.
- The insurer has to notify you when credit scoring is used to underwrite your policy and when its use works against you.
Insurers weigh many other things when they price a policy. RateFrog’s guide to what affects car insurance rates goes through the common ones.
Cancellation and Nonrenewal Rules
Two official sources set notice periods, and they don’t match. Wyoming’s insurance code, in W.S. 26-35-202 and 26-35-203, covers property and casualty policies. Once a policy has been in effect for 60 days, or if it’s a renewal, the insurer can cancel only for nonpayment, a material misrepresentation, a substantial change in the risk or a substantial breach of the policy’s terms. The insurer has to send written notice with the precise reason, at least 10 days ahead for nonpayment and 45 days ahead for other reasons apart from misrepresentation. Nonrenewal also needs 45 days’ written notice with the precise reason.
The DOI’s Chapter 14 rule, written specifically for auto liability policies, sets shorter periods. It requires at least 10 days’ notice for nonpayment, 20 days for other cancellations and 30 days before nonrenewal. Its list of allowed reasons includes nonpayment, fraud in the application and a license or registration suspended or revoked during the policy period.
The sources don’t say which period controls when they conflict. If you get a notice, check its dates and reason against both, and call the DOI if something looks wrong. Cancellation is one of the topics the DOI takes complaints about. RateFrog’s guide to car insurance grace periods explains what usually happens when a payment is late.
Is Wyoming’s Minimum Coverage Enough?
A 25/50/20 policy can run out quickly after a serious crash, and $20,000 of property damage coverage may not replace a newer vehicle. If a claim is larger than your limits, you could be asked to pay the rest. Higher limits cost more, so weigh that against what you own and could lose in a lawsuit.
Before you reject uninsured motorist coverage to lower the premium, think about how you’d pay your own medical bills if an uninsured driver hit you. RateFrog’s guide to choosing how much car insurance to carry can help, and you can compare car insurance quotes at a few coverage levels.
Where to Get Help
For cancellations, claims and premium questions, the Wyoming Department of Insurance’s Consumer Affairs staff can be reached at (307) 777-7402, and the DOI consumer page links to its online complaint portal. The DOI suggests contacting your insurer first.
For license suspensions, SR-22 requirements and uninsured crashes, contact WYDOT Driver Services. Its accident line is 307-777-4834, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can pay reinstatement fees online through oneWYO, at a driver exam office or by mail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage Required in Wyoming?
It’s included in every liability policy at $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries, unless the named insured rejects it. If you rejected it and want it back on a renewal with the same insurer, ask in writing.
What Is the Fine for Driving Without Insurance in Wyoming?
$500 to $1,500, up to six months in jail, or both. A second or later violation also means turning in your registration and plates, and any conviction brings a three-year SR-22 requirement.
Can I Show Proof of Insurance on My Phone in Wyoming?
Wyoming law allows an electronic ID card when you and your insurer both agree to it and it has the required information. Ask your insurer whether it issues one, for example through its app.
What Happens If I Crash Without Insurance in Wyoming?
WYDOT says a driver without insurance in a crash causing more than $1,000 of property damage or injury to someone outside the driver’s household faces a license suspension regardless of fault. If the suspension takes effect, WYDOT requires an SR-22 filing for three years and a $50 reinstatement fee.
Sources
- Wyoming Department of Insurance: Consumer Information
- WYDOT: Driver Services Frequently Asked Questions
- WYDOT: Insurance Verification
- WYDOT: Accident Procedures
- WYDOT: Reinstatement
- WYDOT: Driving Privilege Withdrawal Brochure
- W.S. 31-4-103
- W.S. 31-8-201
- W.S. 31-9-102
- W.S. 31-9-401
- W.S. 31-9-405
- W.S. 31-9-406
- W.S. 31-9-409
- W.S. 31-9-413
- W.S. 31-9-414
- W.S. 31-10-101
- W.S. 31-10-102
- W.S. 26-2-134
- W.S. Title 26, Chapter 35, Article 2
- Wyoming DOI Rules, Chapter 14: Cancellation and Nonrenewal of Automobile Liability Policies
- Wyoming Legislature: 2009 HB0168
- AIPSO: Wyoming Automobile Insurance Plan