An umbrella policy adds liability coverage above the limits of the policies beneath it. It pays only after the underlying policy has paid its own limit, and to attach, it requires the underlying policies to carry minimum limits of their own. Those required limits are higher than the Georgia state minimum, which is why the first step of an umbrella quote is not the umbrella at all: it is a review of the auto and homeowners policies it will sit on.
The floor beneath it
Georgia’s published minimum for auto liability is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per incident for bodily injury and $25,000 per incident for property damage, according to the Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, read September 15, 2026. A household carrying those limits cannot usually attach an umbrella to them. The auto policy is raised first, the umbrella is written above it, and the two are quoted together so the total makes sense.
What the umbrella pays
When a claim or a judgment exceeds the underlying limit, the umbrella pays the excess up to its own limit, and it typically pays defense costs as well. Personal umbrellas are written for households; commercial umbrellas sit above a business’s general liability, commercial auto and employers liability, and are often what a contract or a lease asks for when it wants limits above the primary policy.
Who asks about it
Homeowners, landlords, business owners, and households with new or teen drivers. Anyone with assets or future income worth protecting from a claim that does not stop at a policy limit.
What to bring
Your current auto and homeowners declarations pages, so the underlying limits can be checked against what the umbrella carrier requires. Metro Risk Management Group writes personal and commercial umbrella for clients across metro Atlanta and Georgia; set up an appointment via Zoom, telephone, or in person for your insurance portfolio assessment.