FR44 - High Risk Specialists

FR44 & SR22 -  Northside Insurance Agency - High Risk Specialists

How long do I have to carry a SR22 or FR44?

An SR-22 is a form that certifies the insurance coverage includes bodily injury liability (BIL) and property damage liability (PDL). An SR-22 is required for three years as the result of a Point Suspension, Habitual Traffic Revocation, Judgement involving a crash, or if you were the owner or operator of a vehicle that was involved in a crash and someone incurred injuries and you were not insured with BIL coverage at the time.

A six-months non-cancellable SR-22 is required if an owner/registrant of a vehicle receives a ticket for operating a vehicle without proof of insurance and is found guilty. The law requires that proof of financial responsibility provide for the following coverage:
$10,000 (PIP) for personal injury protection per occurrence.
$10,000 (PDL) for damage of property of others per occurrence, or $30,000 (CSL) combined single limits per occurrence.
The "Six-month non cancellable SR22" is required for two years .

An FR-44 is required in cases where a person has been convicted for driving under the influence. The FR-44 shows proof the person has now purchased  increased BIL /PDL insurance coverage of $100K/300K/50K.  FR-44 filings are required for three years from the original suspension date.

If you are required to carry an SR-22 or FR-44, you will need to contact your insurance agent or company.  In most cases, the insurance company will electronically submit the SR-22 for FR-44 filing to our department. Please allow up to 48 hours for the SR22 or FR44 to update to your driver history.  Your insurance company can advise you when they electronically submitted the filing. We are working on enhancements that will improve this process. Otherwise, you will need to mail the actual SR-22 or FR-44 filing to our department or present the filing at your local driver license office.  We do not accept faxed copies in the driver license offices.   If your SR-22 or FR-44 was cancelled and you have purchased a new one, you may owe a reinstatement fee along with presenting the new SR-22 or FR-44 Form.  

What type of insurance do I need after being convicted of driving under the influence (DUI)?

If convicted of driving under the influence, you will receive a notice of suspension regarding insurance requirements from our department.  If this notice is dated 11/1/14 or later you are required to purchase a FR44 policy with limits of Bodily Injury Liability/Property Damage Liability in the amounts of $100K/$300K/$50K. The insurance company can file form FR44 electronically with our agency as confirmation of the coverage.  If you don't comply prior to the financial responsibility (FR) suspension effective date on the notice, you will also be required to pay the reinstatement fee of $150, $250, or $500.

Notices mailed prior to 11/1/14 will indicate if you had $100K/300K/50K at the time of the DUI offense date, then we just need proof of that coverage and you are not required to carry the FR44.  However, this option is only for notice of suspensions dated prior to 11/1/14. After that date, you are required to carry the FR44, no matter if you had the $100K/300K/5K at the time of the DUI.

The FR44 policy is required for three years. If you cancel the FR44 insurance during the three year period, the insurance company will notify the DMV and your driving privilege will be suspended for the cancellation. Then you will be required to get another FR44 and pay the applicable reinstatement fee to reinstate, provided the three-year period has not expired. 

If you do not own a vehicle, you must obtain a non–owner liability insurance policy, file the FR44 form, and pay the applicable reinstatement fee.