Alaska requires at least $50,000 of bodily injury liability per person, $100,000 per accident and $25,000 of property damage liability, often written as 50/100/25. Liability is the only coverage the state requires. Insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and you can reject it in writing.
In Alaska, the main penalties come from failing to show proof of insurance, either to an officer or to the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) after a crash. A narrow exemption also applies to some drivers in communities that aren’t connected to the state’s road system.
Key Takeaways
- Alaska requires 50/100/25 liability coverage and nothing else. There’s no personal injury protection requirement, and medical payments coverage is optional.
- Insurers have to offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and you can reject it in writing. The Division of Insurance says that if your choice isn’t confirmed by signature, the policy has to include it at limits matching your liability coverage.
- Not carrying and showing proof of insurance when an officer asks is an infraction with a mandatory $500 fine. Not giving DMV proof after a qualifying crash generally leads to a license suspension of at least 90 days, or at least a year if you had a prior suspension under the same law in the last 10 years.
- The off-road-system exemption is narrow. It applies only where you drive solely in an area that isn’t connected to the state highway system, and only if you haven’t been cited for a violation worth six or more points in the past five years.
Alaska Minimum Car Insurance at a Glance
| Coverage | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability | $25,000 per accident |
| Uninsured and underinsured motorist | Must be offered. You can reject it in writing. |
| Personal injury protection | Not required |
| Medical payments | Optional |
| Collision and comprehensive | Not required by law, but lenders and lessors often require them |
These limits are set by AS 28.22.101, and the coverage has to apply in the United States and Canada. The Alaska Division of Insurance’s coverage options page says liability is the only coverage you’re required to carry under Alaska law. RateFrog’s guide to liability limits explains what the three numbers mean.
Who Has to Carry Insurance in Alaska
Under AS 28.22.011, the owner or driver of a registered vehicle used on a highway, vehicular way or other public property has to carry a liability policy that meets the state minimums. The law also accepts a certificate of self-insurance.
The Off-Road-System Exemption
The same law has an exemption that is often described too broadly. It applies only when both of these are true:
- The vehicle is driven only on roads, vehicular ways or public parking places that aren’t connected by land to the state highway system, or to a road with an average daily traffic volume above 499.
- The driver hasn’t been cited in the past five years for a violation worth six or more points.
DMV publishes the list of areas that qualify on its vehicle services mandatory insurance page. The list includes communities such as Adak, Galena and McGrath. Being in rural Alaska isn’t enough on its own, so check that your community is on the current list before you rely on the exemption. A citation worth six or more points in the past five years means you need insurance even in a listed area.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Alaska
These coverages help pay for your injuries when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little. Alaska doesn’t require you to buy either one, but AS 21.96.020 requires insurers to offer them, and you can waive them in writing, in whole or in part.
The offer has to include limits matching your bodily injury liability limits. Higher tiers go up to $1,000,000 per person and $2,000,000 per accident. Bodily injury and property damage coverage are offered separately. Your choice as named insured applies to everyone on the policy.
According to the Division’s coverage options page, if your selection or rejection isn’t confirmed by your signature, the company has to issue the policy with this coverage at limits matching your liability coverage. The same page says that if you reject the coverage, the insurer doesn’t have to offer it again at renewal. You can still ask for it, or for higher limits, in writing at any time.
How the Coverage Works
A few rules in AS 28.22.201 shape what this coverage pays:
- It doesn’t apply until the at-fault driver’s liability coverage has been used up through payments, judgments or settlements.
- For a hit-and-run where neither the owner nor the driver can be identified, payment depends on there having been direct contact.
- Uninsured motorist property damage coverage has a $250 deductible per accident unless the insurer offers another option. It covers only the insured vehicle and doesn’t include loss of use.
Stacking is limited. Under AS 28.22.221, when two or more vehicles are on one policy, the most you can collect is the highest limit of any one coverage on that policy. RateFrog’s guide to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage explains these coverages in more detail.
Medical Payments Coverage
Alaska has no no-fault system and doesn’t require medical payments coverage. It’s optional. The Division describes it as coverage that can pay without anyone first deciding who was negligent.
