If you think an Arizona auto insurer's declination, cancellation, or nonrenewal was unfair or illegal, write the Director of Insurance within ten days of receiving the notice. The address on the department's auto page is Department of Insurance, 100 North 15th Avenue, Suite 261, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2624.

After a policy has been in force 60 days, DIFI says the company may cancel only for listed reasons, including nonpayment, fraud, a suspended or revoked license, DUI and other named convictions, and regular commercial use of a private-passenger vehicle. If the policy is already gone and no company will write a new one, DIFI says to apply through the Arizona Automobile Insurance Plan with any licensed property-and-casualty agent. The plan does not change the 25/50/15 minimum.

What are the listed cancellation reasons?

The auto page groups the post-60-day grounds as nonpayment, fraud, license suspension or revocation, DUI and other named convictions, regular commercial use of a private-passenger vehicle, and similar reasons. Read the notice for the specific fact the company used. A notice that only says "underwriting" is the one to quote in the ten-day letter. Keep the envelope so you can show the day you received it.

The ten days are for the objection to the Director. The general complaint queue is a different pace. DIFI says a complaint can wait up to a week before it is evaluated, and filing does not pause a deadline. Send the ten-day letter even if you also open a complaint. See the written complaint. Homeowners nonrenewal uses a 30-day statute that does not apply to the car. See that home rule.

What is the Automobile Insurance Plan?

DIFI describes the plan as the route when the policy was cancelled and you cannot find another insurer. You apply through any licensed property-and-casualty agent. The department does not say the Motor Vehicle Division sells the policy. Bring the cancellation notice, the names of companies that declined you, and the vehicle identification number. Ask the agent whether the application is to the plan or to one more company in the regular market, what limits will be on the binder, and the date coverage starts.

The liability floor for a policy issued or renewed beginning July 1, 2020 is $25,000, $50,000, and $15,000 under A.R.S. 28-4009. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage must be offered. They are not required. The declarations page is the record. See the 25/50/15 minimums. ADOT says you have 30 days after registration to submit proof of Arizona insurance. An application to the plan is not that proof. Coverage starts when the plan or the company says it starts.

What to write in the ten-day letter

Put your name, the policy number, the date you received the notice, and the reason the notice gives. Say why you think that reason is wrong, in a few sentences, and attach a copy of the notice. Mail it to the 15th Avenue address. Keep a copy. If the ground is nonpayment, the letter should also say the date you paid, if you paid, and attach the receipt. A nonpayment cancellation is one of the reasons DIFI lists. Objecting does not, by itself, put the policy back in force.

While the letter is in the mail, ask an agent about a replacement policy or the plan. Driving after the cancellation date without a new policy is the financial-responsibility problem ADOT describes. The card in the car has to match a policy that is still in effect.

What to carry to the agent

Bring the cancellation notice, the vehicle identification number, the registration, and a list of any companies that already said no. Ask the agent to say out loud whether the application is the Arizona Automobile Insurance Plan or another insurer. Ask the effective date and whether uninsured-motorist coverage is being offered in writing under A.R.S. 20-259.01. A quote is not a card. ADOT wants proof of Arizona insurance, and the card has to match a policy that has started. If you are also shopping a homeowners nonrenewal the same week, keep that file separate. The ten-day auto letter does not extend a home policy, and a home repair deadline does not insure the car.

FAQ

How long do I have to object to a cancellation? Ten days from receiving the notice, by a letter to the Director at the address on DIFI's auto page.

Can the company cancel for any reason after two months? DIFI says that after 60 days the insurer may cancel only for the listed reasons, including nonpayment, fraud, license actions, named convictions, and regular commercial use.

Who sells the Automobile Insurance Plan policy? Any licensed property-and-casualty agent can take the application. DIFI does not describe a walk-up counter at the Motor Vehicle Division.

Does the plan let me buy less than 25/50/15? No. Those are the financial-responsibility limits for a current policy. The plan is a way to buy coverage.

Does the ten-day letter pause the cancellation? DIFI says filing a complaint does not pause policy deadlines. Treat the cancellation date on the notice as real until you have a new card.

Next step

Write the ten-day letter the day the notice arrives, and call a licensed agent the same day about a replacement policy or the Arizona Automobile Insurance Plan. Put the new card in the vehicle before you drive. Keep the old notice with the letter you sent the Director.

Sources: DIFI: automobile insurance, A.R.S. 28-4009, ADOT: insurance requirements.

