Pet insurance laws by state: what the law guarantees and where
The states regulate pet insurance in the United States, not the federal government. So the same “Brand X pet insurance” in California, Florida and Texas is three different products. They have different prices, different waiting periods, different documents and sometimes a different insurer. This guide first covers what the law gives you where there is one, then how the states differ.
What the model law guarantees
In 2022 the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) adopted its Pet Insurance Model Act (#633), a template law that states copy into their own statutes. The NAIC’s implementation report of March 2026 counted 16 jurisdictions that had adopted it. Its model state page for Summer 2026 lists 17, counting New Jersey, where the law takes effect in 2027. Florida passed its own Pet Insurance Act (Florida Statutes §627.71545, chapter 2025-11) in 2025. Here are the six things such a law gives the owner, with Florida as the example:
- Disclosure before you buy. The insurer must say plainly whether the policy excludes chronic, congenital, hereditary and pre-existing conditions (illnesses the pet had before the policy). It must list the waiting periods, deductibles, reimbursement percentages and limits. It must say whether the price rises with the pet’s age, after claims or when you move. And it must name the insurer if that is not the brand’s own company. All of this sits in one document, the Insurer Disclosure of Important Policy Provisions, linked from the home page of the insurer’s website. These two pages are worth more than any review.
- 30 days to return the policy. If you have made no claims, you can return the policy within 30 days for a full refund.
- Waiting periods. None for injuries. No more than 30 days for illness and for orthopedic conditions not caused by an injury. The insurer must let you waive the waiting period with a vet exam.
- Pre-existing conditions. The insurer must prove that a condition existed before the policy. A condition the policy covered does not become pre-existing at renewal. Renewal does not require a new vet exam. See pre-existing conditions.
- Wellness kept apart. An insurer cannot require you to buy a routine preventive care (wellness) program with the policy. Such a program is not insurance.
- Trained sellers. Everyone who sells pet insurance must be trained on pre-existing conditions, waiting periods and the difference between insurance and wellness.
What the law does not do: it does not limit the size of a rate increase, and it does not require the insurer to explain an increase to you beyond the general disclosure. Only the regulator holds the price back. It looks at the loss ratio (the share of premium paid out in claims), not at whether your budget can take another 30%. See why pet insurance prices rise.
Which states have a law
California has regulated pet insurance under its own law since 2014 (Insurance Code §12880 and the sections after it). In 2024, Senate Bill 1217 brought that law into line with the NAIC model. Maine adopted a model-based law in 2022, the earliest on the NAIC list; it has been in force since 1 January 2023. Florida passed its law in 2025.
According to the NAIC’s Summer 2026 state page, the model act or a substantially similar law is in force in 17 jurisdictions: California, Delaware (2023), Florida (2025), Hawaii (2025), Louisiana (2023), Maine (2022), Maryland (2024), Mississippi (2023), Montana (2025), Nebraska (2023), New Hampshire (2023), New Jersey (from 1 January 2027), Ohio (2025), Pennsylvania (2024), Rhode Island (2026), Vermont (2024) and Washington (2023).
Six more states have only partial rules: Tennessee since 2008; Texas, Utah, Idaho and New Mexico (classification and licensing); Alaska (a 2016 bulletin). Everywhere else, including New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and Georgia, only general insurance law applies. There, waiting periods have no cap, the insurer does not have to waive a waiting period after a vet exam, there is no separate Insurer Disclosure, nothing bans a vet exam at renewal, and a 30-day refund is the company’s goodwill, not your right.
- Model act or similar law (year passed) 16
- Passed, takes effect later (year in force) 1
- Partial rules only (licensing, classification, a bulletin) 6
- No specific rules: general insurance law only 28
Source: NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act state page (ST-633), Summer 2026. Florida and California as on their state pages. The year is the year the law was passed; NAIC lists some laws with a second year, when they took effect.