Proof of Insurance in Alaska
Under AS 28.22.019, you have to keep proof of liability insurance with you while driving and show it when a peace officer or Department of Public Safety representative asks. Proof can be a copy of the policy, an insurance card or an electronic certification from your insurer or agent, including one shown on your phone. Showing it on a phone doesn’t give the officer permission to look at anything else on the device. RateFrog’s guide to getting proof of insurance fast can help if you need a card right away.
If you’re charged with not having proof, you can’t be convicted if you later produce proof, issued to you earlier, that was valid when you were cited.
Proof After a Crash
Under AS 28.22.021, the owner or driver has to provide proof of insurance after a crash that causes injury or death, or that causes more than a set dollar amount of damage to another person’s property. AS 28.22.031 gives you 15 days after the crash to send DMV a copy of the policy, certificate, bond or binder, a written certification from your insurer or agent, or written notice of self-insurance.
DMV reviews crash reports, asks for proof when it’s missing and checks whether the documents people file are genuine.
Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in Alaska
In the parts of Alaska’s mandatory insurance law (AS 28.22) reviewed for this guide, RateFrog didn’t find a separate fine or jail term for simply driving uninsured. The consequences come from the proof rules and the suspension that can follow a crash.
Failing to Show Proof
Not carrying and showing proof when an officer asks is an infraction with a mandatory $500 fine under AS 28.22.019.
License Suspension
If you don’t give DMV the proof required after a crash, AS 28.22.041 requires DMV to suspend your driver’s license:
- For at least 90 days if you haven’t had a license suspended under this law in the past 10 years.
- For at least one year if you have had one or more such suspensions in that period.
It takes effect 30 days after notice. You can respond, and requesting a hearing holds off the suspension until the hearing is resolved. A limited license for work or medical care may be possible in cases of severe hardship, but you’d first need to file proof of financial responsibility for the future, and other conditions apply.
There’s one narrow exception. No suspension applies if the crash caused less than $2,000 in damage and only to your own property, you provide proof of compliant insurance within 15 days and the lapse happened because of circumstances beyond your control. RateFrog’s guide to what happens when insurance lapses covers the broader risks of a gap.
False Information
Giving false information on the proof required after a crash is a class A misdemeanor under AS 28.22.051.
Impound in Anchorage
DMV’s mandatory insurance page warns that your vehicle may be impounded in the Municipality of Anchorage if you don’t have proof of insurance. The Anchorage Police Department handles getting the vehicle back.
SR-22 Filings in Alaska
An SR-22 is a certificate your insurer files with DMV showing proof of insurance for the future. Under AS 28.22.061, a driver whose license was suspended for not providing proof after a crash has to file proof of financial responsibility before full driving privileges are restored, and keep it for three years after the suspension ends.
DMV’s SR-22 page lists how long a filing lasts for other situations:
| Reason | How long the SR-22 lasts |
|---|---|
| Most offenses | Three years from the end of any revocation |
| DUI or refusal | 5 years for a first, 10 for a second, 20 for a third, lifetime for a fourth |
| Unsatisfied judgment or failure to pay damages | 1 year for a first, 3 for a second, 10 for a third, lifetime for a fourth, counted from when the judgment is stayed or satisfied |
The insurer has to notify DMV if the policy is canceled or lapses. For questions about your case, call DMV Driver Services Adjudication at (907) 269-5551. RateFrog’s SR-22 guide explains how these filings work in general.
If You Can’t Find Coverage
The Alaska Automobile Insurance Plan, administered by AIPSO, provides coverage for eligible drivers who can’t get it in the regular market. You apply through an insurance producer, and AIPSO asks consumers looking for this coverage to call its customer service line at (800) 227-4659.
How Alaska Insurers Set Rates
Alaska allows credit-based insurance scores, with limits. Under AS 21.36.460:
- An insurer can use credit only together with other substantive underwriting factors.
- It can’t take adverse action because you have no credit history, as long as you gave accurate information, unless it treats the missing history as neutral.
- If credit leads to adverse action, the notice has to explain why and describe your rights, including exceptions for certain extraordinary life circumstances.
The Division’s personal auto filing checklist adds that a gap in insurance can’t be used as a rating factor unless it led to a violation of the mandatory insurance law.
