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Florida rules explained for Collier County homeowners and drivers

SR-22 vs FR-44 in Florida, Side by Side

Reviewed by , Licensed Insurance AgentLast reviewed

The short version

SR-22 vs FR-44 in Florida turns on why the state wants proof: an FR-44 follows a DUI and demands higher limits. Either way, an insurance company makes the filing for you, so the first step is finding companies willing to write your policy and file it. One call reaches several at once.

  • An SR-22 proves you carry the basic liability limits
  • After a DUI, the FR-44 limits climb steeply
  • Shopping for the filing leaves today's policy alone

Dial (239) 504-9998 and a licensed Florida agent starts your comparison on the spot.

The historic Naples Pier on the Gulf beach in Naples, Florida
The historic Naples Pier on the Gulf beach in Naples, Florida

SR-22 vs FR-44 in Florida tends to come up the week a suspension notice arrives and getting back on the road feels urgent; Matt Williams wrote this InsuranceNaplesFL.com guide for that week. Both are filings, not policies: an insurance company tells the state you carry the liability coverage the law asks of you. Which one you need, and at what limits, depends on why your driving privileges were suspended. Here is the difference, what each one certifies, and how to get the filing made without calling company after company.

SR-22 vs FR-44 in Florida: each is a company vouching for your coverage

Neither form is a kind of insurance. Each is a certificate your insurance company sends to the state to show that a policy with the required liability coverage is in force. On its insurance requirements page, FLHSMV describes the SR-22 as a filing that certifies bodily injury and property damage liability so a driver can meet the reinstatement requirements of the Florida Financial Responsibility Law.

That changes how you shop. The filing rides on a policy, so what you are really buying is an auto policy from a company that will also make the filing. The price is the policy's price; the filing is the proof attached to it.

If you do not own a car, say so at the start. A non-owner policy provides liability coverage when you drive a vehicle you do not own, and some companies will make a filing on one.

An SR-22 proves the basic liability limits so reinstatement can move forward

An SR-22 certifies liability coverage at the financial responsibility limits in s. 324.021(7): $10,000 for bodily injury to one person, $20,000 for bodily injury to two or more people in one crash, and $10,000 for damage to the property of others. Notice what is new there. Florida does not ask for bodily injury liability to register a car unless it is a taxi, as the PIP and bodily injury guide explains, and the filing makes it part of your policy.

The state, not the insurer, decides when you need an SR-22 and for how long, based on the reason for the suspension. Read the notice from FLHSMV closely and keep the policy in force for the whole period it names. Ask the company what it reports to the state if the policy is canceled or a payment is missed, so a lapse does not surprise you.

After a DUI, an FR-44 lifts the required limits sharply

Under s. 324.023, a driver with a DUI conviction, or a plea of guilty or no contest to a DUI, must show bodily injury liability of $100,000 for one person and $300,000 for two or more people in one crash, plus $50,000 for property damage, and carry those limits for at least 3 years. The statute sets the limits; FR-44 is the name FLHSMV uses for the certificate that proves them.

Those numbers sit far above the SR-22 limits, and they apply to the policy behind the filing, not only to the paperwork. Companies can price the same FR-44 limits very differently, which is the strongest case for comparing several of them before you commit.

An FR-44 also tends to sit next to other deadlines from the same case. Keep the court and FLHSMV paperwork together, and bring the dates with you when you ask for quotes. For questions about the case itself, a Florida attorney is the right person; this site's job is the insurance side.

One call finds companies that will make the filing and lines them up

A filing is only as fast as the company willing to make it. Some agencies represent a single company, and if that company will not write your policy with a filing, you are back to phoning around. This agent is independent, representing many companies, with access to 80+ insurance companies, so one call reaches several that may write the policy and make the filing, with same day quotes where the companies allow it.

Have these ready and the call moves quickly:

  • the suspension notice or FLHSMV letter that names the filing
  • your driver license number and the date you need the filing
  • each vehicle's year, make and model, or a note that you own none
  • your current or most recent declarations page, if you have one

A quote does not file anything, bind anything or change a policy you have now. The filing happens only after you choose a policy and the company issues it.

Questions about SR-22 vs FR-44 filings in Florida

How long do I need an FR-44 in Florida?

S. 324.023 requires the higher limits behind an FR-44 to be carried for at least 3 years. Your FLHSMV paperwork controls the exact start and end dates for your case, so keep the policy in force for the full span it names, and confirm the end date with FLHSMV before you lower any limit or switch companies.

Can I get an SR-22 if I don't own a car?

Ask about a non-owner policy. It provides liability coverage when you drive a vehicle you do not own, and some companies will make an SR-22 filing on it. Whether one fits depends on who you live with and which cars you drive, so mention up front that no vehicle is registered to you.

Is an SR-22 the same as an FR-44?

No. Both prove coverage to the state, but an SR-22 certifies the basic financial responsibility limits of $10,000, $20,000 and $10,000, while an FR-44 follows a DUI conviction and certifies $100,000 and $300,000 for bodily injury plus $50,000 for property damage. The reason for your suspension decides which applies.

Talk it through first

A licensed Florida agent will read your declarations page with you, at no cost and with no commitment.

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