Out-of-State SR-22 and New Nashville Residents

What Is SR-22 Insurance in Tennessee?

An SR-22 is not an insurance policy. It is a certificate of financial responsibility that your insurance company files electronically with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security to prove you carry at least the state’s minimum liability coverage. Tennessee requires this filing from drivers whose licenses were suspended or revoked for certain violations.

Here is what Tennessee specifically requires:

• Who files itThe policy must be filed electronically with the department by an insurance company licensed through the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance to issue motor vehicle liability coverage in Tennessee. You cannot file it yourself.
• How long you need itTennessee requires the SR-22 to be maintained for the length of your suspension or revocation period. A one-year revocation means a one-year SR-22 requirement — Tennessee does not apply a flat three-year rule the way many other states do.
• When it startsThe SR-22 can be maintained while you hold a restricted license, or beginning at reinstatement.
• What happens if it lapsesIf the policy is canceled or terminated before the requirement is complete, your driving privileges can be suspended again for Failure to Maintain Future Proof of Financial Responsibility. You would then have to refile the SR-22, pay reinstatement fees again, and reapply.
• How to check whether you still need oneOpen your reinstatement requirements in the Department of Safety e-Services portal. If SR22 is not listed among your requirements, you are no longer required to carry it.

Minimum coverage required: Tennessee’s minimum liability limits are 25/50/25 — $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 property damage per accident (T.C.A. Sec. 55-12-102).

Source: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security — Do I need SR-22 Insurance?. See also Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security — Reinstatements.