Nonrenewed or Declined? Texas’s New Insurance Lookup Tool Tells Fort Worth Drivers Why

Getting dropped by your insurance company is one of the most disorienting things that can happen to a driver. The renewal letter doesn’t come. Or a notice arrives saying your policy won’t be renewed, with no explanation that makes sense. For years, most Texans had no automatic right to know why — you could ask, but the insurer didn’t have to volunteer the answer.

That changed on January 1, 2026. And as of last week, there’s a brand-new way to see the bigger picture: the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) launched an online transparency tool that shows why insurance companies are declining, canceling, or nonrenewing policies — by ZIP code. If you live in Fort Worth, you can now see the actual reasons insurers are giving in your own neighborhood.

What the new tool is — and how to use it

TDI announced the tool in a September 23, 2026 press release, and it’s live now on tdi.texas.gov. After entering your ZIP code, you can see the reasons insurance companies have declined, canceled, or nonrenewed policies in your area — plus the number of active policies and the counts of nonrenewals, cancellations, and declinations companies have reported.

A few things to know about what the tool covers today:

• Right now, it’s homeowners insurance. The launch covers home policies. TDI says it will update the page at least quarterly and plans to add auto insurance insights later this year.
• The data goes back to early 2026. Through June, TDI had loaded more than 350,000 notices into the system, according to Insurance Journal’s reporting.
• You can slice it multiple ways. The page lets you review notices by reporting period, ZIP code, and policy type, and also shows the reasons for the market as a whole.

One honest caveat: the tool is about a week old as of this writing, so treat early numbers as a first snapshot, not a final verdict. But even a first snapshot of 350,000+ notices tells a story — and the story is in the reasons.

What the statewide numbers reveal so far

PropertyCasualty360 summarized the top-line reasons TDI has published. They’re worth knowing even if the tool hasn’t reached auto data yet, because the same underwriting logic shows up across both lines:

• Declinations (applications turned down): the top reasons are the location of the risk and claims history. In other words, the most common reason a Texan is declined isn’t something they did — it’s where the property sits.
• Nonrenewals: the leading reasons are the insurer withdrawing from the market, at the insured’s request, and “other, insurer’s action” — a catch-all that covers things like fraudulent claims or TDI determining the policy violates the law.
• Cancellations: dominated by two reasons — at the insured’s request and failure to pay premiums when due.

TDI also publishes plain-language definitions for every standardized reason code, so a vague line on a notice like “exposure to loss” or “condition of property” can be decoded. If a notice you received lists a reason you don’t understand, TDI’s definitions page spells out exactly what each one means — including that “location of risk” simply means the company doesn’t sell policies in certain areas.

Why this tool exists: House Bill 2067

The tool is the public face of House Bill 2067, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2025 and effective January 1, 2026. The law did two big things:

1. It flipped the burden of explanation. Before 2026, Texas law only required insurers to give you a written explanation if you formally asked for one. Under HB 2067, insurers must now automatically provide written reasons whenever they decline, cancel, or choose not to renew a policy — home or auto — without the consumer having to request it.
2. It created the data pipeline behind the tool. Insurers must regularly report their declination, cancellation, and nonrenewal reasons to TDI, organized by ZIP code, and TDI must post an aggregated summary publicly. The reporting requirements kicked in for residential and private-passenger auto lines in 2026 (commercial lines follow October 1, 2026).

The same law also updated the consumer Bills of Rights: TDI’s revised Auto Bill of Rights now tells every policyholder they have the right to a written explanation for a cancellation or nonrenewal — right alongside the mandatory right to appraisal when you and your insurer disagree on repair costs.

What this means for Fort Worth drivers right now

The honest version: today the lookup tool covers home policies, not auto — so if your car insurance gets dropped, you won’t yet find your ZIP code’s auto numbers in it. TDI says auto insights are coming later this year. But everything HB 2067 changed about your rights applies to your auto policy today:

• You are owed a written explanation. If your auto policy was declined, canceled, or nonrenewed after January 1, 2026, your company must give you a written statement saying why. If the explanation is vague, TDI publishes definitions of the standardized reasons — and TDI’s Help Line (800-252-3439) can help you decode it.
• The notice periods are strict. For auto: your company must give you at least 60 days’ notice of a nonrenewal and 10 days’ notice before a cancellation. If a policy is canceled, the company must refund any unearned premium within 15 days.
• Some reasons are off-limits entirely. Under TDI’s rule at 28 Texas Administrative Code § 21.1006, insurers can’t decline or nonrenew a home policy based on the age of the house or its roof — they can consider physical condition, but not age alone. DFW drivers who’ve watched hail pound roofs for a decade should know that distinction, because “your roof is old” is not, by itself, a legal reason to drop you.

