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.

What Is Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?

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 Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance 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 With Umbrella and Excess Liability 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 required limit

    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

Providers With New York License Records

These providers publish a national listing for Umbrella and excess liability; the license records below name the licensed entities and roles. 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.

  • Corgi

    Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28

    Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.

    Corgi’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

    Corgi lists commercial umbrella liability insurance.

  • TechInsurance

    Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28

    Specialty Program Group LLC

    TechInsurance’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

    TechInsurance arranges commercial umbrella insurance for small businesses.

  • Vouch

    Insurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28

    Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC

    Vouch’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

    Vouch lists umbrella among core coverages for technology companies.

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 in New York

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 7,8,9,10

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.

Excess Line Association of New York

Questions to Ask Before You Buy Umbrella and Excess Liability 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 Insurance in New York: FAQ

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

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?

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 Insurance Guides for Other States

Other coverage in New YorkEvery coverage guide for New York, plus the regulator and surplus-lines details.

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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