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Alaska garage liability for motor vehicle dealers

Alaska DMV asks dealers for bodily-injury and property-damage liability on an auto dealer’s form, commonly a garage liability form, and lists the surety bond separately. The form name does not settle customer-vehicle or inventory protection: describe vehicle classes, locations, storage, test drives, and towing to the broker. 1

What Is Garage Liability?

Garage liability can address injury and property-damage claims from auto repair and related garage operations. If you run a repair or service shop, check separately whether customer cars in your care need garagekeepers coverage for vehicle damage. Read the national Garage liability guide.

Alaska Requirements

RequirementDetails
Dealer liability certificateDealer applicants submit bodily-injury and property-damage liability on an auto dealer’s form; DMV says this is typically garage liability and asks applicants to confirm with their insurer. 1

What to Watch for in Alaska

  • Confirm the dealer form matches the operation

    The DMV asks for an auto dealer form but does not prescribe coverage for all activities. Describe cars and motorcycles, the named entity, locations, test drives, and repairs; have the broker confirm the filed form. 1,2

  • Keep the bond separate from insurance

    The packet lists a $100,000 surety bond in addition to liability insurance ($25,000 for motorcycle-only dealers). The bond is not liability insurance or vehicle physical-damage protection. 1

  • Report shared premises and vehicle custody

    The packet requires a permanent office and accepts a notarized owner-permission letter for shared space stating address, authorization, and duration. Tell the broker where inventory and customer cars are kept. 1

Who Regulates Insurance in Alaska

Alaska Division of Insurance

The Alaska Division of Insurance regulates insurers and insurance licensees, provides company and licensee searches, and investigates insurance complaints within its authority. Its consumer-services section handles disputes involving claims, cancellations, premium refunds, agents, and insurers. 3,4,5

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 2.7% of gross premium less returns plus 1% filing fee; wet marine: 0.75%, no fee For covered property and casualty surplus-lines risks, Alaska lists a 2.7% tax and a separate 1% filing fee on gross premium less returned premium. Qualifying wet-marine and transportation policies instead carry a 0.75% tax on gross premium and no filing fee; risks of state or local government and certain interstate aircraft are exempt from both tax and fee. A multistate placement is regulated under the insured’s home-state rules, and Alaska says to evaluate each policy’s home state separately. 7,6,8,9

  • Alaska has a placement-list exception: If a risk appears on Alaska’s surplus-lines placement list, the Division says the broker does not have to canvass admitted insurers for declinations before placement; the broker must document the applicable list entry. 6
  • Alaska has limited tax and search exceptions: The Division says qualifying wet-marine and transportation policies need no diligent search and pay no 1% filing fee. Tax and filing fees also do not apply to state or political-subdivision risks or qualifying interstate aircraft, although other placement requirements remain. 10

Providers With Documented State Licenses

No provider in Spot’s research documents both a state license record and this coverage line. This does not establish that providers are unlicensed. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm availability with a provider when requesting a quote.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Alaska

  1. Does each insured legal entity and dealer location match DMV records?
  2. How are customer vehicles covered while stored, repaired, test-driven, or moved?
  3. Is dealer inventory protected against physical loss at each lot, in transit, and during demonstrations?
  4. Which auto policy addresses service vehicles, tow trucks, and employee road use?

Garage Liability in Alaska: FAQ

Does Alaska require a garage liability policy? 1

The DMV requires bodily-injury and property-damage liability on a dealer form, typically garage liability, and tells applicants to confirm the form with their insurer. 1

Is the dealer bond the same as insurance? 1

No. DMV lists the bond separately from liability insurance. Ask independently about customer vehicles, inventory damage, and business auto. 1

Garage Liability in Other States

Other Coverage in Alaska

Sources

  1. Requirements for Obtaining a Motor Vehicle Dealer License. Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles; PDF p. 1: insurance, bond and location checklist; revised September 15, 2025. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. Dealer Information. Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles; License threshold and current application resources. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Division of Insurance. Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development; Official Division homepage; publishes general contact number (907) 269-7900 and qualifies 1-800-INSURAK for callers in state outside Anchorage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Research a Company or Agent. Alaska Division of Insurance; Company and licensee search for entities licensed in Alaska. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Complaints. Alaska Division of Insurance; Official complaint filing instructions and matters the Division can investigate. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. Surplus Lines. Alaska Division of Insurance; Current surplus-lines guidance on tax reporting, placement-list diligent-search exception, and required policyholder notice. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Alaska Statutes, Chapter 21.34: Surplus Lines Insurance. Alaska Legislature; AS 21.34.180/.190 rates; the Division's accessible current Surplus Lines FAQ reproduces the wet-marine and public-risk exceptions and filing-fee treatment. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Bulletin B 12-05: Alaska Policyholder Notice. Alaska Division of Insurance; Required nonadmitted-insurer notice says claims are not covered by the Alaska Insurance Guaranty Association Act. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. 15 U.S.C. § 8202: Regulation of nonadmitted insurance by insured's home State. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel; § 8202(a): nonadmitted placement is subject solely to insured's home-State requirements, except as otherwise provided; § 8201 addresses exclusive home-State tax authority. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. Surplus Lines. Alaska Division of Insurance; Full current FAQ: rates, wet marine tax/fee/search exceptions, government and qualifying aircraft tax/fee exceptions, home-state determination, and placement-list search rules (lines 92–159). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  12. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  13. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  14. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  15. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  16. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  17. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

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