Pet Insurance Laws by State: Who Adopted the NAIC Model
In the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Summer 2026 state chart for its Pet Insurance Model Act (ST-633), 17 states have adopted the current model, 6 have only related activity, and 28 jurisdictions, counting the District of Columbia, are marked "No current activity". The chart records each state's status as of that update; later legislation is not in it. The model is what sets the 30-day cap on illness waiting periods, the ban on accident waiting periods and the standard definition of a pre-existing condition, so the column a state sits in says whether those rules are written into its law.
What NAIC's columns mean
NAIC's Legal Division assigns each state's citation to one column. In its own definitions: Model adoption means the state adopted the most recent version of the model in a substantially similar manner (differences of style and format allowed). Previous version means an older version only; no state is in that column for this model. Related activity means statutes, regulations, bulletins or notices on the same subject that do not adopt the model. No current activity means NAIC records nothing on the topic, which includes states that repealed a law. NAIC adds that the chart is not a legal opinion, so the statute and the state insurance department (NAIC directory) remain the authority.
States that adopted the model act
| State | Citation as NAIC prints it | Premium figures |
|---|---|---|
| California | Cal. Ins. Code §§ 12880.0 to 12880.6 (2020/2025). | California premiums |
| Delaware | Del. Code Ann. tit. 18, §§ 8801 to 8809 (2023). | Delaware premiums |
| Florida | Fla. Stat. Ann. §§ 627.71545 (2025/2026). | Florida premiums |
| Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 431:33-101 to 431:33-109 (2025/2026). | Hawaii premiums |
| Louisiana | La. Stat. Ann. §§ 22:1371 to 22:1375 (2023/2024). | Louisiana premiums |
| Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 24-A, §§ 3151 to 3161 (2022/2023). | Maine premiums |
| Maryland | Md. Code Ann., Ins. §§ 19-1101 to 19-1107 (2024/2025). | Maryland premiums |
| Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. §§ 83-87-1 to 83-87-9 (2023). | Mississippi premiums |
| Montana | Mont. Code Ann. §§ 33-24-401 to 33-24-409 (2025). | Montana premiums |
| Nebraska | Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 44-6501 to 44-6510 (2023/2024). | Nebraska premiums |
| New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 402-P:1 to 402-P:6 (2023/2024). | New Hampshire premiums |
| New Jersey | N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 17:46D-3 to 17:46D-8 (effective 1-1-2027). | New Jersey premiums |
| Ohio | Ohio Rev. Code Ann. §§ 3970.01 to 3970.08 (2025). | Ohio premiums |
| Pennsylvania | 40 Pa. Stat. and Cons. Stat. Ann. §§ 4701 to 4711 (2024). | Pennsylvania premiums |
| Rhode Island | 27 R.I. Gen. Laws Ann. §§ 27-83-1 to 27-83-7 (2026). | Rhode Island premiums |
| Vermont | 8 Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 8 §§ 7151 to 7159 (2024/2025). | Vermont premiums |
| Washington | Wash. Rev. Code Ann. §§ 48.205.010 to 48.205.080 (2023/2024). | Washington premiums |
The years in parentheses are printed by NAIC beside each citation; where two appear (for example "2023/2024") NAIC does not say which is enactment and which is effect, so the statute's own effective-date clause decides. New Jersey's entry is the only one NAIC marks with a future date: effective January 1, 2027.
What the model act requires in those states
These are the model's own provisions; an adopting state's statute can differ in detail.
| Rule | NAIC model act |
|---|---|
| Waiting period for illness or orthopedic conditions | No more than 30 days (Section 5B) |
| Waiting period for accidents | None allowed |
| Pre-existing condition | Defined by what a vet advised, treated or recorded before cover or during a waiting period (Section 3F) |
| Disclosure before sale | Whether the policy excludes pre-existing, hereditary, congenital or chronic conditions (Section 4A) |
| Free look | 15 days to return the policy for a refund if no claim was filed (Section 4B(1)) |
| Wellness programs | Not insurance; sold separately and cannot be required to buy a policy (Section 6) |
NAIC's Property and Casualty Insurance Committee adopted the model on August 1, 2022. The waiting periods guide and the pre-existing conditions guide explain each rule.
States with related activity only
In these states NAIC finds a rule that touches pet insurance but does not adopt the model, so the model's waiting-period and disclosure rules are not in state law through these citations.
| State | Citation and NAIC's note |
|---|---|
| Alaska | AK Bulletin No. 2016-6 (2016). |
| Idaho | Idaho Code Ann. § 41-1003 (2017) (pet insurance covered under limited lines insurance). |
| New Mexico | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 59A-7-4 (2017) (pet insurance listed under kinds of property insurance). |
| Tennessee | Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-2101 to 56-7-2103 (2008). |
| Texas | 28 Tex. Admin. Code § 5.5008 (2023) (pet insurance listed classified inland marine). |
| Utah | Utah Code Ann. § 31A-23A-106 (2023) (pet insurance under license types). |
States with no current activity
NAIC records no pet insurance statute, regulation or bulletin in 28 jurisdictions: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. NAIC's key defines this as no state activity on the topic as of its latest update, which covers states that repealed a law as well as states that never adopted one. It does not mean pet insurance is unregulated there: the chart tracks only rules on the model's subject, and pet insurance there is still insurance, under the state's insurance law and insurance department. What it does mean is that no statute in NAIC's chart sets the waiting period or defines a pre-existing condition for pet policies, so the policy's own wording does, and the state insurance department is the place to ask.
Bills not in the chart
New York: A11164 (Senate S10225), "An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to providing for the issuance of pet insurance", passed the Assembly on May 28, 2026 and the Senate on June 2, 2026. When its bill page was read on October 26, 2026, it listed no delivery to the governor, signature or veto. It stays in NAIC's No current activity column here until it becomes law and NAIC republishes the chart.
Premiums by state
The chart is about policy terms, not price; none of the premium sources used on this site reports premiums by a state's legal status. The state pages show each published premium figure for every state, with its source and date, and NAPHIA's share of US insured pets where it publishes one.
Source: NAIC, Pet Insurance Model Act: state page (ST-633), Summer 2026 edition, read October 26, 2026. Citations are reproduced as printed (small capitals set in ordinary type).
Questions readers ask
Which states have adopted the NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act?
NAIC's Summer 2026 chart places 17 jurisdictions in its Model Adoption column: California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. New Jersey's law is listed as effective January 1, 2027.
Does New York have a pet insurance law?
NAIC's Summer 2026 chart lists New York under No Current Activity for the Pet Insurance Model Act, which NAIC defines as no state activity on the topic as of its latest update. A New York bill, A11164 (Senate S10225), passed the Assembly on May 28, 2026 and the Senate on June 2, 2026; when read on October 26, 2026, it listed no delivery to the governor, signature or veto, so it was not law then. Where no pet-insurance law applies, the policy wording sets waiting periods and definitions, and the New York insurance department is the place to ask.
Is there a waiting-period limit in my state?
The model act caps illness and orthopedic waiting periods at 30 days and allows none for accidents (Section 5B). Those limits apply where a state has enacted the model; NAIC's Summer 2026 chart lists 17 such states, New Jersey's law taking effect January 1, 2027. Elsewhere the policy wording sets the waiting period, within whatever the state insurance department allows.
See the published figures for a breed. Pick a breed, state and age to see every published premium side by side, then test a vet bill against a year of premiums. Open the calculator.