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Washington Revised Code Title 48. Insurance § 48.18.291. Cancellation of private automobile insurance by insurer--Notice--Requirements

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(1) A contract of insurance predicated wholly or in part upon the use of a private passenger automobile may not be terminated by cancellation by the insurer until at least twenty days after mailing written notice of cancellation to the named insured at the latest address filed with the insurer by or on behalf of the named insured, accompanied by the reason therefor. If cancellation is for nonpayment of premium, or is within the first thirty days after the contract has been in effect, at least ten days notice of cancellation, accompanied by the reason therefor, shall be given. In case of a contract evidenced by a written binder which has been delivered to the insured, if the binder contains a clearly stated expiration date, no additional notice of cancellation or nonrenewal is required.

(2)(a) A notice of cancellation by the insurer as to a contract of insurance to which subsection (1) of this section applies is not valid if sent more than sixty days after the contract has been in effect unless:

(i) The named insured fails to discharge when due any of his or her obligations in connection with the payment of premium for the policy or any installment thereof, whether payable directly to the insurer or to its agent or indirectly under any premium finance plan or extension of credit; or

(ii) The driver's license of the named insured, or of any other operator who customarily operates an automobile insured under the policy, has been suspended, revoked, or canceled during the policy period or, if the policy is a renewal, during its policy period or the one hundred eighty days immediately preceding the effective date of the renewal policy.

(b) Modification by the insurer of automobile physical damage coverage by the inclusion of a deductible not exceeding one hundred dollars is not a cancellation of the coverage or of the policy.

(3) The substance of subsections (1) and (2)(a) of this section must be set forth in each contract of insurance subject to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, and may be in the form of an attached endorsement.

(4) A notice of cancellation of a policy that may be canceled only pursuant to subsection (2) of this section is not effective unless the reason therefor accompanies or is included in the notice of cancellation.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Washington Revised Code Title 48. Insurance § 48.18.291. Cancellation of private automobile insurance by insurer--Notice--Requirements - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/wa/title-48-insurance/wa-rev-code-48-18-291/

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