📍 50-State DV Law Guide

Diminished Value Rights — State by State.

Diminished value law varies significantly across the United States. Some states allow recovery from your own insurer; most allow only third-party claims. Statutes of limitations range from 2 to 6 years. The strongest states have explicit case law; weaker states leave claimants with no statutory hook at all. This guide covers what diminished value rights actually look like in each state.

Why State Law Matters

Where Your Accident Happened Determines Your Recovery Path.

Diminished value is a state-law claim. The rules that govern recovery — whether first-party recovery is allowed, what statute of limitations applies, what bad-faith remedies exist, what small claims court limits are — are entirely a function of the state where the accident occurred. A claim that's a slam-dunk in Georgia may not be recoverable in Michigan. The same vehicle, same damage, same insurer, different result.

All 50 states + DC are now live — a complete 51-jurisdiction database covering every U.S. diminished value framework. From Georgia's plaintiff-friendly first- and third-party recovery to North Dakota's statutory limit on DV recovery, from California's pure comparative negligence to DC's pure contributory negligence, every jurisdiction has its own controlling case law, statute of limitations, comparative-fault rule, and small claims procedure documented in this database. Each guide contains full case law analysis, filing procedures, and demand letter strategy specific to that state's appellate authority.

The four-bucket framework

Every state falls into one of four diminished value categories:

First and Third-Party — both first-party (your own insurer) and third-party recovery allowed. Georgia is the only state in this category.
Third-Party Only — recovery allowed only from at-fault driver's insurer. Most states.
Limited Third-Party — recovery technically allowed but with significant practical barriers. A handful of states.
Effectively Barred — case law or policy language makes recovery extremely difficult. Few states.

At a Glance

State Comparison — Live Guides.

Quick reference for all 51 live state guides — every U.S. jurisdiction. Each row links to the full guide with case-by-case analysis, filing procedures, and state-specific demand letter strategy.

