Maryland Car Insurance Requirements: Minimums, Fault Rules & Penalties

Minimum liability requirements

Maryland requires all registered vehicles to carry liability coverage, Personal Injury Protection (PIP), and uninsured motorist coverage. The mandatory minimums are:

Coverage	Minimum limit
Bodily injury per person	$30,000
Bodily injury per accident	$60,000
Property damage per accident	$15,000
Personal Injury Protection (PIP)	$2,500 per person
Uninsured motorist — per person	$30,000
Uninsured motorist — per accident	$60,000

Maryland's PIP requirement is a hybrid element in an otherwise at-fault state. The mandatory $2,500 PIP covers your own medical expenses and a portion of lost wages after an accident, regardless of who caused it. You may waive PIP in writing for yourself (but not for other household members listed on the policy) if you have qualifying health insurance.

The uninsured motorist requirement ensures that every Maryland driver has at least a baseline level of protection against drivers who carry no insurance at all.

Fault system

Maryland is an at-fault (tort) state operating under contributory negligence — one of the strictest fault doctrines still applied in any US jurisdiction. Under contributory negligence, if you are found to have contributed to an accident in any degree, you may be entirely barred from recovering compensation from the other driver.

This stands in sharp contrast to the comparative fault systems used by most states, where your recovery is simply reduced by your percentage of fault. In Maryland, even 1% of contributing fault can eliminate your right to recover — though in practice, courts and adjusters often focus on whether contributing fault was material.

Only four other US jurisdictions apply contributory negligence: Alabama, the District of Columbia, North Carolina, and Virginia. If you live or commute in the Maryland/DC corridor, it is especially important to understand how this rule can affect a claim.

Maryland PIP can step in to cover your medical costs even when contributory negligence prevents a tort claim against the other driver. This is one practical reason the mandatory PIP requirement matters, even though Maryland is an at-fault state.

SR-22 requirements

An SR-22 is a certificate of financial responsibility filed by your insurer with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). It confirms you maintain at least the state's minimum liability coverage. Maryland requires an SR-22 after:

• A DUI or DWI conviction
• Being cited for driving without insurance
• A license suspension for accumulation of serious violations
• Certain other MVA-ordered financial responsibility events

The required filing period is 3 years. Your insurer is obligated to notify the MVA immediately if your policy lapses during that period, which will typically reinstate the suspension. Maintaining continuous coverage through the full 3-year term is the only path to satisfying the SR-22 requirement.

Maryland's continuous insurance monitoring system tracks policy status across registered vehicles. Lapses are flagged automatically and can result in suspension notices even without a traffic stop, so even brief gaps carry real risk.

Penalties for driving without insurance

Maryland's uninsured driver penalty structure is more detailed than most states' and includes a per-day accumulation feature that can push total costs well above the base fine.

First offense:

• Minimum fine of $150
• Uninsured motorist penalty: $150 for the first 30 days without coverage, then $7 per day for each additional day (maximum $2,500)
• Driver's license suspended
• $45 reinstatement fee upon compliance

Subsequent offenses:

• Higher base fines
• Same per-day penalty structure applies
• Extended suspension periods

Maryland's automated monitoring system means that a lapse in coverage can be caught independently of any traffic stop. Drivers who let coverage lapse — even briefly between policies — risk the daily penalty accumulating before they are even aware the system has flagged the gap. Setting up automatic renewal or overlapping coverage dates by a day or two when switching insurers is a practical way to avoid this exposure.