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Insurance glossary · Contracts and certificates

certificate of insurance.

Also called COI.

The short answer

A certificate of insurance is a one-page summary that shows a customer which policies you carry, the limits, the dates and any endorsements they asked for. It reports what the policy says; it doesn’t change it.

Nick McClish, Managing Partner, Riza Risk (licensed insurance agency) · Updated October 1, 2026

Why do customers ask for a certificate of insurance?

Because it’s the quickest way for them to see you’re insured before you start. General contractors, property managers and commercial customers collect certificates from every trade on a job so that if something goes wrong, they know there’s a policy behind the work. Many won’t let you on site or pay an invoice until they have one on file.

What does a certificate of insurance show?

The policies you carry, the insurers, the policy numbers, the dates, the limits and a description box for details like the job or the endorsements the customer asked for. It also names the certificate holder, the company that asked for it. Most liability certificates are on a standard one-page form, commonly the ACORD 25.

Does a certificate of insurance change my policy?

No. A certificate only reports what the policy already says. Most states now say so by law: a certificate can’t add coverage, extend it or change its terms. If a customer needs something the policy doesn’t have, like additional insured status, it has to be added to the policy by endorsement first, and then the certificate can show it.

What’s the difference between a certificate holder and an additional insured?

A certificate holder is just the company the certificate was sent to. It gets a copy of the summary and nothing more. An additional insured is added to your policy by endorsement and has coverage under it for claims tied to your work. Being listed as certificate holder doesn’t make anyone an additional insured.

Can a general contractor make me change the wording on my certificate?

They can ask for wording that reflects your policy, but in many states no one can require wording the policy doesn’t actually contain, or a form the state hasn’t approved. When a request asks for something your policy doesn’t say, the answer is to change the policy by endorsement if the insurer allows it, not to change the certificate.

Will the certificate holder be told if my policy is canceled?

Only if your policy says so. The standard certificate says notice will be delivered according to the policy’s provisions, and in many states a holder has a right to notice only if the policy or an endorsement gives it one. If a contract requires advance notice of cancellation, that takes a notice endorsement on the policy.

Do I need a new certificate for every job?

Usually, yes. Each customer wants to be the named certificate holder, and many want their project, their additional insured wording or their waiver shown in the description. One policy can support many certificates. What changes from job to job is the holder and the details the contract asks for.

Why does my general contractor keep asking for updated certificates?

Because certificates show dates. When a policy renews, the old certificate shows an expired term, and the contractor’s compliance system flags it. A certificate reissued at each renewal, for every holder that has one on file, keeps you from being held off a job over paperwork.

What happens if my certificate shows coverage I don’t have?

The certificate doesn’t create it. If a claim comes in and the endorsement or limit the certificate described isn’t on the policy, the insurer pays what the policy says, and the customer may treat the gap as a breach of your contract. In several states, knowingly issuing or requiring a false certificate also carries penalties.

Who issues a certificate of insurance?

Your broker or your insurer, from the policy on file. At Riza your broker issues certificates for every policy we place and keeps a list of your certificate holders, so renewals and endorsement changes reach every one of them.

Does a certificate of insurance work differently by state?

The form is mostly the same, but the rules around it aren’t. Most states have a certificate law that bars certificates from changing coverage, and many also require approved forms and limit who can demand special wording. Arizona’s law took effect in September 2026, and a handful of states have no certificate-specific law at all. The notes below cover Riza’s licensed states in detail and every other state in a line.

in the states where Riza is licensed.

Riza is a licensed insurance agency in New York, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey and Georgia. Notes below cite the law they come from. Detailed write-ups cover Arizona, Nevada, Texas, North Carolina and New York. One-line notes for other licensed states appear with them when this term has one.

