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Texas insurance glossary

Certificate of self-insurance

A certificate of self-insurance is a DPS-issued document letting an operator of a large fleet prove financial responsibility from its own resources instead of buying a policy.

Sources checked

Chapter 601 requires proof that you can pay for harm you cause; it does not require that the proof be an insurance policy. Self-insurance is one of the alternatives, alongside a surety bond and a deposit with the state.

The threshold is a fleet. It is aimed at operators running a large number of registered vehicles, and it is a certificate the Department issues rather than a status you declare.

For an individual driver it is not a route. The realistic proof is a policy, and where a filing is ordered, an SR-22 on top of it.

Sources: Texas Transportation Code ch. 601 — Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act; Texas DPS — SR-22 proof of financial responsibility FAQ (section 9). Verified .

A definition, not legal advice and not a quote. Rules and figures change; confirm your own situation against the source named above, or with us, before you act on it. Last checked .

See also

  • Financial responsibility Financial responsibility is the Texas requirement that a person be able to answer for the damage they cause with a vehicle, most commonly satisfied by a liability policy.
  • Chapter 601 Chapter 601 of the Texas Transportation Code is the Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act, the law requiring drivers to prove they can pay for harm they cause.
  • Proof of insurance Proof of insurance is the evidence a Texas driver must be able to show on request that financial responsibility is established for the vehicle they are operating.
  • SR-22 An SR-22 is a certificate a Texas insurer files with the Department of Public Safety to prove a driver carries at least the minimum liability coverage Chapter 601 requires.

Where this is handled

A definition does not file anything. When the suspension date is closer than the research, one independent agency on FM 1959 can transmit the SR-22 to the DPS and tell you what the state wants before you pay anyone anything.

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