For insurance agents
Declining a request
Passing on a request is a normal part of running a book. This guide covers what the sender sees when you decline on PolicyVera, when a short note helps the relationship, and the states that give personal-lines applicants a right to written reasons.
General information for licensed agents, not legal advice, and not a complete statement of any law. Rules change. For questions about your own obligations, talk to your compliance contact or a lawyer licensed in your state.
What the sender sees
Every quote request is sent by someone: a client shopping for coverage, a loan officer working a closing, or a business owner on the commercial side. When you decline, that sender sees that you passed on the request. Nothing is added for you: no reason, no category, no automatic explanation.
If you add a note, it is delivered word for word as a message on the request's existing thread, in your name, and the sender can reply there. If you decline without a note, the request simply shows as declined.
When a note helps
A decline with a short note keeps the relationship. Loan officers tend to keep working with agents who close the loop, and clients remember a clear answer even when it is a no. A useful note tells the sender what to do next, in your own words. PolicyVera deliberately never suggests wording, reasons, or templates: the note is yours, and it is optional every time.
States with written-reasons provisions
The 17 jurisdictions below have adopted provisions, most based on a 1980 national model act, that name the agent as well as the insurer when requested coverage is declined. They cover insurance bought primarily for personal, family, or household needs and underwritten individually, so commercial submissions are outside all of them, and Delaware's law covers property insurance only. Each line below states what the law provides, with its citation. Whether a given provision reaches any particular declined request depends on definitions that differ by state, and this page does not make that call for you.
You do not need to memorize this list. When you decline a personal-lines request whose state appears here, the decline dialog shows the same one-line notice automatically.
Arizona
A.R.S. §§20-2102, 20-2110
Arizona gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
California
Cal. Ins. Code §§791.02, 791.10(e)
California requires giving the applicant written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Connecticut
Conn. Gen. Stat. §§38a-976, 38a-985
Connecticut gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Delaware
18 Del. C. §§4121, 4122
Delaware gives applicants the right to request written reasons when property coverage is declined.
Georgia
O.C.G.A. §§33-39-3, 33-39-11
Georgia gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Illinois
215 ILCS 5/1001 et seq. (Art. XL)
Illinois gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Kansas
K.S.A. §§40-2,111, 40-2,112
Kansas gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Maine
24-A M.R.S. §§2204, 2213
Maine gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Massachusetts
M.G.L. c. 175I §§2, 10
Massachusetts gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Minnesota
Minn. Stat. §§72A.491 subd. 2(3), 72A.499
Minnesota gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Montana
Mont. Code Ann. §§33-19-104, 33-19-303
Montana gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Nevada
NAC 679B.565, 679B.595, 679B.715
Nevada gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
New Jersey
N.J.S.A. §§17:23A-2, 17:23A-10
New Jersey gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
North Carolina
N.C. Gen. Stat. §§58-39-15, 58-39-55
North Carolina gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Ohio
Ohio Rev. Code §§3904.01, 3904.10
Ohio gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Oregon
ORS §§746.600, 746.650
Oregon gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Virginia
Va. Code §§38.2-602, 38.2-610
Virginia gives applicants the right to request written reasons when personal coverage is declined.
Common questions
Do I have to give a reason when I decline?
Who sees my note?
What is the short notice line in the decline dialog?
Does declining affect my metrics or visibility?
Is any of this legal advice?
The citations above were last read at their official sources in August 2026. This page states what each law provides; it does not determine whether any provision applies to a particular request, and it is not legal advice.
Have requests waiting?
A prompt answer, either way, serves the sender better than silence.