Idaho Code
Idaho Code § 49-1229 (2026)
Required motor vehicle insurance.
✓ current as of May 2026
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Required motor vehicle insurance.
(1) Every owner of a motor vehicle which is registered and operated in Idaho by the owner or with his permission shall continuously, except as provided in section 41-2516, Idaho Code, provide insurance against loss resulting from liability imposed by law for bodily injury or death or damage to property suffered by any person caused by maintenance or use of motor vehicles described therein in an amount not less than that required by section 49-117, Idaho Code, and shall demonstrate the existence of any other coverage required by this title or a certificate of self-insurance issued by the department pursuant to section 49-1224, Idaho Code, for each motor vehicle to be registered.
(2) A motor vehicle owner who prefers to post an indemnity bond with the director of the department of insurance in lieu of obtaining a policy of liability insurance may do so. Such bond shall guarantee that any loss resulting from liability imposed by law for bodily injury, death or damage to property suffered by any person caused by accident and arising out of the operation, maintenance and use of the motor vehicle sought to be registered shall be paid within thirty (30) days. The indemnity bonds shall guarantee payment in an amount no less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for any one (1) accident of which fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) is for property damage, for each vehicle registered up to a maximum of one hundred twenty thousand dollars ($120,000) for five (5) or more vehicles.
(3) Any bond given in connection with this chapter shall be, and shall be construed to be, a continuing instrument and shall cover the period for which the motor vehicle is to be registered and operated. Such bond shall be on a form approved by the director of insurance with a surety company authorized to do business in the state.
(4) A motor carrier shall continuously provide insurance against loss resulting from liability imposed by law or by rule of the department and shall comply with the insurance requirements of section 49-1233, Idaho Code.
(5) It is an infraction punishable by a fine of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for any person to violate the provisions of this section for the first time. A second and any subsequent conviction for a violation of the provisions of this section or the provisions of section 49-1232 or 49-1428, Idaho Code, within a period of five (5) years shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six (6) months, or both. The department shall notify any person convicted of a violation of this section of the penalties which may be imposed for a second and any subsequent conviction.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 12
cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1991–2025 · leading case: State v. Roe, 90 P.3d 926 (Idaho Ct. App. 2004).
State v. Roe, 90 P.3d 926 (Idaho Ct. App. 2004). “At the time of the stop subsection (3) read: If a person is convicted of a violation of any traffic law, other than a violation of the provisions of section 49-1229 or 49-1230, Idaho Code, relating to proof of liability insurance, it shall be an additional infraction for any…”
State v. Wheaton, 825 P.2d 501 (Idaho 1992). “The defendant was arrested for failure to maintain insurance, in violation of I.C. § 49-1229. A subsequent search of his automobile uncovered cocaine and other drug paraphernalia.”
Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. v. Schrock, 252 P.3d 98 (Idaho 2011). “§ 49-233 (1978) (emphasis added) redesignated as I.C. §§ 49-1229 and 49-1230. This provision made no exception to the coverage requirement for "any" person injured by a motor vehicle and, therefore, could not exclude coverage for a claim brought by a family member of the insured.”
Northland Ins. v. Boise's Best Autos & Repairs, 970 P.2d 21 (Idaho Ct. App. 1997). “Idaho Code Sections 49-502 and 503 place the burden on the buyer to acquire title to protect the buyer’s beneficial interest in the vehicle in cases involving creditor attachment or adverse claims for the same vehicle.”
Elson v. Defren, 283 A.D.2d 109 (N.Y. App. Div. 2001). “(See, Idaho Code § 49-1229 [1]; § 49-117; Dullenty v Rocky Mtn.”
State v. Callaghan, 153 P.3d 1202 (Idaho Ct. App. 2006). “Section 49-1231 requires that insurance companies issue certificates of liability insurance to their insureds in a form prescribed by the Department of Insurance, and section 49-1232(1) requires that the certificate or proof of liability insurance be in the possession of every…”
State v. Wheaton, 827 P.2d 1174 (Idaho Ct. App. 1991). “I.C. § 49-1229. Wheaton contends that, under our federal constitution, the evidence should not have been seized, because the search was unrelated to the purported reason for the arrest.”
McKinley v. Guar. Nat'l Ins., 159 P.3d 884 (Idaho 2007). “Idaho Code §§ 49-1229 (1) and 49-117(18).”
State v. Betterton, 903 P.2d 151 (Idaho Ct. App. 1995). “Idaho Code § 49-673 (3) states in part: If a person is convicted of a violation of any traffic law, other than a violation of the provisions of sections 49-1229 or 49-1230, Idaho Code, relating to proof of liability insurance, it shall be an additional infraction for any person…”
State of Idaho v. Nicholas Stacey Webb, 162 P.3d 792 (Idaho Ct. App. 2007). “, driving on a suspended license, and for failure to maintain insurance, I.C. § 49-1229. At Webb’s trial, the State presented no evidence concerning Webb’s lack of insurance and no direct evidence of the license suspension, other than Webb’s admission to the arresting officer.”
Lanningham v. Farm Bureau (Idaho 2024). “See I.C. § 49-1229. Section 49-1212(12) prohibits insurers from circumventing this requirement with a household exclusion that leaves household members without recourse to liability coverage benefits when a co-insured causes damage or injury.”
State v. Gomez (Idaho Ct. App. 2025). “The jury returned guilty verdicts for possession of a controlled substance ( Idaho Code § 37-2732 (c)(1)), possession of drug paraphernalia (I.”
— Idaho Code § 49-1229(1) — 1 case
Lanningham v. Farm Bureau (Idaho 2024). “See I.C. § 49-1229. Section 49-1212(12) prohibits insurers from circumventing this requirement with a household exclusion that leaves household members without recourse to liability coverage benefits when a co-insured causes damage or injury.”
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