Alaska rideshare law requires uninsured or underinsured coverage, and cities can vote to ban rideshare
Alaska’s rules are in the Transportation Network Companies Act, AS 28.23, enacted by HB 132 (chapter 10 SLA 2017). It creates no rideshare permit, license, or fee. The only state filing is a certificate of insurance with the director of the Division of Insurance, which must say the policy cannot be cancelled without 30 days’ written notice. 28.23.070.
While a driver is logged on and available, the floor is $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, and $25,000 for property damage. From acceptance until the last rider departs, it is $1,000,000. Unlike most rideshare laws, both periods require “uninsured or underinsured motor vehicle coverage.” Alaska has no PIP or med pay requirement.
Statute text as of October 13, 2026, from the Alaska Statutes published by the Alaska Legislature: AS 28.23, HB 132 status.
Alaska & the West
The $1 million period runs from acceptance until the last rider departs
A prearranged ride begins “when a driver accepts a ride requested by a rider” and ends “when the last requesting rider departs from the personal vehicle.” 28.23.180(3).
| App status | Statute | Liability required | Uninsured or underinsured |
|---|---|---|---|
| App off | Personal policy, 28.22.101(d) | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage | Policy must provide it in those amounts (28.22.101(e)), but it can be waived or rejected in writing (21.96.020(e); 28.20.445(e)(3)) |
| Logged on and available | 28.23.050(b) | $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000, primary | “As required under AS 21.96.020 and AS 28.20.440” |
| Accepted, driving to the pickup | 28.23.050(c); 28.23.180(3) | $1,000,000 primary | Same; the amount and whether it can be waived are unsettled |
| Rider in the car | 28.23.050(c) | $1,000,000 primary | Same |
| Last rider departed, still logged on | Back to 28.23.050(b) | $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000 | Same as available |
If the driver’s insurance lapses, the company’s insurer pays from the first dollar
The driver, the company, or a combination may carry the coverage. 28.23.050(b)(3), (c)(3). If the driver’s insurance has lapsed or does not provide the required coverage, the company’s insurance “must provide the coverage required by this section beginning with the first dollar of a claim,” with a duty to defend. 28.23.050(d). Company coverage may not depend on a personal insurer first denying the claim. 28.23.050(e).
Drivers are independent contractors only if four statutory conditions are met (28.23.080(a)). Whether a company can be liable for a driver’s negligence beyond its insurance is unsettled.
Alaska’s law has no personal policy exclusion section, but drivers are warned
AS 28.23 contains no section authorizing personal insurers to exclude rideshare time, so the terms of the driver’s own policy govern. Before a driver accepts rides, the company must disclose in writing that the driver’s own policy “might not provide any coverage” while logged on or on a ride. 28.23.060(2).
Uninsured and underinsured coverage is required, and can be waived in writing on personal policies
A personal policy “must provide” uninsured and underinsured coverage at $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000. 28.22.101(e). Insurers must offer higher options, but the coverage “may be waived in writing by the insured in whole or in part.” 21.96.020(e). It may also “be rejected by the insured in writing.” 28.20.445(e)(3). The rideshare law requires “uninsured or underinsured motor vehicle coverage as required under AS 21.96.020 and AS 28.20.440” in both app-on periods. 28.23.050(b)(2), (c)(2). AS 21.96.020.
The required uninsured and underinsured amount on a rideshare policy (the $50,000 / $100,000 floor or matching limits), whether it can be waived or rejected on a rideshare policy, and whether property damage coverage is included are unsettled. Neither company certificate shows a written rejection of coverage.
The statute, the certificates, and Senate Bill 35 answer different questions. AS 28.23.050 is the baseline. It requires “uninsured or underinsured motor vehicle coverage as required under AS 21.96.020 and AS 28.20.440” while a driver is logged on and available, and again from acceptance until the last rider departs. On a personal policy, that coverage may be waived or rejected in writing. What amount a rideshare policy must carry, and whether the company can waive it, remain unsettled in those sections.
The certificates in the next sections are the policies on file. Uber’s March 1, 2026 to March 1, 2027 certificate prints $1,000,000 of uninsured coverage per accident only for accidents on the premises of a public airport. Lyft’s October 1, 2026 to October 1, 2027 certificate prints no uninsured or underinsured coverage. Senate Bill 35 was a 2026 proposal about passenger uninsured and underinsured coverage. On November 10, 2026, the legislature’s bill page, as described in Did Alaska Enact the $1 Million Passenger Coverage Uber and Lyft Opposed?, still listed SB 35 in House Rules, status “(H) RLS,” with a status date of May 16, 2026. The page did not record House passage or enactment. It does not say the bill failed.
Uber’s $1 million uninsured coverage applies only on public airport premises
Uber’s Alaska certificates are issued by United Financial Casualty Company, NAIC 11770, for March 1, 2026 to March 1, 2027. Uber certificate PDF.
| Coverage | Policy | Limit printed | Uninsured and underinsured printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Period 1 | 01233939 | $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000 | “not included in any amount” |
| Periods 2 and 3 | 01232448 | $1,000,000 combined single limit | $1,000,000 per accident “only for accidents on the premises of a public airport”; otherwise not included |
| Physical damage | 01232448 | Comprehensive and collision at actual cash value, $2,500 deductibles | Not applicable |
No med pay or PIP is printed.
