What are the ways to prove financial responsibility in Texas?

What are the ways to prove financial responsibility in Texas?

The Texas Transportation Code lists the ways to establish financial responsibility. According to the Texas Legislature, a person may not operate a motor vehicle in Texas unless financial responsibility is established, and the code names 5 options¹ for doing it. They are a motor vehicle liability insurance policy, a surety bond, a deposit with the comptroller, a deposit with a county judge, and self-insurance. The Legislature lists the options in these words:

(1) a motor vehicle liability insurance policy that complies with Subchapter D; (2) a surety bond filed under Section 601.121 ; (3) a deposit under Section 601.122 ; (4) a deposit under Section 601.123 ; or (5) self-insurance under Section 601.124 .

What are the five Texas options?

Option	What the sources say
Insurance policy	A motor vehicle liability insurance policy that complies with Subchapter D of the code.1
Surety bond	A surety bond filed under the code.1
Deposit with the comptroller	A deposit of $55,0002 in cash or qualifying securities with the state comptroller.
Deposit with a county judge	A deposit under the code.1
Self-insurance	Self-insurance under the code.1

When does Texas ask for evidence of financial responsibility?

A county assessor-collector may not register a motor vehicle unless the owner submits evidence of financial responsibility.³ An inspection station may not issue a passing vehicle inspection report unless the owner or operator furnishes evidence of financial responsibility at the time of inspection.⁴ Texas law also directs the Texas Department of Insurance to establish a program to verify whether vehicle owners have established financial responsibility.⁵

What the sources do not state

The sources used here do not give the amounts or conditions for a surety bond, a deposit with a county judge or self-insurance, and they do not say which option most drivers use.

Next step

The Texas Legislature publishes the list in the Texas Transportation Code. The filing lookup tool is where to look up filing details for a situation.