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Alaska car accident laws
The legal minimum liability coverage in Alaska is $50,000 per injured person, $100,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (50/100/25).
Alaska gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070(a)(2)).
Alaska is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you can still recover even if you were mostly at fault.
Quoted from Alaska statutes and official pages, checked October 2, 2026 · not legal advice
The rules in one table
| Rule | Alaska | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline to sue for an injury | Two years from accrual of the cause of action (the date of injury) | Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070(a)(2) |
| Deadline for vehicle damage | Two years from accrual of the cause of action (taking, detaining, or injuring personal property) | Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070(a)(3) |
| Deadline for a wrongful death claim | Two years after the death | Alaska Stat. § 09.55.580(a) |
| Insurance system | at-fault | Triple-I, Background on: No-fault auto insurance |
| If you were partly at fault | pure comparative. If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you can still recover even if you were mostly at fault. | Alaska Stat. § 09.17.060 |
| Minimum liability coverage | $50,000 per person / $100,000 per crash / $25,000 property | Alaska Stat. § 28.20.440(b)(2) |
| Dog bites | one-bite (negligence). Alaska has no dog-bite statute; the owner is liable if they knew or should have known the dog had a dangerous tendency, and negligence claims may also be available. | No Alaska dog-bite statute; Justia 50-State Survey (secondary source) |
| Cap on pain-and-suffering damages | $400,000 or the injured person's life expectancy in years multiplied by $8,000, whichever is greater; $1,000,000 or life expectancy multiplied by $25,000, whichever is greater, for severe permanent physical impairment or severe disfigurement | Alaska Stat. § 09.17.010(a)-(c) |
Deadlines can be shorter or longer for minors, for injuries found later, and for claims against a government. A lawyer licensed in Alaska can tell you the date that applies to you.
Next steps after an Alaska crash
How to get an Alaska crash report (DPS: most requests for police reports have no cost (video, photo or audio is $36.49 per request). DMV copy of a previously submitted driver report: $10.).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for Alaska. Both take under a minute.
Questions
How long do you have to sue after a car accident in Alaska?
Two years for an injury claim (Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070(a)(2)) and two years for vehicle damage. Shorter notice rules can apply to claims against a government.
Is Alaska a no-fault state?
No. Alaska is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault in Alaska?
Alaska follows pure comparative. If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you can still recover even if you were mostly at fault.
What is the minimum car insurance in Alaska?
The legal minimum liability coverage in Alaska is $50,000 per injured person, $100,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (50/100/25).
Sources
- Deadline to sue for an injury (Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070(a)(2)): www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=09.10.070&secEnd=09.10.070
(a) Except as otherwise provided by law, a person may not bring an action (1) for libel, slander, assault, battery, seduction, or false imprisonment, (2) for personal injury or death, or injury to the rights of another not arising on contract and not specifically provided otherwise; (3) for taking, detaining, or injuring personal property, including an action for its specific recovery; (4) upon a statute for a forfeiture or penalty to the state; or (5) upon a liability created by statute, other than a penalty or forfeiture; unless the action is commenced within two years of the accrual of the …
- Deadline for vehicle damage (Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070(a)(3)): www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=09.10.070&secEnd=09.10.070
(a) Except as otherwise provided by law, a person may not bring an action (1) for libel, slander, assault, battery, seduction, or false imprisonment, (2) for personal injury or death, or injury to the rights of another not arising on contract and not specifically provided otherwise; (3) for taking, detaining, or injuring personal property, including an action for its specific recovery; (4) upon a statute for a forfeiture or penalty to the state; or (5) upon a liability created by statute, other than a penalty or forfeiture; unless the action is commenced within two years of the accrual of the …
- Deadline for a wrongful death claim (Alaska Stat. § 09.55.580(a)): www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=09.55.580&secEnd=09.55.580
The action shall be commenced within two years after the death, and the damages therein shall be the damages the court or jury may consider fair and just.
- Insurance system (Triple-I, Background on: No-fault auto insurance): www.iii.org/article/background-on-no-fault-auto-insurance
Twelve states and Puerto Rico have no-fault auto insurance laws. Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania have verbal thresholds. The other seven states—Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota and Utah—use a monetary threshold. Three states have a "choice" no-fault law. In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, motorists may reject the lawsuit threshold and retain the right to sue for any auto-related injury.
- If you were partly at fault (Alaska Stat. § 09.17.060): www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=09.17.060&secEnd=09.17.060
Sec. 09.17.060. Effect of contributory fault. In an action based on fault seeking to recover damages for injury or death to a person or harm to property, contributory fault chargeable to the claimant diminishes proportionately the amount awarded as compensatory damages for the injury attributable to the claimant's contributory fault, but does not bar recovery.
- Minimum liability coverage (Alaska Stat. § 28.20.440(b)(2)): www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=28.20.440&secEnd=28.20.440
$50,000 because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident, and, subject to the same limit for one person, $100,000 because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident, and $25,000 because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident;
- Dog bites (No Alaska dog-bite statute; Justia 50-State Survey (secondary source)): www.justia.com/injury/premises-liability/animal-dog-bites/dog-bite-law-50-state-
There is no Alaska dog bite statute. However, the Alaska Supreme Court has ruled that a dog owner is liable regardless of fault for injuries caused by the dog that stem from a vicious propensity of which the owner knew. A plaintiff must show that the dog owner knew or should have known that the dog had a dangerous tendency, and that this caused their injuries. The federal trial court in Alaska has emphasized that the dangerous propensity must be abnormal, while also noting that a negligence claim may be available when there is no dangerous propensity. The federal court pointed out that owners …
- Cap on pain-and-suffering damages (Alaska Stat. § 09.17.010(a)-(c)): www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=09.17.010&secEnd=09.17.010
(b) Except as provided under (c) of this section, the damages awarded by a court or a jury under (a) of this section for all claims, including a loss of consortium claim, arising out of a single injury or death may not exceed $400,000 or the injured person's life expectancy in years multiplied by $8,000, whichever is greater. (c) In an action for personal injury, the damages awarded by a court or jury that are described under (b) of this section may not exceed $1,000,000 or the person's life expectancy in years multiplied by $25,000, whichever is greater, when the damages are awarded for sever…
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.