State	Recovery Type	Statute of Limitations	Small Claims Limit	Leading Authority
Alabama	Third-Party Only	2 years (§ 6-2-38)	$6,000 + Pure Contributory	Joiner v. Holland & Woodard; Pritchett blocks first-party
Alaska	Third-Party (Evolving)	2 years (AS 09.10.070)	$10,000 (Pure Comparative)	Willett v. State of Alaska (1992); Restatement § 928 acknowledged
Arizona	Third-Party Only	2 years (A.R.S. § 12-542)	$3,500	Oliver v. Henry, 227 Ariz. 514 (Ct. App. 2011)
Arkansas	Third-Party + UMPD (Hit-and-Run)	3 years (§ 16-56-105)	$5,000	MFA Insurance Co. v. Citizens Nat. Bank (Ark. 1977)
California	Third-Party Only	3 years (CCP § 338(c))	$12,500	CACI 3903J (2016); Baldwin v. AAA
Colorado	Third-Party Only	3 years (C.R.S. § 13-80-101)	$7,500	Larson v. Long, 74 Colo. 152 (1923); Trujillo v. Wilson (1948)
Connecticut	Third-Party Only	2 years (§ 52-584)	$5,000 (no appeal)	Littlejohn v. Elionsky (1944); Harding v. Spulick (2024)
Delaware	Third-Party Only	2 years (10 Del. C. § 8107)	$25,000	Delledonne (Del. Sup.) blocks first-party; tort recovery available
District of Columbia	Third-Party Only	3 years (DC Code § 12-301)	$10,000 + Pure Contributory	Standard property damage tort framework; pure contributory bar
Florida	Third-Party Only	4 years (§ 95.11(3))	$8,000	McHale; Fla. Stat. § 626.9743
Georgia	First & Third-Party	4 years (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-32)	$15,000	State Farm v. Mabry, 274 Ga. 498 (2001)
Hawaii	Third-Party (Evolving)	2 years (HRS § 657-7)	$5,000	County of Kauai v. Pacific Standard Life (Haw. 1982) — real property DV recognized
Idaho	Third-Party (Evolving)	3 years (Idaho Code § 5-218)	$5,000 (no attorneys)	Boel v. Stewart Title (Idaho 2002) — real property DV recognized
Illinois	Third-Party + UMPD	5 years (735 ILCS 5/13-205)	$10,000	Trailmobile v. Higgs, 12 Ill. App. 3d 323 (1973)
Indiana	Third-Party + UMPD	2 years (§ 34-11-2-4)	$10,000	Wiese-GMC v. Wells (1993); Allgood v. Meridian (2005)
Iowa	Third-Party Only	5 years (Iowa Code § 614.1)	$6,500	Long v. McAllister (1982); Hawkeye Motors (1995); Papenheim (1995)
Kansas	Third-Party Only	2 years (K.S.A. § 60-513)	$4,000	Broadie v. Randall, 113 Kan. 357 (1923)
Kentucky	Third-Party Only	2 years (KRS 304.39-230)	$2,500	Muncie v. Wiesemann (Ky. 2018) — stigma damages doctrine
Louisiana	Third-Party + UMPD	2 years* (Act 423, 2024)	$5,000	Orillac v. Solomon (2000); LA R.S. 9:2800.17 (explicit DV statute)
Maine	Third-Party Only	6 years (14 M.R.S.A. § 752)	$6,000	Collins v. Kelley (Me. 1935) — 90 years of authority
Maryland	3rd-Party + Mandatory UMPD	3 years (§ 5-101)	$5,000	Fred Frederick Motors (1971); MIA Bulletin 24-8 (2024)
Massachusetts	Third-Party (Policy Specific)	3 years (Ch. 260, § 2A)	$7,000	McGilloway (2021); Cubberley (2025)
Michigan	Mini-Tort ($3K cap)	3 years (MCL 600.5805)	Sm. Claims Div.	MCL 500.3135(3)(e); No-fault statute
Minnesota	Third-Party Only	6 years (Minn. Stat. § 541.05)	$15,000	O'Connor v. Schwartz (1975); Restatement § 928; Rinkel (1959)
Mississippi	Third-Party + UMPD	3 years (§ 15-1-49)	$3,500 (Pure Comparative)	Both-elements common law; Miss. Code § 11-7-15
Missouri	Third-Party Only	5 years (§ 516.120)	$5,000	Rook v. John F. Oliver Trucking (1977)
Montana	Third-Party (Evolving)	2 years (§ 27-2-207)	$7,000	Hop v. Safeco (Mont. 2011) — DV is "open question"
Nebraska	Third-Party (Uncertain)	4 years (§ 25-207)	$3,900 (no attorneys)	No reported authority either way; Restatement § 928 framework
Nevada	Third-Party Only	3 years (NRS § 11.190(3)(c))	$10,000	Dugan v. Gotsopoulos (Nev. 2001); NV Jury Instruction 10.09
New Hampshire	Third-Party (Evolving)	3 years (RSA 508:4)	$10,000 + No Mandatory Insurance	No reported authority; only U.S. state without mandatory auto insurance
New Jersey	Third-Party + UMPD	6 years (N.J.S.A. § 2A:14-1)	$20,000 (SCP)	Jones v. Lahn (1949); Fanfarillo (1980); Panter (2019)
