A certificate of insurance (COI) is a one-page document that summarizes your insurance coverage — who carries it, what type, what limits, and the effective dates. GCs, property owners, and project managers require them to verify that you're properly insured before you step on a job site.
What a certificate actually is — and isn't
A certificate is evidence of insurance, not the policy itself. It doesn't change what your policy covers — it just summarizes it. The holder of the certificate (your GC) gets a copy so they can confirm you're covered. They may also be listed as an additional insured on your policy, which is a different and more significant thing.
What "additional insured" means
When a GC asks to be added as an additional insured, they're asking your policy to extend coverage to them for claims arising out of your work. If you cause damage on their job site, they want your policy to respond on their behalf too. This requires an endorsement to your policy — not just a note on the certificate.
Other things GCs commonly require
- Minimum liability limits — often $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate
- Waiver of subrogation — your insurer waives the right to recover against the certificate holder after paying a claim
- 30-day notice of cancellation — your insurer agrees to notify the certificate holder if your policy cancels
- Umbrella/excess limits — larger projects often require $2M–$5M in umbrella coverage above your primary GL
How to handle a COI request
Call or email your agent with the GC's contact information and the specific requirements from their contract. We handle the rest — check your policy against the requirements, add any needed endorsements, and issue the certificate directly to the GC. Most requests are handled the same day.
We handle certificate requests for all our contractor clients — usually same day. See our contractor insurance approach →