California SR-22 Requirements: Who Needs One and for How Long
An SR-22 is not insurance. It is a certificate your insurer files with the state to prove you carry coverage.
- Used in this state
- Yes
- Form
- SR 22
The statute calls it a written certificate from your insurer that a qualifying policy is in force. DMV publishes it as the California Proof of Insurance Certificate (SR 22).
- How long it must stay on file
- 3 years
DMV may release the proof only after three years from the date it was required. Let it drop before then and the suspension is reimposed.
- What triggers it
- Being uninsured at the time of a reportable crash · An unsatisfied judgment from a crash, unpaid for 30 days · A DUI suspension or refusal of a chemical test · Hit-and-run with injury, a felony committed with a vehicle, or reckless driving causing bodily injury
- If coverage lapses
- Driving privilege suspended until new proof is filed
When filed proof stops doing its job, DMV must demand fresh proof and suspend the driving privilege, and the suspension runs until adequate proof is on file.
- Reinstatement fee
- $55
The standard driver licence reissue fee. An Administrative Per Se (DUI) reissue costs $125 instead.
What changed
January 1, 2025
Proof of financial responsibility now means 30/60/15
SB 1107 also rewrote Veh. Code § 16430, the definition that governs what an SR 22 has to certify. From January 1, 2025 a driver filing proof after a suspension must show at least $30,000/$60,000 bodily injury and $15,000 property damage coverage, not the old $15,000/$30,000/$5,000. The three-year filing period itself is unchanged.
Cal. Veh. Code § 16430 (Stats. 2022, Ch. 717 — SB 1107)