Homestead and vehicle exemptions by state

How to read this table

• These are equity figures, not value figures. A $400,000 house with a $340,000 mortgage has $60,000 of equity; that is the number the homestead protects. Most homeowners have less exposed equity than they think, and sale costs shrink it further.
• Several states adjust these amounts automatically, some every January (Arizona, California among them), so treat this as a snapshot: figures here were verified in September 2026, and the ones marked ‡ had conflicting sources and should be confirmed with a local attorney before you rely on them. Honestly, confirm any of them; that is what the consultation is for.
• The federal alternative. About twenty states let you choose the federal exemption list instead of the state’s: currently $31,575 of home equity and $5,025 of vehicle equity, plus a wildcard, doubled for married joint filers. Where a state’s own numbers are low, the federal list sometimes wins, and in New Jersey and Pennsylvania it is simply what filers use.
• Doubling and wildcards. Some states let married joint filers double amounts, and states with no vehicle-specific exemption almost always have a wildcard or personal-property exemption that covers a modest car; the table says so where that is the norm.
• Recent movers: if you have not lived in your state for roughly two years, anti-forum-shopping rules may point you at a former state’s list. Details in the exemptions explainer.

The table

State	Homestead (home equity)	Vehicle
Alabama	$18,800 — rises to $56,400 if 62+/disabled (eff. 6/2026); indexes every 3 yrs	Wildcard ($8,225) covers a car
Alaska	$72,900	$4,050
Arizona	$437,600 — adjusts every January for inflation	$15,000 — $25,000 if disabled
Arkansas	Unlimited (rural)*‡	about $1,200–$2,450
California	$371,547–$743,681 — greater of county median home price or floor; adjusts annually	about $7,500 — System 2; System 1 differs
Colorado	$250,000 — $350,000 if owner or dependent is 60+ or disabled	$15,000 — $25,000 if elderly/disabled
Connecticut	$250,000 — $500,000 for joint co-owners	$7,000 — aggregate, up to two vehicles
Delaware	$200,000	$25,000
District of Columbia	Unlimited*	$5,000
Florida	Unlimited*	$5,000
Georgia	$21,500 — $43,000 for joint filers	$5,000
Hawaii	$20,000 — $30,000 if head of household or 65+	$2,575
Idaho	$175,000	$10,000
Illinois	$15,000 — $30,000 for joint filers	$2,400
Indiana	$22,750 — indexes in even years	Wildcard ($10,250) covers a car
Iowa	Unlimited*	$7,000
Kansas	Unlimited*	$20,000
Kentucky	$5,000	$2,500
Louisiana	$35,000 — unlimited for catastrophic-illness debt	$7,500 — $15,000 if disability-modified
Maine	$80,000 — $160,000 if minor dependents, 60+, or disabled	$7,500
Maryland	about $25,150‡	Wildcard covers a car
Massachusetts	$125,000 automatic / $1,000,000 declared — the higher amount requires recording a homestead declaration	$7,500 — $15,000 if elderly/disabled
Michigan	$51,150 — $76,725 if 65+ or disabled; indexes every 3 yrs	$4,725
Minnesota	$540,000 — $1,350,000 agricultural; indexes every 2 yrs	about $5,100
Mississippi	$75,000 — up to 160 acres	Personal-property exemption ($10,000) covers a car
Missouri	$15,000 — $5,000 for a mobile home	$3,000
Montana	about $250,000‡ — indexes; confirm current figure	about $2,500
Nebraska	$120,000	Wildcard/tools exemptions can cover a vehicle
Nevada	$605,000 — homestead declaration must be recorded	$15,000 — unlimited if disability-equipped
New Hampshire	$400,000 per owner — $550,000 combined cap for multiple owners (eff. 1/2026)	about $4,000
New Jersey	None — federal $31,575 available	None — federal $5,025 available — no state vehicle exemption
New Mexico	$150,000 — $300,000 for joint owners; indexes odd years	$4,000
New York	$136,975–$204,825 by county — three county tiers; indexes every 3 yrs	$4,825 — $11,975 if disability-equipped
North Carolina	$35,000 — $60,000 if 65+ and prior co-owner deceased	$3,500 — not if bought within 90 days of filing
North Dakota	$100,000	about $1,200 — more via wildcard
Ohio	$182,625 — indexes every 3 yrs	$4,450
Oklahoma	Unlimited*	$7,500
Oregon	$40,000‡ — $50,000 for joint filers	about $3,000
Pennsylvania	None — federal $31,575 available	None — federal $5,025 available — no state vehicle exemption
Rhode Island	$500,000	$12,000
South Carolina	$76,125 — indexes periodically	$6,325
South Dakota	Unlimited*	Personal-property exemption ($7,000) covers a car
Tennessee	$5,000–$25,000 — tiers by joint filing, age 62+, and dependents	Personal-property/wildcard ($10,000) covers a car
Texas	Unlimited*	One vehicle per licensed household driver — within the personal-property cap
Utah	about $45,100–$53,700‡ — indexes; confirm current figure	$5,000
Vermont	$125,000	$2,500
Virginia	$25,000 — additional $25,000 if 65+	$6,000
Washington	$125,000 or county median, whichever is greater — effectively tracks local home prices	$3,250 — each spouse in a joint case
West Virginia	$35,000‡ — confirm opt-out status	$7,500
Wisconsin	$75,000	$4,000
Wyoming	$100,000 — per person	$5,000

* Unlimited-homestead states protect home equity without a dollar cap, subject to the acreage limits noted and a federal cap (currently $214,000) for homes acquired in the roughly 40 months before filing.

‡ Sources conflicted on the current figure when this table was verified; treat as approximate and confirm against the statute.

What to do with your number

Compare your actual equity to your state’s line. Comfortably inside: your home and car are likely safe in either chapter, and the exemptions explainer tells the rest of that story. Near or over the line: that is precisely where Chapter 13’s pay-the-value-and-keep-it machinery, timing, and an attorney’s knowledge of local practice earn their keep, and where the house and car answers in this section are the next reads. The Checkup uses your state’s figures the moment you tell it where you live, and in California and Washington it will ask your county, because there the protection tracks local home prices.