Driving Without Insurance in Louisiana

If a driver cannot show proof of insurance when stopped, the vehicle is impounded, the license plate is removed, and a notice of noncompliance is issued. The owner has three calendar days (excluding weekends and holidays) to show the vehicle was insured; otherwise, after sixty days the plate is destroyed and the registration revoked. When the state finds a vehicle uninsured or coverage lapsed, it revokes the registration, impounds the vehicle and cancels the plate until proof of insurance is provided and reinstatement fees are paid: $100 for a lapse of 1 to 30 days, $250 for 31 to 90 days, and $500 for more than 90 days (with no fee in some first-time lapses of ten days or less). Submitting false information that a vehicle is insured brings sanctions of 12 to 18 months and fees of $250, $500 and $1,000 for first, second and third or later violations.

A document showing the vehicle is insured must be kept in the vehicle. An insurance ID card, a photocopy of the card, or an image of the card displayed on a mobile electronic device is accepted, as is the policy, a binder, or (for owners using other security) a bond, treasurer's deposit certificate, or self-insurance certificate. Officers must also electronically verify, where they can, that the coverage is current. Insurers and other security providers must report the effective dates of each policy and each cancellation to the Office of Motor Vehicles, which maintains a database used to check coverage.

Anyone required under Louisiana's motor vehicle safety responsibility law to give proof of financial responsibility must keep that proof on file for three years. The Office of Motor Vehicles requires proof of financial responsibility (SR-22 insurance) for 3 years from the date of conviction to reinstate after a DWI or underage DWI suspension, and for 3 years from the date of arrest after a chemical-test refusal suspension, in addition to reinstatement fees.