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New York Umbrella and Excess Liability Guide

The Department of Motor Vehicles says most vehicles need liability coverage of $25,000 for bodily injury and $50,000 for death of one person, $50,000 for bodily injury and $100,000 for death of two or more people, and $10,000 for property damage in one crash. Coverage has to stay in effect while the registration is valid, and the insurer must be licensed in New York. The Department of Financial Services states the same split: $25,000 for bodily injury not resulting in death, or $50,000 for an injury resulting in death, for one person; $50,000 or $100,000 for two or more people, subject to the per-person limits; and $10,000 for property damage. DFS notes that if the vehicle is used in another state or Canadian province that requires higher limits, the policy provides those higher limits. An umbrella that assumes a flat 25/50/10 schedule misses the death limits and the out-of-state step-up. 1,2

What Is Umbrella And Excess Liability?

Umbrella or excess insurance adds liability limits above the policies named in the quote after a covered claim exhausts their limits. It may fit if a contract sets higher limits; check which primary policies are listed and any gaps between them. Read the national Umbrella and excess liability guide.

New York Requirements

RequirementDetails
Registration liability limits, including the death amountsDMV and DFS both describe $25,000 for bodily injury of one person and $50,000 if that injury results in death, $50,000 for bodily injury of two or more people and $100,000 if those injuries result in death, and $10,000 for property damage. Those are the financial-responsibility amounts needed to register the vehicle. They are not an umbrella minimum. 1,2

What to Watch for in New York

  • Death claims use a higher statutory floor than injury claims

    A one-person injury is scheduled at $25,000, and a one-person death at $50,000. Two or more people are scheduled at $50,000 for bodily injury and $100,000 for death, subject to the one-person limits. The shorthand 25/50/10 describes the non-death bodily-injury pair plus property damage. A wrongful-death attachment point on the umbrella should be checked against the $50,000 and $100,000 death figures. 2

  • The coverage has to last as long as the registration

    DMV requires the liability coverage to remain in effect for as long as the registration is valid, written by a New York-licensed insurer. A mid-term cancellation leaves the registration without the required liability policy. An umbrella does not replace that underlying policy for registration purposes. 1

  • Use in another state or a Canadian province can raise the limit the policy must pay

    DFS says that if the vehicle is used or operated in another state or Canadian province that requires higher liability limits than New York’s minimums or the limits purchased, the policy will provide the limits that other jurisdiction requires. Schedule the umbrella’s underlying insurance against the highest limit that trip can trigger, not only the New York registration minimum. 2

Who Regulates Insurance in New York

New York State Department of Financial Services

New York DFS supervises insurance companies and producers, administers insurance law and accepts consumer complaints about property and casualty policies, including commercial insurance. 3,4,5,6

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 3.6% of gross premium, less returned premium; ELANY stamping fee is 0.15% through 2026 and 0.17% for policies incepting on/after Jan. 1, 2027 When New York is the insured’s home state, excess-line tax is 3.6% of gross premium less returned premium. ELANY’s September 20, 2026 bulletin sets a 0.15% stamping fee through December 31, 2026 and 0.17% for policies incepting on or after January 1, 2027; statutory search requirements and guaranty-fund protection depend on the applicable New York excess-line rules. 7,8,9,10

Excess Line Association of New York

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Umbrella and excess liability; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in New York. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • CorgiCorgi Insurance Services, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28Corgi’s company producer-license table lists 50 jurisdictions: 49 states and the District of Columbia, including DC license 3003091619. New Mexico does not appear in the table and is not included here; the omission does not establish that Corgi is unlicensed there. The company-reported table has no stated as-of date and does not establish product availability. 13
  • TechInsuranceSpecialty Program Group LLCInsurance producer · checked 2026-09-28TechInsurance’s current licensing page names Specialty Program Group LLC / SPG Insurance Solutions and lists state license numbers, but labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses” rather than identifying a license for the named agency. RI is omitted because this disclosure does not establish agency authority there; this is a search limitation, not an assertion that the company is unlicensed. The remaining state entries are company-reported and are not an insurance product availability map. 15
  • VouchVouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLCInsurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 16

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in New York

  1. Does the underlying policy show both the bodily-injury limits and the higher death limits?
  2. Is the New York-licensed policy still in force for the full registration period?
  3. Will the vehicle be used in a state or Canadian province whose compulsory limits exceed the New York minimums?

Umbrella And Excess Liability in New York: FAQ

What liability amounts does New York require to register a car? 1,2

DMV lists $25,000 for bodily injury and $50,000 for death of one person, $50,000 for bodily injury and $100,000 for death of two or more people, and $10,000 for property damage in one crash. DFS states the same split and the same $10,000 property-damage limit. 1,2

Does a New York policy stay at New York limits on an out-of-state trip? 2

DFS says the policy provides the higher liability limits of another state or Canadian province when the vehicle is used or operated there and that place requires more than the New York minimums or the limits purchased. 2

Umbrella And Excess Liability in Other States

Other Coverage in New York

Sources

  1. Insurance requirements. New York State Department of Motor Vehicles; Liability minimums of $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury, $50,000/$100,000 death, and $10,000 property damage, in force while the registration is valid. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Minimum auto insurance requirements. New York State Department of Financial Services; Same split limits, the 25/50/10 shorthand, and the other-state or Canadian-province step-up. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. New York State Department of Financial Services. New York State Department of Financial Services; Official regulator homepage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Who We Supervise. New York State Department of Financial Services; DFS describes insurance oversight and provides links to company and producer searches. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Consumer Complaints. New York State Department of Financial Services; Official portal files insurance complaints for health, life and property/casualty insurance. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. New York Insurance Law §2118(d)(1). New York State Senate; Current statutory text: 3.6% of gross premiums less returned premium when New York is the insured’s home state. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. ELANY Bulletin 2026-20: Notice of Change in Stamping Fee. Excess Line Association of New York; September 20, 2026 bulletin: 0.17% applies to policies incepting from Jan. 1, 2027; endorsements on policies incepting Jan. 1, 2023–Dec. 31, 2026 retain 0.15%; excess-line tax remains 3.6%. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. New York Insurance Law §2118. New York State Senate; Excess-line broker duties and filing requirements; §2118(a) due care; exceptions should be applied only where statutory conditions are met. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. New York Insurance Law §2118. New York State Senate; Excess-line statutory duties and policies; source is used for placement context. No state-specific guaranty cap/note included. 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. 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.
  15. 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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