New York 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
- No
- Form
- None
New York has no SR-22. Veh. & Traf. Law § 346 states that on and after February 1, 1957 no person shall be required to file or maintain proof of financial responsibility under the Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act. Coverage is instead policed continuously: insurers report every policy and every termination electronically to DMV, and DMV acts on the lapse directly.
- If coverage lapses
- Registration and driver license suspended
On notice that financial security has ended, DMV suspends the vehicle registration and the driver license. For a lapse of 90 days or less you may instead pay a civil penalty of $8 a day for days 1-30, $10 a day for days 31-60 and $12 a day for days 61-90 and keep your plates. Over 90 days you must surrender the plates.
- Reinstatement fee
- $50
A $50 license suspension termination fee. If the license was revoked instead of suspended, a $750 civil penalty applies.
What changed
February 1, 1957
New York abolished proof-of-financial-responsibility filings — there is no SR-22
Veh. & Traf. Law § 346 provides that on and after February 1, 1957 no person shall be required to file or maintain proof of financial responsibility under the Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act. New York has never adopted the SR-22 in its place. Compliance is verified instead by the insurer, which files the policy and any notice of termination with DMV electronically under §§ 312-a and 313. Sites that list SR-22 filing periods or SR-22 filing fees for New York are wrong.
N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 346 (NYS Open Legislation)