Drivers 55 and older can get a discount under AS 21.96.025. The principal operator has to ask for it at renewal, have no chargeable accidents or moving citations in the prior three years and have completed an approved accident prevention course within three years. A course taken under court order doesn’t count. The discount lasts no more than three years after the course, an at-fault accident or moving violation can end it early and the law doesn’t set a percentage. RateFrog’s guide to the factors that affect car insurance rates covers the rest.
Cancellation and Nonrenewal Rules
According to the Division’s policy rights page, an insurer can cancel an auto policy for any reason during its first 60 days. After that, or once a policy has renewed, it can cancel only for nonpayment, or for a suspension or revocation of the driver’s license or registration of you, someone in your household or someone who regularly drives the car. The insurer has to state its reason.
Under AS 21.36.220, the general written notice period for personal policies is at least 30 days, with shorter periods for nonpayment (20 days) and for certain other reasons such as a license or registration suspension (10 days).
Nonrenewal works differently. Under AS 21.36.240, an insurer can decline to renew a personal policy only on its annual anniversary, so a six-month auto policy can’t be dropped at the six-month mark. The insurer has to send written notice at least 20 days before the policy expires, and if it doesn’t, the policy continues until proper notice is given. These nonrenewal rules don’t apply when the insurer offered to renew or when you didn’t pay.
The Division also says that if your policy is canceled for a reason other than nonpayment, or isn’t renewed, the insurer has to tell you that you may be eligible for the assigned risk plan. RateFrog’s guide to car insurance grace periods explains what usually happens when a payment is late.
Is Alaska’s Minimum Coverage Enough?
A 50/100/25 policy can still run out after a serious crash. $25,000 of property damage coverage may not cover a newer vehicle, and if a claim goes past your limits, you could owe the difference. Higher limits cost more, so weigh what you own and what you could afford to pay out of pocket.
Before you reject uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, think about how you’d pay your own medical bills if the other driver had little or no insurance. RateFrog’s guide to how much car insurance you need can help you choose, and you can compare car insurance quotes at several coverage levels.
Where to Get Help
The Alaska Division of Insurance’s Consumer Services section takes calls at (907) 269-7900, or 1-800-INSURAK from elsewhere in Alaska, and accepts complaints through its complaint page. For license suspensions and SR-22 filings, contact DMV Driver Services Adjudication at (907) 269-5551. For an impounded vehicle in Anchorage, contact the Anchorage Police Department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage Required in Alaska?
No. Insurers must offer it, and you can reject it in writing. The Division of Insurance says that if your choice isn’t confirmed by your signature, the policy has to include it at limits matching your liability coverage.
What Is the Fine for Driving Without Insurance in Alaska?
Failing to carry and show proof of insurance when an officer asks is an infraction with a mandatory $500 fine. Showing proof that was valid at the time of the citation defeats the charge. RateFrog didn’t find a separate fine for simply driving uninsured in the parts of the law reviewed, but failing to give DMV proof after a crash can lead to a license suspension of at least 90 days.
Do I Need Car Insurance If I Live Off the Road System?
Possibly not, but only if you drive solely in an area on DMV’s exempt list and you haven’t been cited for a violation worth six or more points in the past five years. Check the current DMV list for your community.
Can I Show Proof of Insurance on My Phone in Alaska?
Yes. Alaska law accepts proof displayed on a mobile device, and showing it doesn’t let the officer look at anything else on the device.
Sources
- Alaska DMV: Mandatory Insurance (Driver Services)
- Alaska DMV: Mandatory Insurance (Vehicle Services)
- Alaska DMV: SR-22 Insurance
- Alaska Division of Insurance: Auto Coverage Options
- Alaska Division of Insurance: Your Policy Rights
- Alaska Division of Insurance: Personal Automobile Checklist
- AS 28.22.011
- AS 28.22.019
- AS 28.22.021
- AS 28.22.031
- AS 28.22.041
- AS 28.22.051
- AS 28.22.061
- AS 28.22.101
- AS 28.22.201
- AS 28.22.221
- AS 21.96.020
- AS 21.96.025
- AS 21.36.220
- AS 21.36.240
- AS 21.36.460
- AIPSO: Alaska Automobile Insurance Plan
- Alaska Division of Insurance: File a Complaint