Lyft prints one $1 million policy covering Periods 2 and 3
Lyft’s certificate SEA-004219132-05 is issued by Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company, NAIC 23035, for October 1, 2026 to October 1, 2027. Lyft certificate PDF.
| Policy | Period printed | Limit printed |
|---|---|---|
| AS2-695-471695-086 | Period 1 | $50,000 / $100,000 bodily injury, $25,000 property damage |
| AS2-695-471695-096 | Period 2/3 | $1,000,000 combined single limit; $2,500 physical damage deductible |
The certificate prints no uninsured or underinsured coverage and no med pay or PIP.
Alaska has no PIP or med pay requirement
Alaska is not a no-fault state. Neither AS 28.23 nor the financial responsibility sections require personal injury protection or medical payments coverage, and neither certificate prints any. Medical bills are claimed from the at-fault driver’s liability coverage or paid by your own health or optional coverage. Alaska’s personal minimums, $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000, are higher than most states’. 28.22.101(d). AS 28.22.101.
Pure comparative fault, several liability only, and 2 years to sue
Your own fault “diminishes proportionately the amount awarded” to you “but does not bar recovery.” 09.17.060. Even a mostly at-fault claimant recovers the remaining share. The court enters judgment against each liable party “on the basis of several liability in accordance with that party’s percentage of fault.” 09.17.080(d). Each defendant pays only its own share. AS 09.17.060.
- Injury: 2 years. 09.10.070(a). AS 09.10.070.
- Wrongful death: “within two years after the death.” 09.55.580(a). AS 09.55.580.
Alaska caps noneconomic and punitive damages, and half of punitive awards go to the state
- Noneconomic: $400,000 or life expectancy in years times $8,000, whichever is greater. For severe permanent physical impairment or severe disfigurement in a personal injury action, $1,000,000 or life expectancy times $25,000. 09.17.010(b), (c). AS 09.17.010.
- Punitive: require clear and convincing evidence of outrageous conduct or reckless indifference, and are capped at the greater of three times compensatory damages or $500,000, rising to as much as $7,000,000 for financially motivated conduct. 09.17.020(b), (f), (g). Half of any punitive award is deposited into the state general fund. 09.17.020(j).
Sue the state directly, with no punitive damages
A person with a tort claim against the State of Alaska “may bring an action against the state in a state court,” except for listed claims such as those based on a discretionary function. 09.50.250. Judgment includes interest but is “without punitive damages.” 09.50.280. A municipality may be sued “in its corporate character and within the scope of its authority,” subject to listed immunities. 09.65.070. AS 09.50.250, AS 09.65.070.
No statutory notice-of-claim deadline or dollar cap was found, but a city’s charter or code, such as Anchorage’s, can set its own claim procedures.
Notify police immediately for injury, death, or $2,000 in damage
- Stop and help: stop, give your name, address, and plate number, and render reasonable assistance. 28.35.050, 28.35.060.
- Police notice: for injury, death, or apparent property damage of $2,000 or more, notify local police or the Department of Public Safety “immediately by the quickest means of communication.” 28.35.080(a). AS 28.35.080.
- Rideshare driver: must give coverage information and say whether they were logged on or on a ride. 28.23.050(h).
- Reports at trial: a report made under the chapter “may not be used in evidence” in a civil or criminal action arising from the accident. 28.35.120.
Alaska’s published statutes have no driverless vehicle law
A text search of the published title 28 found no autonomous, driverless, or self-driving vehicle provision. AS 28.23 defines a driver as an individual using a personal vehicle. 28.23.180.
How AS 28.23 would apply to a driverless trip is unsettled.
Cities cannot regulate rideshare, but voters can ban it
Rideshare regulation is reserved to the state, but a municipality may impose a sales tax on trips originating there and enforce traffic ordinances. 29.35.148(a), (b). A municipality “may by ordinance ratified by the voters in a regular municipal election prohibit” rideshare companies from operating there. 29.35.148(c). AS 29.35.148.
The Department of Transportation and Public Facilities may contract with rideshare companies for use of “an international airport owned or operated by the state.” 28.23.140. Those are the airports at Anchorage and Fairbanks. 37.15.550(1).
What decides which policy and which limit applies
- Whether the driver was offline, logged on and available, had accepted a ride, or was carrying you.
- Whether the accident happened on public airport premises, which matters for Uber’s uninsured coverage.
- Whether your own policy kept uninsured and underinsured coverage or it was waived in writing.
- Your health coverage, since no PIP or med pay is required.
- Each party’s percentage of fault, since every defendant pays only its share.
- The 2-year deadline for injury and wrongful death.
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Find out which Alaska policy applies
Acceptance moves liability to $1,000,000, but the uninsured coverage printed on the certificates is narrow. A free review can sort out which policies apply to your accident.