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Texas insurance glossary

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.

Sources checked

It is the statute everything else in this glossary hangs off. Chapter 601 is where the obligation to carry financial responsibility lives, where the 30/60/25 minimum limits are set, and where the certificate itself is recognised.

It also names the alternatives to insurance almost nobody uses — a surety bond, a deposit with the state, a certificate of self-insurance — which is why the chapter says financial responsibility rather than insurance throughout.

Reading it is not required to comply with it. It is worth knowing it exists, because a DPS letter that cites a section number is citing this.

Sources: Texas Transportation Code ch. 601 — Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act; Texas DPS — Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate (SR-22); 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.
  • 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.
  • 30/60/25 30/60/25 is the shorthand for the minimum auto liability limits Texas requires: $30,000 for one injured person, $60,000 for a crash, and $25,000 for property damage.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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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