  • ArizonaArizona passed its certificate law in 2026, effective September 12, 2026. No one may prepare, issue, request or require a certificate that’s false or misleading, changes coverage, or claims the policy meets a contract’s insurance requirements. A certificate holder is owed notice of cancellation only if the policy or an endorsement gives that right, and a certificate that breaks the rules is void. Unlike many states, Arizona doesn’t require an approved form.A.R.S. § 20-443.03contractors in Arizona →
  • NevadaNevada’s law is short: a certificate isn’t part of the policy and can’t change any coverage, exclusion or condition. The Division of Insurance treats a certificate that misstates the policy as an unfair practice. Nevada has no approved-form rule and no certificate-specific notice rule, but because a certificate can’t change the policy, it can’t create a notice right the policy doesn’t give.NRS 687B.460 · Nevada Division of Insurance Bulletin 11-014contractors in Nevada →
  • TexasTexas requires certificates on forms filed with and approved by the Department of Insurance; standard ACORD, AAIS and ISO forms are approved when filed. No one may demand or issue a certificate that changes coverage, is misleading, or references another contract such as a construction contract, and the department says a certificate can’t show additional insured or waiver status the policy doesn’t provide. A holder gets cancellation notice only if named in the policy or an endorsement that requires it.TDI, Certificates of Insurance FAQ · Tex. Ins. Code ch. 1811contractors in Texas →
  • North CarolinaIn North Carolina a certificate isn’t a policy and can’t change coverage or give the holder rights beyond it. It’s unlawful to knowingly prepare, issue, request or require a certificate that isn’t on an approved form, is false or misleading, or includes information not in the policy, and that reaches contractors and project owners, not just insurance professionals. A holder is owed notice of cancellation only if named in the policy or an endorsement that requires it.N.C.G.S. § 58-3-149 · N.C.G.S. § 58-3-150contractors in North Carolina →
  • New YorkNew York bars anyone, including government agencies, from requiring a certificate unless it’s the insurer’s own form or a standard form the Department of Financial Services has approved, such as the ACORD 25 and the ACORD 855 New York construction addendum. No one can demand certificate wording the policy doesn’t contain, so a holder can’t insist on a cancellation-notice promise the policy doesn’t make. A certificate can’t change coverage or give rights beyond the policy.N.Y. Ins. Law § 502 · N.Y. Ins. Law § 503 · NY DFS, approved certificate formscontractors in New York →
  • ColoradoColorado has no certificate statute that we found; a 2007 division bulletin says modified certificates the insurer hasn’t authorized are misleading and may break the state’s general unfair practices law.[secondary] Justia, C.R.S. § 10-3-1104 · [secondary] Big I COI state law compendium (2017)
  • FloridaFlorida treats knowingly circulating a certificate that was altered after issuance and misrepresents the policy as an unfair practice, but it has no form-approval or cancellation-notice rule for certificates.Florida Statutes § 626.9541 (Online Sunshine, official) · Florida Senate, § 626.9541 (2024)
  • GeorgiaGeorgia requires certificates on ACORD, ISO or approved forms, bars certificates that change coverage or reference construction contracts, and gives holders cancellation notice only if the policy does; violating certificates are void.Georgia OCI Bulletin 21-EX-5, Certificates of Insurance (Mar. 11, 2021) · [secondary] FindLaw, O.C.G.A. § 33-24-19.1
  • MassachusettsMassachusetts bans certificates that are misleading or change coverage, including requiring one, and a holder gets cancellation or nonrenewal notice only if the policy or an endorsement provides it.M.G.L. c. 175L (Mass. Legislature) · M.G.L. c. 175L § 4 (notice rights)
  • New JerseyNew Jersey bans certificates that change coverage or vouch for contract compliance, voids violating certificates, and treats certificate misconduct as insurance fraud; holders get cancellation notice only if the policy grants it.P.L. 2015, c. 195 (S3270), NJ Legislature · NJ DOBI press release on falsified certificates as insurance fraud (2016)

every other state.

How it works everywhere else, with the rule each line comes from. Riza is not licensed in these states.

by trade.

  • General contractorsYou collect certificates from every sub and hand your own to owners. Keeping your subs’ certificates current matters at audit too, since an uninsured sub can end up on your own premium.
  • PlumbingCommercial jobs and property managers usually want a certificate before the first visit, often with additional insured and waiver wording in the description box.
  • HVACService agreements and new-construction subcontracts both ask for one, and many property managers run certificate compliance through a tracking service that flags expired dates.
  • ElectricalTenant improvement work often needs certificates naming both the general contractor and the building owner, sometimes the property manager too.
  • RoofingRoofing certificates get read closely, and some contracts ask for the umbrella and auto on the certificate as well as general liability.
  • Landscaping and property vendorsProperty management vendor portals usually ask for a certificate at onboarding and again at every renewal.

where you’ll see it.

  • Subcontract insurance sections“Subcontractor shall furnish a certificate of insurance before starting work,” usually with a list of what it has to show.
  • Vendor onboardingProperty managers and facility owners ask for one before you’re approved to work on their buildings.
  • Compliance emailsAutomated requests from certificate-tracking services when a certificate on file has expired.
  • Bids and permitsSome public bids and permits ask for a certificate with the application.

one list of every certificate holder.

Riza issues certificates from the policies we place and keeps the list of everyone who holds one. When a policy renews or an endorsement changes, every holder gets an updated certificate, and if a request asks for something the policy doesn’t say, we tell you before it goes out and work with your insurer on the endorsement.

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Additional insuredWaiver of subrogationNotice of cancellation

Coverage it touches: General liability · Workers’ comp