What Garage Liability Insurance Requirements Apply in Idaho?

Idaho requires licensed dealers and vehicle manufacturers to continuously insure liability arising from vehicles they own or control and use in the business, with minimum limits of $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury and $15,000 property damage. Dealer plates and loaner plates have different allowed uses, so a plate rule should not stand in for a review of the quoted policy’s vehicle, driver, and customer-car terms.

What Is Garage Liability Insurance?

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.

Idaho Garage Liability Insurance Requirements

Requirement	Details
Dealer and manufacturer liability insurance	At least $25,000 one person / $50,000 two or more people / $15,000 property damage ¹

What Should You Watch for With Garage Liability Insurance in Idaho?

Match the Insured Vehicle Scope
Idaho Code §49-1608A ties the dealer mandate to liability from vehicles owned by or under the licensee’s control and used in the business. Ask how the quote treats customer vehicles, employee-owned autos used on errands, and vehicles held but not owned by the dealership. ¹
Check the Idaho Certificate Wording
The Idaho Transportation Department says the liability certificate must use “any auto” wording or state that it complies with §49-1608A. Confirm the submitted certificate has that wording and the required limits, then review the policy itself for the repair shop’s listed operations. ^1,³
Keep Dealer-Plate Uses Within the Rule
Idaho permits dealer plates for specified sales and business uses, including a prospective purchaser’s possession for no more than 96 hours, but bars their use on work or service vehicles not held in stock for sale and vehicles used for another business. Identify service fleets and towing separately. ²
Schedule Repair Loaners Separately
Idaho allows a loaner plate on a dealership vehicle loaned while a customer’s vehicle is being repaired, but restricts loaner plates on unowned vehicles, work vehicles, sold vehicles, and vehicles used for another business. Ask the broker how customer loaners and customer vehicles in your custody are treated. ²

Which Garage Liability Insurance Providers Have Idaho License Records?

No provider in our research has both a state license record and a listing for 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.

Who Regulates Insurance in Idaho?

Idaho Department of Insurance

The Idaho Department of Insurance administers insurance laws and regulates insurers and licensed producers. It directs users to the NAIC State Based Systems lookup for producer and company licensing records and accepts consumer complaints. ^4,^8,⁵

Website: Regulator website
License lookup: Search licensed producers
Complaints: File a complaint
Phone: (208) 334-4250

Surplus-Lines Tax and Stamping Office in Idaho

Reported tax rate. 1.5% of premium when Idaho is the home state for property and casualty coverage ^6,^7,⁹

Idaho’s surplus-lines tax is 1.5%. For property-and-casualty insurance other than workers’ compensation, if Idaho is the insured’s home state the full premium is taxed regardless of where covered risks are located; other lines follow the statutory allocation rule. Surplus-lines policies do not receive Idaho guaranty-association protection.

What Should You Ask Before Buying Garage Liability Insurance in Idaho?

Does our certificate say “any auto” or state compliance with Idaho Code §49-1608A, and do the policy terms match our actual operations?
Are service vehicles, tow vehicles, dealer inventory, customer road tests, and repair loaners classified separately in the quote?
How does the quote address customer vehicles kept overnight, including theft, fire, movement, and road testing?

Garage Liability Insurance in Idaho: Frequently Asked Questions

What insurance limits must an Idaho vehicle dealer carry?

Idaho Code §49-1608A requires continuous liability insurance for vehicles owned or controlled and used in the dealer’s business, with minimums of $25,000 for one person, $50,000 for two or more people, and $15,000 property damage. ¹

Can an Idaho dealer plate be used on a service truck?

No. Idaho ITD lists work and service vehicles not held in stock for sale among the prohibited uses of dealer or manufacturer plates. ²

Can an Idaho dealer use a loaner plate while a customer’s car is repaired?

Yes, on a dealership vehicle that is loaned to the customer while the customer’s vehicle is being repaired. The plate rule does not establish what damage the dealership’s insurance policy covers. ²

Sources for Garage Liability Insurance in Idaho

1
Idaho Code §49-1608A, Dealer and manufacturer liability insurance. Idaho State Legislature; §49-1608A; accessed as readable official HTML through direct request. Accessed 2026-09-28.
2
Vehicle Dealers & Financial Institutions. Idaho Transportation Department, Division of Motor Vehicles; Specific Requirements To Obtain a Dealer License; Lawful and Unlawful Uses of Dealer/Manufacturer and Loaner Plates. Accessed 2026-09-28.
3
Vehicle Dealers & Financial Institutions. Idaho Transportation Department, Division of Motor Vehicles; Specific Requirements To Obtain a Dealer License, Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-28.
4
Idaho Department of Insurance. Idaho Department of Insurance; Official regulator homepage and consumer resources. Accessed 2026-09-28.
5
Consumers. Idaho Department of Insurance; Official consumer service bureau page with File a Complaint links and published phone. Accessed 2026-09-28.
6
Idaho Insurance Laws and Regulations. Idaho Department of Insurance; 2026 publication: Idaho Code § 41-1204, 1.5% premium tax and home-state allocation rule. Accessed 2026-09-28.
7
Surplus Lines. Idaho Department of Insurance; Idaho surplus-lines broker requirement and Idaho SLA membership. Accessed 2026-09-28.
8
Request Public Records. Idaho Department of Insurance; Department states that producer and insurer licensing records are maintained by State Based Systems and links to individual SBS Lookup Search. Accessed 2026-09-28.
9
Surplus Lines: Facts to Know. Idaho Department of Insurance; Department publication says there is no state guaranty-association coverage for surplus-lines insurance if the company becomes insolvent. Accessed 2026-09-28.
10
Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
11
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.
12
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.
13
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.
14
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.
15
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.
16
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.

What Garage Liability Insurance Requirements Apply in Idaho?

What Is Garage Liability Insurance?

Idaho Garage Liability Insurance Requirements

What Should You Watch for With Garage Liability Insurance in Idaho?

Match the Insured Vehicle Scope

Check the Idaho Certificate Wording

Keep Dealer-Plate Uses Within the Rule

Schedule Repair Loaners Separately