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GoogleYes, you can choose your own auto glass shop for an insurance claim in California, and your insurer cannot make you use its network shop to get paid. California Insurance Code section 758.5 says no insurer shall require that an automobile be repaired at a specific automotive repair dealer. The California Motor Vehicle Glass Act, Senate Bill 988, signed on September 27, 2026, adds a rule written for glass claims: an insured making a first-party glass claim shall not be required to use a particular glass repair shop or recalibration facility to receive claim payments or other policy benefits. Your insurer can still recommend a shop and keep a network.
These rules apply to drivers across the state, including Sacramento, Roseville, Rocklin, Folsom and the rest of Greater Sacramento. This guide is written by Mavi Auto Glass, a locally owned mobile auto glass company based in Roseville that helps drivers with auto glass insurance claims, to show what the two laws say, what an insurer may and may not do, and what to say on the phone. It is general information based on the published statutes, not legal advice, and your coverage and deductible still come from your policy.
What does California Insurance Code 758.5 say about choosing a shop?
Section 758.5 says an insurer cannot require repairs at a specific shop. It also limits how and when the insurer can recommend one. The main points are these.
- No required shop: no insurer shall require that an automobile be repaired at a specific automotive repair dealer.
- Recommendations need a reason: the insurer may suggest a shop only if you asked for a referral or were informed in writing of your right to choose.
- No second suggestion: once you have chosen a shop, the insurer shall not suggest that you pick a different one.
- No discount for your choice: if you use your own shop, the insurer shall not limit or discount reasonable repair costs based on what its own chosen shop would have charged.
- Both kinds of claimant: the section applies to first-party and third-party claimants.
Read the full text on California Legislative Information. The written notice in the section refers to the auto body repair shop, which is one reason the Legislature added a separate rule for glass.
What does SB 988 add for windshield and auto glass claims?
SB 988 names glass shops and recalibration facilities directly. Civil Code section 1784.56 says your right to select a preferred shop or recalibration facility includes independent shops, network and non-network shops, affiliated and nonaffiliated facilities, dealerships and qualified specialists. It also says an insurer, agent, adjuster or anyone acting for them shall not purposefully mislead, threaten or coerce you to use or not use a particular shop (SB 988 text).
The table puts the two laws side by side so you can see what an insurer is allowed to do during a glass claim.
| What the insurer does | Allowed? | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recommends a glass shop | Yes | Civil Code 1784.56(b)(1) |
| Explains your coverage and limits | Yes | Civil Code 1784.56(b)(1) |
| Keeps a network of glass shops | Yes | Civil Code 1784.56(b)(2) |
| Requires a particular shop or recalibration facility to pay the claim | No | Civil Code 1784.56(a)(1) |
| Misleads, threatens or coerces you about the shop | No | Civil Code 1784.56(a)(3) |
| Suggests a different shop after you have chosen one | No | Insurance Code 758.5(c) |
| Discounts reasonable costs to its own shop’s prices | No | Insurance Code 758.5(d)(2) |
Section 1784.56 does not create a private cause of action. Violations of the act carry civil penalties of up to 500 dollars for a first violation and up to 2,000 dollars for each later one, recovered by a city attorney, county counsel or the Attorney General.
What happens when you call your insurer’s glass claims line?
The person on the line usually opens the claim and may suggest a shop from a network. Many insurers handle glass claims through a glass claims administrator, so the call may not reach your insurer’s own staff. A suggestion is allowed, and you can answer that you have already chosen a shop.
SB 988 also sets an order for the paperwork. A glass shop may not contract with you for work paid by your policy until you have made a first-party claim and the shop has received a claim or referral number. A glass claim with the shop of your choice usually follows these steps, in 5 steps.
- Open the claim: report the glass damage to your insurer and get the claim or referral number.
- Name your shop: tell the insurer which glass shop and, if needed, which recalibration facility you chose.
- Receive the shop’s notices: before the work, the shop tells you whether your vehicle has ADAS and whether calibration is recommended, and gives you a good faith estimate.
- Complete the work: the shop replaces the glass and, when needed, performs the calibration.
- Get the paperwork: you receive an itemized invoice and a written notice of whether the calibration was successful.
What can you do if your insurer pushes you to use its network shop?
Repeat that you have chosen your own shop and ask the insurer to put any requirement in writing, with the policy provision it relies on. A recommendation is allowed. Making payment depend on using its shop is not.
If the pressure continues, you can contact the California Department of Insurance consumer hotline at 1-800-927-4357, listed on the CDI auto insurance guide. Keep notes of the date, the name of the person you spoke with and what was said.
Does choosing your own shop change what you pay?
Not because of the choice itself. Your deductible and coverage still come from your policy, and section 758.5 says the insurer cannot discount reasonable repair costs because you did not use its shop. The insurer still pays reasonable costs under the policy, and SB 988 requires glass shops to charge no more than reasonable and customary fees, including for any calibration the manufacturer recommends.
Mavi Auto Glass helps with auto glass insurance claims, replaces windshields and other glass at your home or workplace in most cases, and performs ADAS static and dynamic calibration with its own Autel equipment. Coverage and approval are decided by your insurer.
Choosing your glass shop for an insurance claim
Decide on the shop before you call, so you can name it when the claim is opened. Have your policy number, the date and cause of the damage and your vehicle’s year, make and model ready, and write down the claim or referral number. If your vehicle has a windshield camera, ask whether the shop performs the calibration itself or sends the vehicle to a dealer or specialist, because SB 988 lets you choose the recalibration facility as well.