The map as a table
| State | Status | Year | Statute or rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | model act | 2024 | Cal. Ins. Code §12880 et seq. |
| Delaware | model act | 2023 | Del. Code Ann. tit. 18, §§8801–8809 |
| Florida | model act | 2025 | Fla. Stat. §627.71545 |
| Hawaii | model act | 2025 | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§431:33-101 to 431:33-109 |
| Louisiana | model act | 2023 | La. Stat. §§22:1371 to 22:1375 |
| Maine | model act | 2022 | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 24-A, §§3151 to 3161 |
| Maryland | model act | 2024 | Md. Code Ann., Ins. §§19-1101 to 19-1107 |
| Mississippi | model act | 2023 | Miss. Code Ann. §§83-87-1 to 83-87-9 |
| Montana | model act | 2025 | Mont. Code Ann. §§33-24-401 to 33-24-409 |
| Nebraska | model act | 2023 | Neb. Rev. Stat. §§44-6501 to 44-6510 |
| New Hampshire | model act | 2023 | N.H. Rev. Stat. §§402-P:1 to 402-P:6 |
| Ohio | model act | 2025 | Ohio Rev. Code §§3970.01 to 3970.08 |
| Pennsylvania | model act | 2024 | 40 Pa.C.S. §§4701 to 4711 |
| Rhode Island | model act | 2026 | R.I. Gen. Laws §§27-83-1 to 27-83-7 |
| Vermont | model act | 2024 | Vt. Stat. tit. 8, §§7151 to 7159 |
| Washington | model act | 2023 | Wash. Rev. Code §§48.205.010 to 48.205.080 |
| New Jersey | model act, not yet in force | 2027 | N.J. Stat. §§17:46D-3 to 17:46D-11 (effective 1 January 2027) |
| Alaska | partial rules | 2016 | Alaska Bulletin No. 2016-6 |
| Idaho | partial rules | 2017 | Idaho Code §41-1003 (pet insurance under limited lines insurance) |
| New Mexico | partial rules | 2017 | N.M. Stat. §59A-7-4 (pet insurance listed under kinds of property insurance) |
| Tennessee | partial rules | 2008 | Tenn. Code Ann. §§56-7-2101 to 56-7-2103 |
| Texas | partial rules | 2023 | 28 Tex. Admin. Code §5.5008 (pet insurance classified as inland marine) |
| Utah | partial rules | 2023 | Utah Code §31A-23A-106 (pet insurance under license types) |
| Alabama | none | — | — |
| Arizona | none | — | — |
| Arkansas | none | — | — |
| Colorado | none | — | — |
| Connecticut | none | — | — |
| District of Columbia | none | — | — |
| Georgia | none | — | — |
| Illinois | none | — | — |
| Indiana | none | — | — |
| Iowa | none | — | — |
| Kansas | none | — | — |
| Kentucky | none | — | — |
| Massachusetts | none | — | — |
| Michigan | none | — | — |
| Minnesota | none | — | — |
| Missouri | none | — | — |
| Nevada | none | — | — |
| New York | none | — | — |
| North Carolina | none | — | — |
| North Dakota | none | — | — |
| Oklahoma | none | — | — |
| Oregon | none | — | — |
| South Carolina | none | — | — |
| South Dakota | none | — | — |
| Virginia | none | — | — |
| West Virginia | none | — | — |
| Wisconsin | none | — | — |
| Wyoming | none | — | — |
Our state pages so far: Florida and California.
Pre-existing conditions: what each state’s law says
We read all 17 laws (the full analysis with quotes is in the pet insurance trap). What they all share:
- A symptom is enough. No diagnosis or treatment is needed: a condition can be excluded if its signs appeared before the policy.
- No portability. No law lets you keep coverage for known conditions when you move to another insurer.
- No protection for curable conditions. The “180 days” and “12 months” rules are insurers’ own. Every law says it does not limit the types of exclusions.
- No protection for coverage increases. Renewal protection covers “substantially similar” coverage. The insurer may treat added coverage as new.