A standard Arizona homeowners policy does not cover flood, and it does not cover earthquake. The Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions says flood means water from outside the home that flows inside at ground level. That includes monsoon rain pooling on hard desert ground. Earthquake coverage is a separate endorsement or a separate policy.

A new National Flood Insurance Program policy generally waits 30 days before it takes effect. Buying flood insurance the week a wash is already running does not cover that water if the wait has not finished.

What limits does DIFI list for the NFIP?

On the department's flood page, NFIP coverage for a home is up to $250,000 on the residence. Homeowners and renters can insure contents up to $100,000. A business structure can be insured up to $500,000, and business contents up to $500,000. Each building needs its own policy. Those are ceilings on the program the department describes, not the amount on your quote. Ask the agent for the building limit, the contents limit, and the deductible before you bind.

The page lists an agent-referral line at 877-336-2627, a general NFIP phone at (888) 379-9531, and the email FloodSmart@dhs.gov. DIFI's own Consumer Protection number on that page is (602) 364-2499, and the email is insurance.consumers@difi.az.gov. The department can explain the exclusion. It does not sell the flood policy.

What about a lender and a monsoon?

DIFI says a mortgage lender in a high-risk flood zone can force-place flood insurance and add the premium to the mortgage payment. The page does not state a premium. Read the force-placed notice for the amount and for whether you can replace it with a policy you choose. A homeowners binder that satisfies a general insurance condition is not flood insurance.

Monsoon pooling is the example the department uses so desert owners do not assume flood is only a river. Water that enters at ground level from outside is the definition on that page. A pipe that bursts inside the house is a different water question. Ask the homeowners insurer which exclusion applies, in writing, before you describe street water as a plumbing leak.

Where does earthquake sit?

The same DIFI page says standard homeowners insurance does not cover earthquake, and that earthquake coverage is a separate endorsement or policy. The page does not state an Arizona deductible or a premium. Get those numbers from the quote. Do not assume a wildfire or wind claim adds earthquake shaking to the homeowners form.

A nonrenewal of the homeowners policy is a separate calendar. See the 30-day nonrenewal notice. If you cannot find a licensed insurer in a forested area, DIFI's February 2025 list tells consumers to contact the Arizona Surplus Lines Association at 602-279-6344. That list is not an endorsement, and it is not a flood policy.

How this fits the rest of a purchase

The property tax bill and the homestead exemption do not tell you whether the wash floods. See how class 3 tax and the due dates work. An affidavit of disclosure on certain unincorporated land can mention drainage. See that affidavit and the five-day rescission. A subdivision public report is supposed to cover flooding and drainage. See the public report.

A complaint about a homeowners claim that was mishandled still goes to DIFI after you write the company. A flood claim on an NFIP policy follows the federal program. See the complaint process.

What to ask the flood agent to write down

Ask whether the quote is an NFIP policy, what the building limit is, whether contents are included, and the effective date. DIFI's ceilings are maximums, not the amount you automatically receive. A building-only policy can leave furniture unpaid. Ask whether a lender closing changes the start date, and do not assume it does unless the declarations page says so. If you are buying in a subdivision, read the public report's flooding and drainage section the same week. The report is not a flood policy. If the homeowners company is also nonrenewing, the 30-day statutory notice and the 30-day NFIP wait can overlap. Calendar both. One does not satisfy the other.

Keep the flood quote, the homeowners declarations page, and the lender's insurance instructions in one folder. If the lender force-places a policy, the premium on the mortgage statement is the number to compare with a policy you buy yourself. DIFI describes the practice and does not quote a premium.

FAQ

Does monsoon water that enters at the floor count as flood? DIFI's definition is water from outside the home that flows inside at ground level, including pooling on hard desert ground.

How long before a new NFIP policy pays? The department says there is generally a 30-day wait. Read the effective date on the declarations page.

What are the home limits DIFI lists? Up to $250,000 on the residence and up to $100,000 on contents. Business limits on that page are $500,000 for the structure and $500,000 for contents.

Is earthquake on the homeowners policy? DIFI says no. It is a separate endorsement or a separate policy.

Can the lender buy flood insurance for me? DIFI says a lender in a high-risk zone can force-place a policy and add the premium to the mortgage payment.

Next step

Read the water exclusion and the earth-movement exclusion on the homeowners policy this week. If flood is excluded, ask an agent for an NFIP quote that names the building limit, the contents limit, and the date coverage starts. Keep that page with the policy, not in a box on the moving truck.

