STATE LAW – DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LIBRARY – GUIDE 02
Required Auto Insurance, 25/50/10 Liability, 25/50/5 UM & the October 1, 2027 D.C. Limit Increase
District of Columbia law currently requires minimum third-party liability coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $10,000 for property damage. Mandatory uninsured-motorist coverage is currently 25/50 for bodily injury and $5,000 for property damage. D.C. Law 26-155 raises the principal minimum liability and UM limits beginning October 1, 2027.
Current liability minimums are 25 / 50 / 10
D.C. Code § 31-2406 currently requires property-damage liability coverage of at least $10,000 per accident and third-party bodily-injury liability coverage of at least $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for all persons in one accident, subject to the per-person limit. Liability coverage responds to covered legal responsibility for injury or damage to others. These minimums do not establish the value of an injured person’s claim or prove that a particular policy applies.
Mandatory uninsured-motorist coverage is currently 25 / 50 / 5
Section 31-2406(f)(2) separately requires uninsured-motorist coverage of at least $25,000 for bodily injury or death to one person, $50,000 for all persons in one accident, and $5,000 for property damage. Subsection (f)(3) provides a $200 deductible for uninsured-motorist property damage. Do not assume the liability property-damage minimum and the UM property-damage minimum are the same. Obtain the declarations and endorsements to identify the protection actually purchased.
The new limits apply beginning October 1, 2027
D.C. Law 26-155 became effective August 14, 2026, but section 3 states that the act applies as of October 1, 2027. Its amendments raise the principal liability and UM minimums to $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $20,000 for property damage. The act also changes underinsured-motorist coverage, including enhanced UIM and waiver provisions. The future amounts should not be presented as the current October 2026 minimums. Review the act’s applicability language and the relevant policy and crash dates before applying its changes.
Build a coverage record before valuing or settling a claim
Current § 31-2406 treats underinsured-motorist coverage separately from mandatory UM and includes an offer requirement with vehicle exceptions. The modernization act changes that framework beginning on its applicability date. Collect the full policy, declarations, endorsements, selection or waiver records, and available limits for every potentially applicable policy. Record other claimants and payments that may reduce available proceeds. Minimum-limit shorthand does not resolve insured status, exclusions, priority, PIP rights, UIM entitlement, or the effect of a proposed release.
Source review: October 15, 2026. This overview addresses the cited insurance provisions. Verify the law and policy version applicable to the crash and coverage dates.
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