The differences are in the table.
| State | Law | Symptom enough | Look-back | Renewal protection | Burden of proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAIC model act | MO-633, §3F, §5A | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| California | Cal. Ins. Code §12880(f), §12880.7 | yes, broadest: symptoms “consistent with” the condition | whole life | yes, since 2025 | insurer, since 2025 |
| Delaware | 18 Del. C. §8803, §8805 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Florida | Fla. Stat. §627.71545 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Hawaii | HRS §431:33-103, -105 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Louisiana | La. R.S. 22:1371, 1373 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Maine | 24-A M.R.S. §3153, §3156 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Maryland | Md. Code, Ins. §19-1101, 19-1105 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Mississippi | Miss. Code §§83-87-1–9; 19 Miss. Code R. 5-6 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer (in the regulation, not the statute) |
| Montana | MCA §33-24-403, -405 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Nebraska | Neb. Rev. Stat. §44-6504, -6506 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| New Hampshire | RSA 402-P:1, 402-P:4 | yes | whole life | yes, but only with no break in coverage | insurer |
| New Jersey (from 1 Jan 2027) | N.J.S.A. 17:46D-5, -8 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Ohio | ORC §3970.01, 3970.05 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Pennsylvania | 40 Pa.C.S. §4702, §4706 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws §27-83-2, -4 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
| Vermont | 8 V.S.A. §7153, §7155 | yes | 180 days before the policy starts | yes | insurer |
| Washington | RCW 48.205.020, .050 | yes | whole life | yes | insurer |
Two more differences. Vermont is the only state whose law lets you change coverage amounts without cancelling and reissuing the policy (8 V.S.A. §7155(g)). Ohio is the only one of the 17 whose law does not ban requiring a vet exam at renewal.
In states without a law, the insurer writes the definition into its policy. Nearly all large insurers use the same symptom-based wording.
The only bills that would ban pre-existing exclusions are in New York: A724 and A3052, both in committee. Oregon’s HB 2744 (2025), with a ban and a six-month look-back, died.
Waiting periods
Florida’s law, written on the NAIC model, requires cover for injuries from day one and for illness and non-injury orthopedic conditions after no more than 30 days. A vet exam can waive the waiting period. Where there is no such law, the same companies often set 14 to 30 days for illness and six to twelve months for orthopedic conditions such as cruciate ligament tears and hip dysplasia. That is why reviews contradict each other: one says a brand has a six-month orthopedic wait, another says 30 days. Both can be true, for different states.
Even states with a law differ in the details. The California policy forms we have read have no waiting period for accidents and at most 15 days for illness. But Fetch (filing 25-2417) and Embrace (filing 26-812) exclude some orthopedic conditions that first appear in the first 180 days of the policy. And Fetch’s 15-day wait also applies to injuries from normal activity. We have not found a California source for a legal cap on illness waiting periods, so the California page shows it as unknown.
How rates are approved
An insurer must get every rate increase approved by each state’s regulator separately, and the states work differently.
California approves in advance. The Department of Insurance (CDI) must approve a change before the insurer can use it. The request is published, CDI’s actuaries redo the calculation, and they often allow less than the insurer asked for. In filing 25-2461 Trupanion asked for +28.1%. CDI first answered with +14.9%, then set the maximum at +19.0%, and +19.0% was approved from 19 July 2026. In filing 25-613 Independence American asked for +13.9% on accident and illness coverage for its V4 program (Pumpkin, Spot, ASPCA). CDI capped it at +12.0% and approved it 13 months after the filing. CDI also does not allow an automatic yearly price rise built into the formula (a “trend” factor): Fetch’s national “rating trend” rule is marked “Not Allowed” in California (25-2417).
Florida usually decides within one to four months and approves what the loss ratio supports. Independence American filed 26-024273 on 6 May 2026, and the state approved it on 29 July for policies from 1 October. American Pet Insurance Company, Trupanion’s Florida insurer, has four different rate effective dates in 2026 alone (filings 25-043052, 25-037984, 25-055797 and 26-021862).