Sources: DIFI: flood insurance information.

An Arizona insurer that will not renew a homeowners policy, or that will renew it only with reduced limits or dropped coverages, must send notice at least 30 days before the policy period ends. That rule is A.R.S. 20-1654. A late notice does not let the company drop you if you pay the renewal premium.

If the notice does not go out in time, the insurer shall not fail to renew when you pay the renewal premium. The notice has to be in writing, sent to the named insured, and it has to state the specific facts. That writing requirement is A.R.S. 20-1653. These sections apply to real property used predominantly as a residence of not more than four dwelling units, the personal property in that residence, and personal liability. They do not cover an auto policy or workers' compensation. That scope is A.R.S. 20-1651.

When can the company cancel in the middle of the term?

A.R.S. 20-1652(A) limits cancellation after the policy has been in force 60 days, and it applies immediately on a renewal. The cancellation is effective only for listed grounds: nonpayment, a crime that increases the hazard, fraud or material misrepresentation, grossly negligent acts that substantially increase a hazard, a substantial change in risk, a determination by the director, or failure to reduce conditions that will increase future losses. A cancellation for a reason that is not on that list is the letter to take to the department.

DIFI's consumer FAQ says insurers are only required to provide 5 days' notice when cancelling a homeowners policy during the term. That 5-day figure is on the department's FAQ. It is not printed in sections 20-1652, 20-1653, or 20-1654. Use the FAQ for the department's description of mid-term notice, and use the statute for the grounds and for the 30-day nonrenewal. Do not cite the 5 days as if they appear in 20-1654.

What if the reason is the condition of the house?

A.R.S. 20-1652(B) gives you time when nonrenewal is based on the condition of the premises. You get 30 days to remedy the condition. If you fix it, coverage shall be renewed. If you do not, you get an additional 30 days, if you pay the premium, to cure it. Photograph the repair and send the insurer the receipts inside the first 30 days. A verbal promise to "get to the brush next month" is not the remedy the subsection describes.

Flood and earthquake are often excluded even on a policy that renews. A nonrenewal notice and a flood exclusion are different problems. See what a standard homeowners policy leaves out.

How do you object?

If you think a declination, cancellation, or nonrenewal was unfair or illegal, DIFI's auto page says you may write the Director within ten days of receiving the notice. The address it prints is Department of Insurance, 100 North 15th Avenue, Suite 261, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2624. The general complaint process is slower. DIFI says a complaint can wait up to a week before it is evaluated, and filing does not pause a deadline. Use the ten-day letter when the notice just arrived. See how the written complaint works for everything that is not racing that ten-day clock.

An auto cancellation uses the auto statute, not 20-1654. The minimum liability limits and the 60-day auto cancellation limits are in Arizona's 25/50/15 article.

What to read on the notice

Check the mailing date, the effective date, and the stated reason. A notice that says only "underwriting reasons" is missing the specific facts section 20-1653 requires. A notice that arrives 10 days before expiration is late for a nonrenewal under 20-1654, which wants 30 days. A mid-term cancellation should name a ground from 20-1652. If the ground is the condition of the premises, calendar the 30 days to repair and the extra 30 days if you pay the premium and still need them.

Keep the envelope. The ten days to write the Director run from receipt of the notice. A shopping trip for a new policy can happen in the same week. One does not replace the other.

FAQ

How much notice is required to nonrenew? At least 30 days before the end of the policy period, under A.R.S. 20-1654, for a nonrenewal or a renewal that cuts limits or coverages.

Can the company cancel in month two for any reason? After 60 days, or immediately on a renewal, A.R.S. 20-1652 limits cancellation to the listed grounds.

The nonrenewal says the roof is the problem. Do I get time to fix it? Yes. Section 20-1652(B) gives 30 days to remedy a condition-of-premises nonrenewal, and another 30 days on payment of premium if it is not fixed in the first period.

Where does the 5-day figure come from? DIFI's FAQ describes 5 days' notice for a cancellation during the term. The 30-day nonrenewal is the statute. Do not swap them.

Does this article cover my car? No. Section 20-1651 is the residence of not more than four units, the contents, and personal liability. Auto insurance is a different chapter.

Next step

Date the notice the day it arrives. If it is a nonrenewal, count 30 days back from the expiration date and see whether the mailing was on time. If the reason is a repair, start the work and tell the insurer in writing. If you object, write the Director within ten days at the 15th Avenue address on the auto page.

