Vermont Umbrella and Excess Liability Guide

Vermont Statutes Annotated title 23, section 800, in the text currently in effect, prohibits operating a motor vehicle on a state highway without an automobile liability policy or bond of at least $25,000 for one person, $50,000 for two or more persons killed or injured, and $10,000 for property damage in any one crash. In lieu of that policy, the owner may file evidence of self-insurance of $115,000 with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. Title 12, section 1036 allows recovery when the plaintiff’s negligence was not greater than the causal total negligence of the defendants, and it makes each defendant liable only for the proportion of the total dollars that matches that defendant’s causal negligence compared with all defendants against whom recovery is allowed.

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.

Vermont Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Requirements

Requirement	Details
Highway financial responsibility	The currently effective subsection 800(a) requires a liability policy or bond of at least $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for two or more persons killed or injured, and $10,000 for property damage in any one crash. Self-insurance of $115,000 may be filed instead, in a form the Commissioner prescribes. A contingent amendment printed with the section states the same dollar amounts. These figures are not an umbrella minimum. ¹

Requirement

Details

Highway financial responsibility

The currently effective subsection 800(a) requires a liability policy or bond of at least $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for two or more persons killed or injured, and $10,000 for property damage in any one crash. Self-insurance of $115,000 may be filed instead, in a form the Commissioner prescribes. A contingent amendment printed with the section states the same dollar amounts. These figures are not an umbrella minimum. ¹

What to Watch for With Umbrella and Excess Liability in Vermont

Self-insurance is a $115,000 filing, not a missing policy
Section 800 allows evidence of self-insurance of $115,000 in lieu of the $25,000/$50,000/$10,000 policy or bond. An umbrella form that requires a scheduled underlying insurance policy may not accept a self-insurance filing as that underlying policy. Ask the excess carrier whether a Commissioner filing of $115,000 satisfies the schedule, or whether a policy still has to be purchased underneath. ¹
Each defendant pays a ratio of causal negligence, not the whole award
Where recovery is allowed against more than one defendant, section 1036(a) makes each defendant liable for that proportion of the total dollar award equal to the defendant’s causal negligence divided by the causal negligence of all defendants against whom recovery is allowed. The plaintiff’s negligence must not be greater than the defendants’ causal total, or the comparative rule does not allow recovery. An excess limit is exposed to the insured’s proportion above the underlying policy, not automatically to the entire verdict. ²
Comparative negligence is unavailable on specified sexual-conduct claims
Subsection (b), added effective April 22, 2024, prohibits contributory and comparative negligence as a defense to limit a plaintiff’s recovery for a negligence claim relating to a sexual act as defined in 13 V.S.A. § 3251 or sexual conduct as defined in 13 V.S.A. § 2821. The proportionate-share rule in subsection (a) is not the measure for that claim. Identify the pleaded conduct before you apply the ratio. ²

Providers With Vermont 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 Vermont. 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. ¹⁰
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. ¹³
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. ¹⁴
Vouch lists umbrella among core coverages for technology companies.

Who Regulates Insurance in Vermont?

Vermont Department of Financial Regulation

The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation administers Vermont insurance laws, oversees insurers and insurance producers within its authority, and provides regulatory and consumer resources. You can use the department's complaint process to raise an insurance issue and its licensing resources to check insurance professionals. ^3,^4,⁵

Website: Regulator website
License lookup: Search licensed producers
Complaints: File a complaint

Surplus-Lines Tax and Stamping Office in Vermont

Reported tax rate. 3% of premium ^6,⁷

The NAIC's state chart lists a 3% of premium charge for surplus-lines coverage for Vermont (the chart's state entries were reviewed in October 2025). Your broker may collect the applicable amount with the premium. Surplus-lines insurers are not licensed in the state and generally are outside state guaranty-association protection; ask your broker to explain the insurer's financial protections and any diligent-search requirement that applies to your placement.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy Umbrella and Excess Liability in Vermont

Is the filing a $25,000/$50,000/$10,000 policy or bond, or $115,000 of self-insurance under section 800?
Was the plaintiff’s negligence greater than the defendants’ causal total, which would bar recovery under section 1036(a)?
Does subsection (b) remove comparative negligence because the claim relates to a defined sexual act or sexual conduct?

Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance in Vermont: FAQ

What liability amounts does Vermont require to operate on a highway?

The current text of 23 V.S.A. § 800(a) requires a policy or bond of at least $25,000 for one person, $50,000 for two or more persons, and $10,000 for property damage, or self-insurance of $115,000 filed with the Commissioner. ¹

Can one Vermont defendant be required to pay the entire award?

Where recovery is allowed against more than one defendant, 12 V.S.A. § 1036(a) limits each defendant to that defendant’s proportion of the total dollars, measured by causal negligence. The plaintiff must also not be more negligent than the defendants’ combined causal negligence. ²

Sources for Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance in Vermont

1
23 V.S.A. § 800, Maintenance of financial responsibility. Vermont General Assembly; Currently effective subsection (a): $25,000/$50,000/$10,000 policy or bond, or $115,000 self-insurance. Accessed 2026-09-29.
2
12 V.S.A. § 1036, Comparative negligence. Vermont General Assembly; Subsection (a) proportionate liability; subsection (b), effective April 22, 2024, bars comparative negligence on defined sexual-act and sexual-conduct claims. Accessed 2026-09-29.
3
Vermont Department of Financial Regulation. Vermont Department of Financial Regulation; Official regulator website; insurance oversight and consumer/professional resources. Accessed 2026-09-28.
4
Insurance Department Directory. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Vermont Department of Financial Regulation entry; official contact and website listing. Accessed 2026-09-28.
5
Licensing Center. National Insurance Producer Registry; State producer licensing and lookup resources. Accessed 2026-09-28.
6
Surplus Lines Insurance Premium Taxes. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; VT row; state surplus-lines premium-tax rate reviewed October 2025. Accessed 2026-09-28.
7
Guaranty Associations & Funds. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Coverage of claims from insolvencies of insurers licensed in a state; surplus-lines insurers are nonadmitted. Accessed 2026-09-28.
8
Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
9
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.
10
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.
11
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.
12
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.
13
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.
14
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.

Vermont Umbrella and Excess Liability Guide

What Is Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance?

Vermont Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance Requirements

What to Watch for With Umbrella and Excess Liability in Vermont

Self-insurance is a $115,000 filing, not a missing policy

Each defendant pays a ratio of causal negligence, not the whole award

Comparative negligence is unavailable on specified sexual-conduct claims

Providers With Vermont License Records

Corgi

TechInsurance

Vouch