If your auto policy gets dropped: the exact steps

Getting a nonrenewal or cancellation notice on your car insurance is urgent — driving uninsured in Texas is illegal and a lapse in coverage usually means higher rates when you re-shop. Here’s the playbook:

1. Read the written explanation carefully — and keep it. Under HB 2067, the insurer must tell you the reason in writing. That letter is your roadmap: some reasons (missed payments, a fixable condition) can be addressed directly, and the letter is also your evidence if you need to complain to TDI later.
2. Start shopping immediately, and overlap — never gap. TDI’s advice for dropped policyholders is blunt: have a new policy in place before the current one expires. A lapse in continuous coverage is one of the costliest mistakes you can make; insurers price a gap as risk, and you’ll pay for it in premiums.
3. Compare rates on HelpInsure.com. TDI and the Office of Public Insurance Counsel run HelpInsure.com, a free site that shows you auto and home policies sold in your area with sample rates and coverage types. It’s the fastest neutral starting point for a forced re-shop.
4. Fix what you can fix. Auto nonrenewals commonly trace back to things within your control: a DWI conviction, multiple at-fault accidents, a stack of moving violations, or unpaid premiums. If the reason is your driving record, the honest fix is time and a clean record — and shopping harder among insurers with different risk appetites. If the reason is the company pulling out of your area, that’s not about you; shop it like any other switch.
5. Know your escalation path. If you think the nonrenewal or cancellation was unfair, you can file a complaint with TDI — and the updated Auto Bill of Rights spells out that right explicitly. Call the TDI Help Line at 800-252-3439 with questions.
6. For homeowners: know the last resort. If at least two companies refuse to insure your home, you may qualify for the Texas FAIR Plan Association — the state’s provider of last resort for property insurance. (This is home-only; auto has no equivalent backstop, which is one more reason to shop early and keep coverage continuous.)

The body-shop angle: your claims history follows you

We see the other side of this in the shop every week. “Claims history” is one of the top reasons insurers decline applications statewide — and every claim you file becomes part of that history. That doesn’t mean you should skip filing a legitimate claim after a real wreck; that’s what insurance is for. It means two things:

• Don’t file small claims casually. TDI notes that three or more nonweather-related claims in three years can put a homeowners policy at risk of nonrenewal — and the same claims-frequency logic applies to auto underwriting. A $600 bumper scuff you could pay out of pocket is rarely worth a claim on your record.
• When you do file, fight for the full repair. A claim that’s on your record should at least result in a properly repaired car. If your insurer’s estimate looks low, Texas gives you the right to appraisal — and choosing your own shop is your right under Texas law, as we explained in our guide on how insurance and body-shop choice work in Texas. A claim on your history plus a cut-rate repair is the worst of both worlds.

The transparency tool is genuinely good news: for the first time, Texans can see whether their ZIP code is being quietly dropped by carriers — and whether the reason is something about them or something about the insurer’s business. Use it. And if your auto policy ever lands in the nonrenewal pile, you now know exactly what to do.

Dropped by your insurer after a wreck — or worried a claim will put your policy at risk? Contact Sindibad Auto Collision or call 973-873-5050 for a free estimate in Kennedale, TX. We’ll document your damage properly and help you understand your options before you file.

Frequently asked questions

Does TDI’s new insurance transparency tool cover auto insurance?

Not yet. The tool launched in September 2026 with homeowners insurance data, and TDI says auto insurance insights will be added later this year. However, HB 2067’s written-explanation requirement already applies to auto policies — if your auto policy was declined, canceled, or nonrenewed after January 1, 2026, your insurer must tell you the reason in writing.

Why would my policy be nonrenewed if I never filed a claim?

Statewide data shows the top declination reasons are the location of the risk and claims history — and top nonrenewal reasons include the insurer withdrawing from the market. Many nonrenewals have nothing to do with you personally; the insurer may simply be pulling back from your area. TDI’s ZIP-code tool lets you check whether that’s the pattern in your neighborhood.

How much notice does my insurer have to give before dropping me?

For auto insurance in Texas, your company must give at least 60 days’ notice of a nonrenewal and 10 days’ notice before a cancellation. If your auto policy is canceled, the company must refund any unearned premium within 15 days. For homeowners, cancellation also requires 10 days’ notice; nonrenewal requires 60 days’ notice if you bought or renewed the policy in 2024 (30 days if 2023 or earlier).

What should I do the day I get a nonrenewal notice?

Read the written explanation and keep it, then start shopping immediately — the goal is to have a new policy in force before the old one ends, with no lapse in coverage. Use HelpInsure.com to compare sample rates, fix whatever is fixable (missed payments, driving-record issues), and call TDI’s Help Line at 800-252-3439 if you think the decision was unfair. You can file a complaint with TDI.

Can my insurer drop me just because my roof is old?

No. Under TDI’s rule at 28 Texas Administrative Code § 21.1006, insurers can’t decline or nonrenew a home policy based on the age of the house or its components — including the roof. They can consider the physical condition of the roof, but age alone is not a legal reason to deny or drop coverage.

Insurance rules summarized here reflect Texas Department of Insurance guidance and Texas Insurance Code provisions in effect as of publication. This post is general information, not legal or insurance advice, and not a guarantee of how any insurer will decide your case. Coverage decisions vary by insurer, policy, and individual circumstances. For advice on your specific policy, talk to your agent or contact TDI.