FR-44 Minimum Coverage Requirements — 100/300/50 Explained Plainly

The 100/300/50 format refers to three separate liability limits measured in thousands of dollars. The first number — 100 — is the maximum your insurer will pay per person for bodily injury in a single accident. If you cause a crash that injures another driver, your policy covers up to $100,000 for that individual's medical bills, lost wages, and related damages. The second number — 300 — is the total bodily injury limit per accident, regardless of how many people are hurt. If you injure three people in a single collision, your policy will pay up to $300,000 combined across all claimants. Once that limit is exhausted, you are personally liable for any additional amounts awarded in a lawsuit or settlement. The third number — 50 — is property damage liability per accident. This covers the other driver's vehicle, any structures you hit, guardrails, fences, or other physical property you damage. In Florida, where FR-44 filing is required after a DUI conviction, these 100/300/50 limits are ten times higher than the state's standard 10/20/10 minimum for non-DUI drivers. Virginia FR-44 drivers face a different requirement: 50/100/40. The structure is identical — per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and property damage — but the amounts are lower than Florida's mandate. Both states eliminated the option to carry standard minimums once FR-44 is triggered by a DUI or DWI conviction.

Florida law does not require FR-44 filing as punishment — it requires it because actuarial data shows drivers with DUI convictions present statistically higher accident risk. The state responded by mandating liability coverage high enough to protect other drivers if you cause a serious crash during your three-year filing period. A standard Florida policy with 10/20/10 limits would leave injured parties drastically undercompensated in any moderate-to-severe collision. The 100/300/50 requirement also reflects the reality that DUI-related crashes historically result in higher medical costs and more severe injuries than other accident types. Florida DHSMV does not publish this as a deterrent — it structures the filing requirement to match the financial exposure the state and other drivers face when a DUI-convicted individual returns to the road. This is why you cannot satisfy FR-44 filing with a bare-bones liability policy. The insurer must file the FR-44 certificate with Florida DHSMV or Virginia DMV only after confirming you carry the statutorily required limits. If you reduce coverage below 100/300/50 at any point during your three-year filing period in Florida, your insurer is required to notify DHSMV immediately, triggering an automatic license suspension. Florida FR-44 requirements

Monthly premiums for FR-44 insurance in Florida typically range from $200 to $400 per month for drivers with a single DUI conviction and no additional violations. That figure reflects both the elevated liability limits and the underwriting surcharge applied to DUI-convicted drivers. A comparable standard policy with 10/20/10 limits for a driver with a clean record might cost $80 to $120 per month in the same zip code. The cost difference is not primarily the FR-44 filing itself — most insurers charge a one-time filing fee of $15 to $50 to submit the certificate to the state. The cost driver is the combination of ten times the liability exposure and the actuarial classification of a DUI conviction. Insurers price FR-44 policies based on the assumption that they may need to pay out the full 100/300/50 limits, and they assign that risk to a driver whose record includes impaired driving. Non-owner FR-44 policies — designed for drivers who need license reinstatement but do not own a vehicle — typically cost $100 to $200 per month in Florida. These policies carry the same 100/300/50 liability limits but exclude collision and comprehensive coverage because there is no vehicle to insure. If you are not currently driving and need FR-44 solely for reinstatement, a non-owner policy is the most cost-effective path. Virginia FR-44 drivers face similar pricing dynamics, though the required 50/100/40 limits are lower. Monthly premiums typically range from $150 to $350 for standard FR-44 policies and $80 to $150 for non-owner FR-44 coverage. The three-year filing period begins on your conviction date in Virginia, not your reinstatement date as in Florida, which can affect total cost depending on how quickly you secure coverage.

Not all insurers write FR-44 policies, and many national carriers either decline DUI-convicted drivers outright or quote them for SR-22 coverage, which does not meet Florida's FR-44 requirement. If you accept an SR-22 filing in Florida after a DUI conviction, DHSMV will not reinstate your license, and you will have wasted premium payments on a non-compliant policy. Always confirm the insurer explicitly offers FR-44 filing in your state before purchasing. When comparing quotes, focus on the monthly premium for the required 100/300/50 limits, not the insurer's standard rates or advertised discounts. FR-44 policies are underwritten separately from standard auto insurance, and advertised good driver discounts or bundling incentives rarely apply. Ask each insurer for the total monthly cost including the FR-44 filing fee, policy fees, and any installment charges if you pay monthly rather than in full. Request quotes from at least three insurers that specialize in high-risk or non-standard auto coverage. These carriers — often regional or independent insurers rather than household names — price FR-44 policies more competitively because they underwrite DUI-convicted drivers regularly and do not treat them as outlier risks. National carriers that write FR-44 as an exception often quote premiums 30% to 50% higher than specialized insurers for identical coverage. If you do not own a vehicle, confirm the insurer offers non-owner FR-44 policies before requesting a quote. Not all FR-44 carriers write non-owner coverage, and some require you to add yourself as a driver on a family member's policy instead, which may trigger higher premiums for the vehicle owner.

Your insurer is legally required to notify Florida DHSMV or Virginia DMV within 10 days if you cancel your FR-44 policy, miss a payment, or reduce your liability limits below the required 100/300/50 (or 50/100/40 in Virginia). The state responds by suspending your license immediately. There is no grace period and no warning letter. Your driving privilege ends the day the DMV receives the lapse notification. Reinstating your license after a lapse requires you to purchase a new FR-44 policy, pay a reinstatement fee — $45 in Florida for a first lapse, higher for subsequent lapses — and in some cases restart the entire three-year filing period from the new reinstatement date. A single missed payment can add months or years to your FR-44 obligation and hundreds of dollars in reinstatement fees. If you need to switch insurers during your filing period, coordinate the transition so there is no gap in coverage. Purchase the new FR-44 policy with an effective date that overlaps your current policy's cancellation date by at least one day. The new insurer will file the FR-44 certificate with the state, and as long as DHSMV or DMV shows continuous coverage, your license remains valid and your filing clock continues without interruption.

If you do not currently own a vehicle but need FR-44 filing to reinstate your Florida or Virginia driver's license, a non-owner FR-44 policy satisfies the state requirement. These policies provide the same 100/300/50 liability coverage required under Florida law but apply only when you drive a vehicle you do not own — a rental car, a friend's vehicle, or a car-sharing service. Non-owner FR-44 policies cost significantly less than standard FR-44 policies because they exclude physical damage coverage and the insurer assumes you drive less frequently. Monthly premiums typically range from $100 to $200 in Florida, compared to $200 to $400 for a standard FR-44 policy on an owned vehicle. The insurer files the FR-44 certificate with DHSMV the same way, and the state treats non-owner filing identically to standard filing for reinstatement purposes. You cannot carry a non-owner FR-44 policy if you own a registered vehicle in your name. If you purchase a car during your filing period, you must switch to a standard FR-44 policy on that vehicle within 30 days and notify your insurer. Failing to do so can result in a lapse notification to the state and immediate license suspension. Non-owner FR-44 is also the correct option if you live in a household with other drivers but do not have a vehicle titled in your name. Adding yourself to a family member's policy as a listed driver does not satisfy FR-44 filing unless the policy is in your name and carries the required 100/300/50 limits. Most insurers require the FR-44 filer to be the named insured on the policy, not simply a listed driver.