Georgia’s minimum auto insurance requirements

Georgia requires a vehicle owner to carry liability insurance of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injury or death, and $25,000 for property damage. O.C.G.A. § 33-34-4 imposes the duty, and it reaches the amounts through Chapter 9 of Title 40, which refers to § 33-7-11(a)(1)(A). No statute requires a driver to buy uninsured motorist, MedPay, or collision coverage, though an insurer must include UM coverage in a policy unless it is rejected in writing.

Where the numbers come from

The route through the Code is indirect and runs through more than one section.

Step	Section	What it does
The duty	§ 33-34-4	No owner may operate or allow operation without insurance "equivalent to that required as evidence of security" under Chapter 9 of Title 40
The cross-reference	§ 40-9-37(a)	A policy must have limits "of not less than the amounts specified in subparagraph (a)(1)(A) of Code Section 33-7-11"
The amounts	§ 33-7-11(a)(1)(A)	$25,000 for one person, $50,000 for two or more, $25,000 for property
Proof and penalties	§ 40-6-10	Proof in the vehicle, and criminal penalties

A driver with a DUI conviction has higher minimums. Senate Bill 121, in the text as passed, enacted § 33-7-16: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, and $50,000 for property after a conviction, and $100,000, $300,000, and $100,000 after a second or later one, kept without interruption for three years from the conviction. Legislative Counsel’s 2025 summary lists it as applying to convictions on or after May 14, 2025.

What that coverage does

Limit	Applies to	For example
$25,000	One person's injury or death in one accident	One injured person with $90,000 in losses reaches at most $25,000
$50,000	All persons' injuries in one accident	Three injured people share at most $50,000, with no one above $25,000
$25,000	Property	Another car, a fence, and a sign share it

This coverage pays others for harm the insured is responsible for, as liability coverage explains. It does not pay the insured’s own injuries or vehicle.

Uninsured motorist coverage: included unless rejected

Section 33-7-11(a)(1) says no auto liability policy may be issued unless it contains UM provisions. So this is more than a duty to offer the coverage. The coverage is in the policy unless (a)(3) applies: “any insured named in the policy shall reject the coverage in writing”.

• Amount. Limits are at the insured’s option. Subparagraph (A) sets the floor, and (B) sets limits equal to liability limits where those are higher. The insured “may affirmatively choose” lower UM limits.
• Form. Add-on coverage is the default, and an insured may reject it in writing for reduced-by coverage, under (b)(1)(D)(ii).
• Renewal. A rejection on an earlier policy with the same insurer can carry forward under (a)(3).

The statute does not say the rejection must be on a separate form, although an insurer’s own form may look that way. To know what you have, read the declarations page, and ask to see any signed rejection. See uninsured motorist coverage.

Penalties for driving without it

Section 40-6-10 contains the main rules.

Conduct	Section	Consequence
Failing to keep proof of required insurance in the vehicle	§ 40-6-10(a)	Misdemeanor; fine of $200 to $1,000, up to 12 months, or both
Showing the court that coverage was actually in effect	§ 40-6-10(a)(7)	Court may impose a fine of no more than $25, with no record sent to the Department of Driver Services
Knowingly operating, or authorizing operation, without effective insurance	§ 40-6-10(b)	Misdemeanor; same range
Knowingly making a false statement or certification	§ 40-6-10(c)	Misdemeanor; same range

The Code shows § 40-5-71 as reserved, repealed in 2010, so check § 40-6-10 and the current registration and license provisions for the administrative side. A separate civil exposure remains: an uninsured driver who causes a crash is personally liable for what a judgment awards.

Electronic proof depends on the policy. Section 40-6-10(a)(8) treats an insurance card or electronic verification as sufficient for fleet policies, and it has its own terms for others. A driver should keep the card or verification the insurer issues.

If the other driver has only the minimum

For example, imagine damages of $200,000 and a $25,000 per-person limit.

Source	Amount
At-fault driver's coverage	$25,000
Your $100,000 add-on UM	$100,000
Unpaid	$75,000

Without UM coverage, the same plaintiff would face $175,000 unpaid, unless the at-fault driver has other coverage or assets. Medical expense coverage may help with bills, and a health plan may pay care, as who pays for damages sets out.

What the minimum means for a buyer

A policy at the legal minimum satisfies the statute, but it also limits what you can claim from your own UM coverage if you keep UM equal to it. An injured driver looks to their own UM limit, so that number decides their protection. A person with assets to protect should compare their liability limits with what a serious crash could produce, since a judgment above the limits can reach personal assets. Which limits make sense is a choice about budget and risk, and no statute sets it.

Misunderstandings to avoid

• “My passenger is covered by MedPay by law.” Section 33-34-4 doesn’t require MedPay, and it must be on the policy.
• “Minimum coverage repairs my car.” It repairs someone else’s property.
• “The other driver is uninsured if the card is expired.” Coverage can exist without a current card. Ask the insurer, or use the disclosure procedure in § 33-3-28.
• “Rejecting UM only affects me.” Rejection by a named insured affects others in the household who would have been insureds.

Sources

• Official Code of Georgia Annotated, November 2022 public release: §§ 33-3-28, 33-7-11, 33-34-4, 40-6-10, 40-9-37
• Legislative Counsel, Summary of General Statutes Enacted, 2025: Senate Bill 121
• Georgia Senate Bill 121 (2025), as passed: § 33-7-16

This page was last reviewed in November 2026 for general information. Laws and court decisions can change after that date. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.