Missouri’s liability floor is higher on property damage than Colorado’s, and uninsured motorist coverage for bodily injury is required, not merely offered. Home losses such as flood are still outside a standard policy. The numbers below are from the Missouri Revised Statutes. This is not a quote.
Auto minimumsHome exclusionsDeductiblesQuestions
The auto liability minimum is 25/50/25
Section 303.190 says a motor vehicle liability policy shall be subject to limits of twenty-five thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident, fifty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons, and twenty-five thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property of others. Section 303.030 states the same 25/50/25 limits for proof of financial responsibility. Both limits are exclusive of interest and costs.
Uninsured motorist coverage is required
Section 379.203 says no auto liability policy shall be delivered or issued for delivery in Missouri, for a vehicle registered or principally garaged here, unless uninsured motorist coverage is provided at not less than the bodily injury limits in section 303.030. Those limits are $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for two or more people in one accident. This requirement is about bodily injury. It is not a promise of uninsured motorist coverage for the car itself. Collision is still the coverage that repairs your vehicle, and a lender can require it.
A policy can name an excluded driver. Section 303.190 allows a liability policy to exclude a household member who is specifically excluded. That person should not assume the policy will answer for their crash.
What a home policy leaves out
Missouri does not make homeowners insurance a condition of driving or of owning a house. A lender can. The usual policy pays for the dwelling, other structures, belongings, extra living costs, and liability when the cause of loss is covered. These three are the gaps people search for.
Flood
The Insurance Information Institute says a standard policy will not pay for flood. Missouri river and flash flooding both fall on that side of the line. A flood policy is separate. Living outside a mapped flood zone does not mean a flood claim will be paid by the home policy.
Sewer or drain backup
A pipe that bursts inside a wall is often a sudden leak. Sewage that backs up through a drain is a different cause. Typical homeowners forms leave backup off the base policy and offer it as an endorsement with a smaller limit. Confirm the endorsement on the declarations. Do not wait for the claim to find out.
Ordinance or law
Cities and counties can require a repaired home to meet the current code, even when the damaged portion was legal before the loss. Ordinance or law coverage is what pays that extra cost. The base policy pays the covered repair. It does not, by itself, pay to bring the rest of the building up to a new code. The limit is on the declarations if the policy has one.
A standard homeowners policy and a flood policy are two contracts. The Insurance Information Institute says a standard policy will not pay for damage caused by a flood. The same form usually treats sewer or drain backup, and the extra cost of meeting current building codes, as add-ons rather than part of the base dwelling coverage. The Texas Department of Insurance describes those two items that way in its home insurance guide. Forms in this state can be broader, so the declarations page is the list that matters.
How a claim deductible works
On a covered Missouri claim, the deductible comes off before the company pays, and the payment stops at the coverage limit. Wind, hail, fire, and theft can each have their own deductible. An excluded loss, including flood on a standard home policy, does not become payable once you have paid the deductible.
A dollar deductible
The Texas Department of Insurance explains the mechanic with a $1,000 claim and a $300 deductible. The company pays $700. On a larger repair, the same guide uses a $10,000 replacement-cost roof and a $2,000 deductible, and the company pays $8,000. Those are teaching examples. They are not a Missouri requirement and they are not a Freedom price.
A percentage deductible
Some policies, often for wind or hail, use a percent of the dwelling limit instead of a flat dollar amount. If the declarations say 2 percent and the dwelling limit is $200,000, the deductible for that type of claim is $4,000. The percent is whatever the policy says. It is not a statewide minimum.
One claim, one deductible, then the limit
You do not pay the deductible on top of a bill the company has already paid in full. The company applies it to the covered loss and stops at the dollar limit for that coverage. You can have a different deductible for a different coverage. If the loss is excluded, the deductible never comes into play, because there is no covered claim.
Questions people ask
What auto insurance does Missouri require?
Missouri Revised Statutes section 303.190 sets the liability minimum at $25,000 for bodily injury to one person, $50,000 for bodily injury to two or more people in one accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Section 303.030 uses the same 25/50/25 figures.
Does Missouri require uninsured motorist coverage?
Yes, for bodily injury. Section 379.203 says an auto liability policy delivered in Missouri has to include uninsured motorist coverage at not less than the bodily injury limits in section 303.030, which are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
Does a Missouri home policy cover flood?
A standard homeowners policy does not. The Insurance Information Institute says a standard policy will not pay for flood. Flood insurance is a separate policy. The declarations page, not this guide, is the contract.
Does homeowners insurance cover sewer backup?
Usually not, unless the policy adds it. Water that backs up through a sewer or drain is not the same as a sudden pipe leak. On a typical home policy, backup coverage is an add-on. Confirm it on the Missouri declarations page.
What is ordinance or law coverage?
It pays the extra cost to meet current building codes during a covered repair. A typical home policy does not include that extra cost in the base dwelling limit. If the policy has it, the limit is printed on the declarations.
How does a deductible work on a claim?
You pay the deductible on a covered claim, and the company pays above that amount up to the policy limit. On a $1,000 covered claim with a $300 deductible, the company pays $700. That example is the math, not a Missouri premium and not a quote.
Where these figures come from
Missouri Revised Statutes section 303.190, motor vehicle liability policy limits.
Section 303.030, the same 25/50/25 amounts for financial responsibility.
Section 379.203, required uninsured motorist coverage.
Insurance Information Institute, standard homeowners coverage.
City pages that use these rules
Other state guides: Texas, Colorado, and Tennessee.
Get a Missouri quote
The Kansas City office is at 1301 Oak Street. Call (800) 253-1482, or start a free auto quote or a free home quote.
