The General SR-22 Filing After Colorado Suspension
Your license was suspended in Colorado and you need SR-22 insurance to start the reinstatement process. You've seen The General's ads targeting suspended drivers and want to know if they're the right move. The short answer: The General writes SR-22 policies statewide and specializes in high-risk cases, but your actual premium depends more on what triggered your suspension, whether you own a vehicle, and which county you live in than on the carrier name.
Colorado requires SR-22 filing for specific suspension triggers — DUI/DWAI, driving uninsured, excessive points, and certain reckless driving convictions. The General confirms SR-22 capability in Colorado and writes non-owner policies for suspended drivers without a vehicle, which many carriers avoid. But SR-22 is a certificate, not a coverage type. Your cost is driven by the underlying liability policy The General issues, and that policy is priced against your driving record, age, zip code, and violation severity.
Compare car insurance rates in your state
Get quotes from licensed carriers — no obligation, no spam, results in minutes.
Get Your Free QuoteColorado Reinstatement Fee
$95
Colorado DMV charges a $95 reinstatement fee for uninsured motorist suspensions. DUI-related reinstatements may carry different fee schedules and require ignition interlock device installation before the DMV will process reinstatement.
Colorado DMV reinstatement requirements
SR-22 Cost vs Non-Owner SR-22 Cost
If you own a vehicle, The General quotes you for a standard liability policy covering that vehicle plus SR-22 filing. Monthly premiums for suspended drivers in Colorado with a vehicle typically run $110–$160/month for state minimum liability (25/50/15) after a DUI or points suspension, though Front Range urban counties (Denver, Arapahoe, Jefferson) price higher than rural counties. The SR-22 certificate itself adds $15–$25 to your premium — the bulk of the cost is the liability policy underneath.
If you do not own a vehicle but need SR-22 to satisfy reinstatement requirements, The General offers non-owner SR-22 policies. These cover you when driving a borrowed or rented vehicle and meet Colorado's proof-of-insurance mandate. Non-owner premiums run lower because the policy does not insure a specific vehicle: typically $50–$85/month for a suspended driver with a DUI on record. Many suspended drivers qualify for non-owner coverage and do not realize it exists.
The structural confusion: Colorado requires you to maintain SR-22 filing for three years from the date you file, not from the date your suspension ends. If your license is suspended for six months and you file SR-22 on day one, you owe three years of continuous coverage starting that day. Letting the policy lapse at any point during the three-year window triggers a new suspension, and the three-year clock resets.
The General files SR-22 electronically with Colorado DMV within one to two business days of policy binding. You receive a paper copy; the state receives electronic notification. Do not wait for the paper certificate to arrive before assuming the state knows — the electronic filing is what counts, and it posts to your DMV record faster than the mail cycle.
Colorado does not allow online reinstatement for DUI-related suspensions. You must apply in person at a DMV office and prove ignition interlock installation before reinstatement is processed.
Early Reinstatement With Ignition Interlock
For a first-offense DUI administrative suspension (nine months under Express Consent law), Colorado allows you to apply for an Interlock Restricted License essentially from the start of the suspension period. You install an approved ignition interlock device, maintain SR-22 insurance, and apply to the DMV. If approved, you can drive for necessary purposes — work, school, medical appointments, court-ordered programs — while the suspension period runs. This is not a hardship license; it is early reinstatement with an interlock condition.
The IID requirement for DUI early reinstatement is mandatory. Colorado-approved vendors install the device (costs vary by vendor, typically $70–$120/month including installation and monthly monitoring). You submit proof of IID installation, proof of SR-22 filing, and the reinstatement application to DMV. Processing takes one to three weeks depending on county office backlog. Drivers designated as persistent drunk drivers (two or more DUI/DWAI offenses) face a mandatory two-year IID requirement and stricter reinstatement conditions.
Related Articles
Points and Lapse Suspensions: Different SR-22 Rules
If your suspension was triggered by point accumulation (12 points in 12 months for adult drivers), Colorado may or may not require SR-22 depending on the specific violations that generated the points. Reckless driving and certain speed-related convictions trigger SR-22; minor infractions typically do not. Check your suspension notice. If SR-22 is not listed as a reinstatement condition, filing it will not help and most carriers will not issue it without a state mandate.
If your suspension was triggered by driving uninsured or letting your vehicle registration lapse due to no insurance, Colorado requires SR-22 for three years after reinstatement. The General writes these policies. Reinstatement for lapse suspensions is simpler than DUI cases: you pay the $95 reinstatement fee, file SR-22, and apply through the DMV. No ignition interlock, no waiting period, no in-person requirement unless your suspension notice specifies otherwise.
Unpaid ticket suspensions, failure-to-appear suspensions, and child support arrears suspensions do not require SR-22. Those are compliance holds, not insurance-related suspensions. Pay the underlying debt, satisfy the court or agency requirement, then apply for reinstatement. The General cannot help with those — no carrier can, because SR-22 is not part of the reinstatement path.
Colorado SR-22 Filing Period
3 years
Colorado mandates continuous SR-22 filing for three years for insurance-related suspensions, measured from the date you file, not from the date your suspension ends. Any lapse in coverage during the three-year window triggers a new suspension and resets the clock.
Colorado DMV SR-22 requirements
Comparing The General Against Other SR-22 Carriers
The General is a non-standard carrier owned by American Family. They specialize in high-risk auto insurance and write policies other carriers decline. In Colorado, The General competes with Progressive, GEICO, Dairyland, Bristol West, National General, and State Farm for SR-22 business. Your premium will vary by carrier based on underwriting rules each company applies to your specific violation, age, and county.
Some suspended drivers get better rates from Progressive or GEICO; others pay less with The General or Dairyland. The only way to know is to quote multiple carriers. Non-owner SR-22 quotes vary even more — not all carriers write non-owner policies, and those that do price them differently. State Farm writes SR-22 in Colorado but does not advertise heavily to suspended drivers; their rates for clean-record customers are lower, but their high-risk pricing is not always competitive with non-standard specialists like The General.
Next Step: Get Multiple SR-22 Quotes
The General is one option. They write SR-22 policies in Colorado, they offer non-owner coverage, and they specialize in suspended-driver cases. But you should quote at least three carriers before binding a policy. Premium differences for the same coverage often exceed $40/month, and that gap compounds over the three-year filing period. Use the comparison tool on this site to request quotes from carriers writing SR-22 in your county, or contact The General directly at 800-280-1466 and request a non-owner SR-22 quote if you do not own a vehicle.