Federal District & U.S. Territories Auto Insurance Law Library

Federal District & U.S. Territories Auto Insurance Law Library

This VictimsGuide library organizes Washington, D.C. and the principal inhabited U.S. territories with distinct local legal systems: Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. These jurisdictions should not be treated as interchangeable extensions of state auto-insurance law.

Why these jurisdictions require separate treatment

• District of Columbia: contributory negligence remains the general rule, subject to vulnerable-road-user protection, while enacted motor-vehicle insurance reforms take effect October 1, 2027.
• Puerto Rico: compulsory SRO property-damage insurance and ACAA bodily-injury benefits operate alongside traditional liability policies and Civil Code remedies.
• U.S. Virgin Islands: compulsory liability, vehicle-class minimums and territorial comparative-negligence rules apply; the former $100,000 noneconomic-damages cap was held unconstitutional by the territorial Supreme Court.
• Guam: mandatory 25/50/20 liability insurance, a modified comparative-negligence rule and the Government Claims Act require territory-specific analysis.
• CNMI: mandatory 15/30/15 liability insurance, an Assigned Risk Plan and pure comparative fault distinguish the Commonwealth system.
• American Samoa: compulsory 10/20/5 liability insurance, broad direct-action rights against liability insurers and pure comparative negligence make the territory especially distinct.

The library should prioritize primary local sources: current territorial codes, insurance regulations, administrative guidance, local appellate decisions and policy forms. Federal law should be added only where it actually overlays the local insurance or tort system.

Nationwide QC review: September 17, 2026. Each jurisdiction remains a draft research library and should be rechecked for amendments, regulatory changes, new appellate decisions, source-link integrity and policy-form developments before publication.