Sources: A.R.S. 20-1654, A.R.S. 20-1652, A.R.S. 20-1653, A.R.S. 20-1651, DIFI: cancellation and nonrenewal notice.

If an Arizona insurer will not fix a claim, a bill, or a cancellation, start with the company and keep a record. When that fails, file a written complaint with the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions. DIFI says volume can mean up to a week before anyone evaluates the complaint.

If the department has jurisdiction, it asks the company to respond and later sends a closing letter. Filing does not pause a policy deadline or a lawsuit deadline. The department will not keep working the complaint if you already have a lawyer or a lawsuit on the same facts. Complaints become public records.

Where does the complaint go?

The agency directory lists the main office at 100 North 15th Avenue, Suite 261, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2630. The main phone is (602) 364-3100. Spanish-language assistance is (602) 364-2977. The fax is (602) 364-2505. Insurance complaints can go to insurance.consumers@difi.az.gov. Consumer assistance hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except state holidays.

The flood page lists Consumer Protection at (602) 364-2499 and the same email. Both numbers are on DIFI pages. Use the complaint instructions on the page you are filing from so the packet reaches the unit that opens files. Include your contact information, the policy number, the company name, and a short account of what happened. Send copies. Keep the originals.

What should I do before I file?

DIFI's auto page says that for unfair treatment or poor service, try the agent first. If that does not resolve it, file the written complaint with the facts. A cancellation you think is illegal has a shorter clock of its own: you may write the Director within ten days of receiving the notice. That ten-day letter is on the auto page and uses 100 North 15th Avenue, Suite 261, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2624. Do not wait for the general complaint queue if the ten days are running. See the ten-day letter and the Automobile Insurance Plan.

A homeowners nonrenewal has a different calendar. The statute requires at least 30 days' notice before the end of the term. See when a home policy can be cancelled or nonrenewed.

What the department will not do

DIFI does not say it will set the dollar amount of a loss or act as your lawyer. A closing letter is the department's report of what it found. If you sue, or if a lawyer is already on the claim, the complaint page says the department stops. Unfair business practices that are not insurance go to the Attorney General: Phoenix (602) 542-5763, and (800) 352-8431 for in-state calls. A mover who will not unload is that kind of problem, or a call to the Department of Public Safety. See who to call when a mover holds the goods.

Flood claims on a National Flood Insurance Program policy follow that program. DIFI explains that a standard homeowners policy does not cover flood. See flood and earthquake exclusions. Ask Consumer Protection which file they can open if the flood carrier is the federal program.

What to put in the file

Write the policy number, the claim number, the date of the loss or the cancellation, and what you want: a coverage decision that matches the form, a corrected bill, or an explanation of the notice. Attach the denial and the declarations page. Note each call: the name, the date, and one sentence on what was said. Because the complaint becomes a public record, leave out a Social Security number and a full account number if the policy number is enough.

DIFI does not publish a number of days the company has to answer the department. Do not invent one. The timing the department does publish is the wait of up to a week before the complaint is evaluated, and the ten days you have to object to a declination, cancellation, or nonrenewal on the auto page.

What a closing letter is

DIFI says that when it has jurisdiction it asks the company to respond and then sends a closing letter. That letter is the end of the department's file, not a court judgment. If you disagree, the page does not describe an automatic second hearing. Keep the letter with the policy. If the dispute is still only about the dollar amount of a repair, bring your own estimate. The department's complaint instructions do not say DIFI will pick a new number for a roof or a car. A mover overcharge still belongs with the Attorney General or DPS, even if you happen to have an insurance file open on a different loss.

FAQ

Can I complain by phone only? The consumer pages describe a written complaint after you have tried the company. The phones are for assistance. Put the dispute in writing.

How fast will someone read it? DIFI says that because of volume it can be up to a week before the complaint is evaluated. If there is jurisdiction, the department asks the company to respond and later sends a closing letter.

Does filing stop a cancellation? No. The complaint page says filing does not pause policy deadlines or legal deadlines.

What if I already hired a lawyer? DIFI says it will not keep working the complaint if you have a lawyer or a lawsuit on the same facts.

Is a moving bill this complaint? No. Insurance complaints go to DIFI. A household move that stays in Arizona is an Attorney General or Department of Public Safety matter.

Next step

Write the company, save the names and dates, and send the complaint to insurance.consumers@difi.az.gov or to the 15th Avenue office if the company will not fix it. If the paper in your hand is a cancellation notice, count the ten days from the day you received it and write the Director inside that window.