A strict regulator delays an increase but rarely cancels it. Trupanion’s California increases, as listed in filing 25-2461, were +12.6% in 2023, +28.9% in 2024, +31.7% in 2025 and +19.0% in 2026. In a “fast” state the price rises more evenly but more often, sometimes in several filings a year.
Who the insurer is
One brand can have different insurers in different states. National Casualty underwrites Nationwide in Florida; Veterinary Pet Insurance Company does in California. ACE Property and Casualty underwrites Healthy Paws in Florida, and Westchester Fire filed a new policy form for it. We have not identified who underwrites Healthy Paws in California. A different insurer means a different policy form, different rules for curable conditions, a different disclosure document and different rights when you switch between brands. The “sample policy” on a brand’s website is almost always a countrywide template. Your contract is your state’s form with that state’s changes (an amendatory endorsement).
Territory: your ZIP code
Within a state the price depends on your ZIP code, and every insurer draws its own map. Pets Best’s Florida factor for ZIP codes starting 335 (the northern suburbs of Tampa) is 0.7351 (filing 26-026451). Lemonade in Florida prices neighbouring ZIP codes differently: 33543 is 0.8807 and 33544 is 0.8402 (26-034247). In California the same Los Angeles ZIP code, 90001, has a factor of 1.6388 at Lemonade (23-3248) and 1.726 at Fetch; Fetch’s countrywide table would give the same territory 0.852 (25-2417). MetLife’s California area factor is 1.132 for ZIP codes starting 900 and 0.774 for 906 (25-2234).
When you move, the insurer recalculates the price for your new address. Florida’s law requires the disclosure document to say so.
The product itself
The options also depend on the state. Trupanion has no waiting periods in the usual sense, but coverage starts some time after enrollment, not on the day you buy. Maine rejected its policy form over that delay in 2023 (case INS-23-800). MetLife in California offers unlimited cover only to dogs enrolled between 0 and 11 years old (25-2234). Lemonade does not sell pet insurance in every state.
Where to complain
The state regulator handles disputes over pre-existing conditions and denied claims. In Florida that is the Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services (877-693-5236); in California, the Department of Insurance; in New York, the Department of Financial Services; in Washington, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. A complaint is free. The insurer must answer it within a set time. In a Florida dispute over a pre-existing condition, the insurer must prove its case.
What follows
Comparing pet insurance without naming the state tells you little. Work in this order: your state’s law, then your state’s policy form, then your state’s rate filing, and only then the quote. If you move to another state, read the policy again: the price, the waiting periods and even the insurer can change at the next renewal.
Sources
- Florida Statutes §627.71545, Pet Insurance Act (ch. 2025-11).
- NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act (#633), 2022; NAIC State Implementation Report, 9 March 2026; NAIC model state page ST-633, Summer 2026.
- California Insurance Code §12880 et seq.; Senate Bill 1217 (2024). Maine Pet Insurance Act (1 January 2023) and case INS-23-800.
- California Department of Insurance files 25-2461 (Trupanion), 25-613 (Independence American, V4), 25-2417 (Fetch), 26-812 (Embrace, not approved), 25-2234 (MetLife), 23-3248 (Lemonade), 24-2007 (Nationwide).
- Florida OIR (IRFS) files 26-024273 (Independence American, V4), 26-026451 (Pets Best), 26-034247 (Lemonade), and American Pet Insurance Company files 25-037984, 25-043052, 25-055797 and 26-021862.
History
- Added a state-by-state table of what each law says about pre-existing conditions: symptom prong, look-back, renewal protection and burden of proof; Maine listed under 2022, the year it passed its law, to match the map
- Added a map of which states have adopted the NAIC model act, which have partial rules and which have none
- Corrected two claims to match the sources: the 30-day waiting-period cap is now attributed to Florida's statute rather than to every model-law state, and Maine is described as the earliest model-act state on the NAIC list (enacted 2022) rather than as the first state; Florida reviews usually take one to four months, not one to three (Pets Best 26-026451 took three and a half)
- First published