Is Utah a No-Fault State? How PIP Works After a Crash

Short answer: Yes. Utah is a no-fault state: every car insurance policy must include personal injury protection (PIP), which pays your first medical bills and part of your lost wages through your own insurer, no matter who caused the crash. You can still bring a claim against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering, but only once your injury crosses one of Utah’s legal thresholds.

What “No-Fault” Means in Utah

Utah requires every car insurance policy bought to meet the state’s insurance requirement to include personal injury protection (Utah Code 31A-22-302). The idea is simple: after a crash, your own insurer starts paying basic benefits right away, instead of everyone waiting months while the question of fault gets argued.

Fault still matters. It just gets sorted out later, and mostly between the insurance companies. If the other driver was to blame, your insurer can seek reimbursement from theirs, and the law sends any dispute over that reimbursement to mandatory, binding arbitration between the two insurers (Utah Code 31A-22-309(6)). You are not part of that fight.

One exception catches people off guard. Policies for motorcycles, off-highway vehicles, trailers and a few other vehicle types are not required to include PIP (Utah Code 31A-22-302(2)). If you ride, read our guide to motorcycle accident claims in Utah.

What PIP Pays

Utah sets the minimum PIP benefits in Utah Code 31A-22-307. Your policy can carry more; it cannot carry less. The minimums, per person, are:

• Medical expenses: at least $3,000 for reasonable and necessary medical, surgical, X-ray, dental, rehabilitation, ambulance, hospital and nursing services.
• Lost income: the lesser of $250 per week or 85% of lost gross income, for up to 52 consecutive weeks. The first three days need not be paid unless the disability lasts longer than two consecutive weeks.
• Household services: up to $20 per day, for up to 365 days, for tasks you would otherwise have done for your household yourself, subject to the same three-day rule.
• Funeral, burial or cremation: up to $1,500.
• Death benefit: $3,000, payable to the person’s heirs.

PIP is paid monthly as expenses come in. A payment is overdue if the insurer does not pay within 30 days after it receives reasonable proof of the expense (Utah Code 31A-22-309(5)).

The honest part: $3,000 goes quickly. An ambulance ride and one emergency room visit can use most of it before any follow-up care begins.

When You Can Step Outside the No-Fault System

The trade-off for guaranteed PIP benefits is a limit on lawsuits. A person who has, or is required to have, PIP coverage may not sue for general damages, meaning pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, unless the injury involves at least one of the following (Utah Code 31A-22-309(1)(a)):

• death;
• dismemberment;
• permanent disability or permanent impairment based on objective findings;
• permanent disfigurement;
• a bone fracture; or
• medical expenses of more than $3,000.

Once one of those applies, you can pursue the at-fault driver for the full value of your losses, including the pain, limitations and future costs PIP never touches. That claim runs on its own track; our guide to the steps in a Utah personal injury case walks through it.

The threshold does not apply to an uninsured motorist claim (Utah Code 31A-22-309(1)(b)). If the driver who hit you had no insurance at all, you do not need to clear it before claiming against your own uninsured motorist coverage.

When the Other Driver Has Too Little Insurance

Clearing the threshold only helps if there is money to recover. Utah’s minimum liability coverage is $30,000 per person for policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025 (Utah Code 31A-22-304), and a serious injury can exceed that quickly. When it does, your own underinsured motorist coverage adds on top of the at-fault policy. We explain how in underinsured motorist claims in Utah.

Practical Steps After a Crash

• Tell your own insurer about the crash promptly and ask for the PIP claim forms. Check your policy for its notice requirements.
• Keep every medical bill, receipt and pay record. PIP pays on proof.
• Keep a running total of your medical expenses. Passing $3,000 is one of the ways a claim clears the threshold.
• Do not assume PIP is the end of it. It is designed to cover the first bills, not the whole injury.

Talk to a Utah Car Accident Attorney

If your medical bills are past the PIP minimum or your injury is lasting, our Salt Lake City car accident attorneys can review every policy involved and whether your claim clears the threshold.

Hurt in Utah? Contact West Injury Law for a free case review. No attorney fees unless we win. Hablamos Español.