Sources: DIFI: filing a complaint, DIFI agency directory, DIFI: automobile insurance.

Arizona requires liability insurance of $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $50,000 for two or more people, and $15,000 for damage to other people's property. Those limits apply to a policy issued or renewed beginning July 1, 2020. The Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions states the same 25/50/15 figures.

ADOT says the duty covers cars, motorcycles, mopeds, and golf carts driven on Arizona roads. After you register a vehicle you have 30 days to submit proof of Arizona insurance. Off-road vehicles may not need it. Buy the policy from a company authorized to do business in Arizona.

What does the statute actually say?

A.R.S. 28-4009(A)(2)(b) sets the July 1, 2020 numbers: $25,000 because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident, $50,000 for two or more people subject to the one-person limit, and $15,000 for injury to or destruction of property of others. A policy issued or renewed on or before June 30, 2020, and a policy issued to someone with a certificate of self-insurance under section 28-4007, stays on the older 15/30/10 schedule. If you renewed after July 1, 2020, read the declarations page for 25/50/15, not the older floor.

The policy has to name the insured and cover anyone driving with permission, inside the United States or Canada. It has to state the named insured's name and address, the coverage, the premium, the full vehicle identification number of each covered vehicle, the policy period, and the limits. The carrier's liability for the required insurance becomes absolute when a covered injury or damage happens. The company and the insured cannot cancel that liability by a private agreement after the crash.

A fleet of seven or more vehicles does not stack the limit once per car. The maximum for any one accident is the limit stated in the policy.

What about uninsured motorist coverage?

DIFI says that if you elect uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, 25/50 is the smallest amount those coverages can be. A.R.S. 20-259.01 requires every auto insurer to offer UM in writing, and to offer UIM, in limits not less than the policy's bodily-injury liability limits. The declarations page is the record of whether you bought them or rejected them. If you buy UM, it cannot be less than the limits in section 28-4009. Medical payments, which pay your own injuries, are optional.

Some policies limit bodily-injury liability for a family member hurt by another insured to the state minimum, even if you bought higher limits. DIFI quotes the exclusion and tells you to ask whether the policy you are offered contains it. A higher liability limit for strangers does not automatically raise what the policy pays a spouse or a child in the same household.

When can the company cancel?

After a policy has been in force 60 days, DIFI says the insurer may cancel only for listed reasons: nonpayment, fraud, a suspended or revoked license, DUI and other named convictions, regular commercial use of a private-passenger vehicle, and similar grounds. If you think a declination, cancellation, or nonrenewal was unfair, you may write the Director within ten days of receiving the notice. The address on the auto page is Department of Insurance, 100 North 15th Avenue, Suite 261, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2624.

If the policy was cancelled and you cannot find another insurer, DIFI says to apply through the Arizona Automobile Insurance Plan with any licensed property-and-casualty agent. The plan does not lower 25/50/15. See how a written complaint to DIFI works.

What the minimum does not pay

Liability pays people you hurt and property you damage. It does not repair your own car. A lender can still require collision and comprehensive. Flood and earthquake on a house are a different policy. See why a homeowners policy leaves those out. A mover who holds furniture is not an auto claim. See the written moving contract.

Workers' compensation, injury to an employee other than a domestic employee, damage to property you own or are transporting, and intentional damage do not have to be covered by the liability policy. Those exclusions are in section 28-4009(C).

FAQ

Is 15/30/10 still the Arizona minimum? Only for a policy issued or renewed on or before June 30, 2020, or for a qualifying self-insured fleet. Policies issued or renewed beginning July 1, 2020 use 25/50/15.

Must I buy uninsured motorist coverage? No. The insurer must offer UM and UIM in writing. The declarations page shows whether you accepted them. If you buy UM, it cannot be below the financial-responsibility limits.

How long do I have to show insurance after I register? ADOT says 30 days after registration to submit proof of Arizona insurance.

Does the minimum cover my motorcycle? ADOT says the liability requirement includes motorcycles, mopeds, and golf carts used on Arizona roads. Off-road vehicles may be outside it.

Who do I write if the company cancels me? Within ten days of the notice, write the Director at 100 North 15th Avenue, Suite 261, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2624, if you object to the cancellation.

Next step

Read the declarations page for 25/50/15 and for a yes or no on uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Ask whether a household exclusion caps family injuries at the state minimum. If the company has cancelled you and no one else will write the car, ask a licensed agent about the Arizona Automobile Insurance Plan before the registration proof is due.

