You've just been in a wreck. You're still shaken up, your bumper is on the ground, and you're on the phone with an adjuster who is being very helpful and very specific: We'll get you set up at one of our approved shops. There's one over on the loop, they can see you Thursday.
It sounds like a decision that's already been made. It isn't. In Texas, where your vehicle gets repaired is your call — and it always was.
What Texas law actually says
Two sections of the Texas Insurance Code do the heavy lifting here.
Section 1952.301 says an insurer may not directly or indirectly limit your coverage by restricting which repair facility you use or which parts go on your vehicle. That applies to your own policy, and it applies to third-party claims too — if someone else hit you and you're filing against their insurance, that carrier can't require you to use a particular shop either.
Section 1952.302 goes further and spells out what insurers, adjusters, and their representatives are specifically prohibited from doing. They may not:
- Accept a referral fee or gratuity for sending you to a particular shop
- State or suggest — orally or in writing — that you must use a specific repair facility, or one from a preferred list
- Restrict your choice by making you travel an unreasonable distance
Read that middle one again. The law doesn't just prohibit an outright order. It prohibits suggesting you're required to go somewhere. "You have to use one of ours" and "we can only handle this at an approved shop" are both on the wrong side of that line.
The notice they're supposed to hand you
Here's the part almost nobody knows about. Under Section 1952.305 and the rule that implements it (28 Texas Administrative Code §5.501), your insurer is required to notify you of these rights when you file a damage claim. The required language reads:
"BY LAW, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SELECT WHERE YOUR MOTOR VEHICLE IS REPAIRED AND THE PARTS USED FOR REPAIRS. HOWEVER, AN INSURANCE COMPANY IS NOT REQUIRED TO PAY MORE THAN A REASONABLE AMOUNT FOR SUCH REPAIRS AND PARTS."
The timing is spelled out too. If you present the vehicle or make the claim in person, they give you the notice right then. If you file in writing, they mail it within three business days. If you file by phone, they either mail it within three business days or tell you verbally on the call and mail it within fifteen.
So if you're wondering whether you're allowed to pick your own shop — your insurance company is legally obligated to tell you that you are. Go look for that notice in your claim paperwork. It's there.
The one real limit: "a reasonable amount"
We're not going to pretend that sentence in the notice isn't there, because it matters and some shops gloss right over it.
Choosing your shop is your right. Getting a blank check is not. Your insurer is obligated to pay a reasonable amount to repair your vehicle — not automatically whatever number appears on any estimate you bring them.
In practice, this is much less dramatic than it sounds. Estimates get written, supplements get submitted when hidden damage turns up during teardown, and the shop and the adjuster work it out. This happens on every claim, at every shop, including the ones on the preferred list. The difference is who's doing the negotiating on your behalf.
Where people actually get hurt is when they assume the first estimate is the final number, or when nobody at the shop is willing to pick up the phone and document why a repair operation is necessary. That's a shop-quality question, not a legal one.
Why the "preferred shop" list exists
To be fair about it: direct repair program shops aren't villains. Those arrangements exist because carriers want predictable cycle times and predictable costs, and shops want a steady stream of work. Plenty of good shops participate.
But it's worth understanding the incentive. A shop in that program has an ongoing business relationship with the insurance company. You have one claim. When there's a judgment call — repair versus replace, aftermarket versus OEM, whether that quarter panel really needs to come off — it's reasonable to ask who the shop is optimizing for.
An independent shop's only relationship is with you.
What to say to your adjuster
You don't need to be combative. You need one sentence:
"I've already chosen my shop. It's Hub City Body Shop in Lubbock. Please send the assignment there."
That's it. You don't have to justify it, get approval, or get a second estimate first. If the adjuster pushes, follow up with: "I understand you have preferred shops. Texas Insurance Code 1952.301 gives me the right to choose, and I've chosen."
A few practical notes:
- You don't need three estimates. That's a persistent myth. Your insurer may want their own appraisal, which is fine.
- You can change your mind mid-claim. If you started at another shop and aren't comfortable, you can move the vehicle. You may owe for teardown work already performed.
- Get everything in writing. If someone tells you that you're required to use a specific facility, ask them to email it to you. That request alone usually ends the conversation.
If they won't back off
File a complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance. Section 1952.306 exists precisely because the legislature expected this to happen. Complaints can be filed at tdi.texas.gov or by calling their consumer help line, and they're free.
Realistically, you'll rarely need it. Most adjusters know the law perfectly well and drop it the moment you say the shop's name with any confidence.
Bring it to Hub City
We're a family-owned, I-CAR certified, BBB A+ rated shop right here in Lubbock, and we work with every major insurance carrier — including the ones whose lists we're not on. We'll write the estimate, handle the supplement conversation with your adjuster, and document what your vehicle actually needs.
If an adjuster has told you that you have to go somewhere else, call us before you agree to anything. Bringing your vehicle here doesn't complicate your claim. It just means the people fixing your car work for you.
This article is general information about Texas law, not legal advice. For questions about your specific claim or policy, contact the Texas Department of Insurance or an attorney.