New Mexico	Third-Party + UMPD (Hit-and-Run)	4 years (§ 37-1-4)	$10,000 (Pure Comparative)	Hubbard v. Albuquerque Truck Center (N.M. 1998) — stigma damages
New York	Third-Party Only	3 years (CPLR § 214(4))	$10,000 NYC / $5,000 elsewhere	Franklin Corp v. Prahler, 932 N.Y.S.2d 610 (4th Dep't 2011)
North Carolina	Third-Party Only	3 years (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52)	$10,000	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-279.21 (third-party appraisal clause)
North Dakota	⚠️ NOT Recoverable	6 years (§ 28-01-16)	$15,000 (FINAL — no appeal)	§ 32-03-09.1 + Sullivan v. Pulkrabek limit recovery to lesser of repair cost or DV
Ohio	Third-Party + UMPD	2 years (ORC § 2305.10)	$6,000	Falter v. Toledo (1959); Rakich v. Anthem (2007); Hyden (2024)
Oklahoma	Third-Party Only	2 years (12 O.S. § 95)	$10,000	Brennen v. Aston (2003); OUJI 4.14; 23 O.S. § 61
Oregon	1st + 3rd-Party + UMPD	6 years (ORS 12.080)	$10,000 + ORS 20.080	Rossier (1930); Gonzales v. Farmers; ORS 20.080 fee-shifting
Pennsylvania	Third-Party Only	2 years (42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5524)	$12,000	Holt v. Pariser (1947); Restatement § 928; 42 P.S. § 8371
Rhode Island	Third-Party + UMPD (Hit-and-Run)	10 YEARS (§ 9-1-13)	$2,500 (no plaintiff appeal)	LONGEST SOL in country; mandatory $25K UMPD covers DV
South Carolina	3rd-Party + Mandatory UMPD	3 years (§ 15-3-530)	$7,500 + Arbitration	Newman v. Brown (1955); SC Property Damage Arbitration ($10 fee)
South Dakota	Third-Party (Evolving)	6 years (§ 15-2-13)	$12,000 (Slight/Gross)	Culhane (S.D. 2005) blocks first-party; tort framework supports third-party
Tennessee	Limited Third-Party	3 years (T.C.A. § 28-3-105)	$25,000	GEICO v. Bloodworth (2007); Grimes v. Hancock (2012)
Texas	Third-Party Only	2 years (Tex. CPRC § 16.003)	$20,000	Parkway Co. v. Woodruff, 901 S.W.2d 434 (Tex. 1995)
Utah	Third-Party + UMPD	3 years (§ 78B-2-307)	$11,000	Metcalf v. Mellen (Utah 1920) — 105 years; Utah Code § 78B-5-818
Vermont	Third-Party + UMPD	3 years (12 V.S.A. § 512)	$5,000 (50% bar)	Standard tort framework; VT UMPD covers DV (unusual for evolving state)
Virginia	Third-Party Only	5 years (Va. Code § 8.01-243)	$5,000	Averett v. Shircliff, 218 Va. 202 (1977); Va. Code § 46.2-1600
Washington	First & Third-Party	3 years (RCW 4.16.080)	$10,000	Moeller v. Farmers, 173 Wn.2d 264 (2011); Grothe v. Kushnivich (2022)
West Virginia	Third-Party + Mandatory UMPD	2 years (§ 55-2-12)	$10,000 + Structural Damage Required	Ellis v. King (W. Va. 1990) — narrow construction; mandatory $25K UMPD covers DV
Wisconsin	Third-Party Only	6 years (Wis. Stat. § 893.52)	$10,000	Hellenbrand v. Hilliard (2004); Hawes (1981); Wildin (2001)
Wyoming	Third-Party (Evolving)	4 years (§ 1-3-105)	$7,000 (51% bar)	Miller v. Campbell County (Wyo. 1995) — DV recognized in inverse condemnation

Small claims limits and statutes of limitations are state-specific. SOL begins running on the date of the accident in most jurisdictions. Verify your state's procedural rules before filing.

Browse by State

State-by-State Diminished Value Guides.

Tap any state below to access its complete diminished value law guide. Live guides include full case law analysis, filing procedures, and state-specific demand letter strategy.

Alabama

Third-Party Only

Trial-court DV recovery (Joiner v. Holland & Woodard). Pritchett v. State Farm (2002) blocks first-party. PURE CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE — document liability rigorously.

Diminished Value Rights — State by State.

Where Your Accident Happened Determines Your Recovery Path.

State Comparison — Live Guides.

State-by-State Diminished Value Guides.

State law tells you what's recoverable. Your insurer's playbook tells you how to recover it.

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