Sources: A.R.S. 28-4009, DIFI: automobile insurance, ADOT: insurance requirements, A.R.S. 20-259.01.

In Arizona, uninsured (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage are optional, but every insurer has to offer them. Under A.R.S. 20-259.01, the company must make the offer in writing on a form approved by the state insurance director. The coverage is added only if you request it, and your declarations page is the final record of what you chose.

What does Arizona law require?

Section 20-259.01 says every insurer writing auto liability policies in Arizona must make UM and UIM coverage available to the named insured. The offer has to be made by written notice, using a form approved by the director of the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions.

There are a few key points in the statute:

• The offer goes to the named insured on the policy.
• UM and UIM are included only at the named insured's request.
• The selections shown on the declarations page are treated as the final expression of the named insured's choice.
• The insurer doesn't have to make a new offer on a renewal, a reinstatement, or a transfer or replacement policy with the same company.

The statute adds two more details worth knowing. An offer form isn't required when you buy UM or UIM at the same limits as your bodily injury liability. And UM can be bought in any amount up to your liability limits, but not less than the state minimum.

That renewal point is easy to miss. If you passed on UM or UIM when you first bought your policy, it may never come up again unless you ask.

What's the difference between UM and UIM?

They sound alike but cover different situations:

• Uninsured motorist (UM): pays for your injuries when the at-fault driver has no liability insurance. It can also apply in some hit-and-run cases, and the statute counts a driver whose insurer is insolvent and can't pay as uninsured.
• Underinsured motorist (UIM): pays when the at-fault driver has insurance, but not enough to cover your damages.

Arizona treats them as separate coverages, so you can have one without the other. Many people want both.

How does a hit-and-run claim work?

Section 20-259.01 includes rules for unidentified drivers. If an unknown vehicle caused your crash without actually touching your car, for example by running you off the road, the statute requires corroboration of how the accident happened. That generally means more than your own account, such as a witness or other evidence.

If you're ever in that situation, get names and phone numbers of witnesses before you leave the scene and report the crash to police.

What if you have more than one policy?

If you bought UM or UIM on more than one policy covering different vehicles, the statute lets the insurer limit you to one policy or coverage for any one accident. You get to pick which one. If your policy doesn't explain that right, the insurer has to tell you about it in writing within 30 days after it gets notice of the accident. Pick the one with the highest limits, and ask the insurer to confirm your choice in writing.

Why does this coverage matter in Arizona?

Arizona's minimum liability limits are 25/50/15. If someone with only the minimum seriously injures you, $25,000 may not go far against medical bills and lost income. UIM is what fills that gap. And if the other driver has no insurance at all, UM may be your main source of recovery for your injuries.

Health insurance can help with medical bills, but it won't replace lost wages or pay for pain and suffering, and it comes with its own deductibles and coinsurance.

How do you check what you chose?

Find your declarations page, the summary page at the front of your policy. Look for:

• An uninsured motorist bodily injury line, with limits.
• An underinsured motorist bodily injury line, with limits.
• Your liability limits, for comparison.

If UM or UIM is missing and you want it, call your insurer and ask to add it. Because the declarations page is the final record of your choice, make sure the next one reflects the change.

How much UM and UIM should you carry?

Many people match their UM and UIM limits to their own liability limits. The logic is simple: if you'd protect a stranger up to $100,000, you may want the same protection for yourself and your family. Ask for quotes at a couple of levels so you can see the price difference. It's often smaller than people expect.

Think about who rides with you, how much you drive, and whether you have disability coverage through work. The fewer other protections you have, the more UM and UIM matter.

FAQ

Is uninsured motorist coverage required in Arizona? No. It's optional, but insurers must offer UM and UIM in writing on a state-approved form.

Do I have to reject UM in writing in Arizona? The statute is built the other way around. The insurer must offer it in writing, and coverage is included at your request. Your declarations page shows your final choice.

Will my insurer offer UM again at renewal? Not necessarily. Arizona law doesn't require a new offer on a renewal, reinstatement or replacement policy with the same company.

Can I have UIM without UM? Yes. Arizona treats them as separate coverages.

Next step

Pull your declarations page and look for both UM and UIM lines. Then talk with a licensed local agent about matching those limits to your liability coverage so your own household is protected at the level you've chosen for others.

Sources: A.R.S. 20-259.01; Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions.