Your broker or insurance company issues it, and a standard one should not cost you anything. A certificate of insurance is a one page summary of your policies, limits, and dates. A charge for it is unusual. Morrow clients issue their own online in about a minute, any hour, any day, at no charge. Only a policy change (called an endorsement) goes through the broker. Who this is for: flatwork, foundation, and structural concrete contractors sending proof of insurance to a general contractor, an owner, or a city.
The short version
- Only your broker or insurance company can issue it, and a standard one should not cost you.
- Morrow concrete clients issue their own online in about a minute, day or night.
- Commercial jobs usually want higher limits than house work, plus an umbrella on top.
- Pump services, crane rentals, and cities all want their own copy, each worded differently.
- Raising a limit is a policy change, not a certificate. Ask a week before you pour.
Who asks a concrete contractor for proof of insurance?
Concrete brings heavy trucks, long booms, and neighbors. More parties want paper from you than from most trades.
| Who asks | What they want | How often |
|---|---|---|
| General contractor | Higher limits than house work, the contractor named on your policy, plus the endorsement pages | Once per contract |
| Owner or developer | Their own copy naming the owning company, often a different name | Once per project |
| Pump or crane service | Proof before they bring a boom to your pour | Each vendor, each year |
| City or county | The city named for sidewalk, curb, or approach work | Every permit |
| Ready mix supplier | Proof on file with your credit account | Once a year |
Public work has its own rules. See certificates for government contracts.
What does a concrete certificate need to show?
House driveways and commercial structures are not asked for the same numbers. Here is the usual split.
| Policy | House and light work | Commercial and public work |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | $1,000,000 for one incident, $2,000,000 for the year | $2,000,000 for one incident, $4,000,000 for the year, and often a yearly limit that resets for each job |
| Commercial auto | $1,000,000 combined | $1,000,000 to $2,000,000, because mixer and pump trucks do more damage |
| Workers comp | What your state requires | Same, plus the part that pays if a worker sues you, commonly $100,000 each accident, $500,000 policy limit for disease, and $100,000 each employee for disease. Contracts often ask that all three go to $500,000 or $1,000,000 |
| Umbrella | Often not required | $2,000,000 to $10,000,000, a second layer above the rest |
| Cover after the job ends | Nice to have | Almost always required, and often for several years |
One warning on that row. The state funds in North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming pay nothing when a worker sues, so you need stop gap coverage there.
The second layer is explained in umbrella coverage on a certificate.
Why do commercial jobs want such high limits from concrete?
Because of what your work can hit. A blown form, a boom on a power line, or wet concrete across a neighbor's driveway costs far more than the pour did. Slabs that settle years later cost more still, which is why owners want cover that keeps running after you leave.
Washout water and slurry in a storm drain are different. They count as pollution and are left out of the liability policy, so a bigger limit does not help. That claim needs contractors pollution liability, coverage for fumes, dust, spills, or mold caused by your work. Some sitework contracts now ask for it by name.
If a job asks for more than your policy carries, the fix is usually an umbrella. That takes days, not minutes, so read the insurance section the day the contract lands. An umbrella does not supply a yearly limit that resets for each job, though. That has to be added to the liability policy itself, and not every insurer will do it. See getting a $5,000,000 umbrella.
What can I issue myself, and what needs my broker?
| You can do this in a minute | This needs your broker first |
|---|---|
| Add a general contractor, owner, or city as the name | Adding them to your policy so they can use it if they are sued |
| Type the permit or job number in the description box | Keeping that protection alive after the job is finished |
| Send a copy to a pump or crane service | Raising liability or auto limits, or adding an umbrella |
| Reissue after your policy renews mid project | A yearly limit that resets for each job (CG 25 03) |
What does a concrete certificate cost?
Nothing, in almost every case. The changes behind one do cost money. These figures are illustrative for a small concrete contractor with clean claims.
- Adding a contractor or owner to your liability policy: often free with automatic wording, otherwise roughly $50 to $300 each.
- A yearly limit that resets for each job: often 5 to 15 percent more on the liability price.
- A $2,000,000 umbrella: roughly $2,500 to $7,000 a year, since insurers treat concrete as heavy work.
See also commercial auto.
What this looks like in real life
Illustrative example. It is typical of what we see and is not a promise of how any specific situation would be handled.
The setup: A concrete contractor in Arizona wins a tilt up slab job worth $410,000. The insurance exhibit asks for $2,000,000 for one incident, a $5,000,000 umbrella, and two names on his policy.
What went wrong: He carries $1,000,000 and no umbrella. He sends the certificate he uses for driveways on the Thursday before the pour. It is rejected the same afternoon.
What it cost: The umbrella took nine days, the pour moved twice, and the pump service charged a $1,200 cancellation. Idle crew and rescheduling ran about $8,000.
The fix: The names on the form were a one minute job. The limits were not. Send the insurance section to your broker when you bid.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How can I get a free, instant certificate of insurance for my concrete business?
Only the broker or insurance company that holds your policy can issue one. With online access you type in the contractor or city name and download it in about a minute. Morrow clients do this at no charge.
Q: Should a concrete contractor ever pay for one?
No, not for a standard certificate. Issuing it is routine service on a policy you already bought. A fee for it is a fair reason to shop your account.
Q: Can I get the higher limit today if the job starts Monday?
Usually not. Raising a limit or adding an umbrella takes one to several business days. It takes effect the day the insurer issues it and does not reach back, so it will not cover something that already happened. Written permission to start early does not create coverage.
Q: Does the ready mix supplier or the pump service need to be named on my policy, or is a copy enough?
A ready mix supplier normally just wants a copy on file with your credit account. A pump or crane service often wants more, because your contract with them can require you to name them on your policy.
Q: The city wants proof before it will issue my sidewalk permit. What do I send?
Usually a certificate naming the city exactly as the permit form writes it, with the limits the ordinance sets. Many cities also want to be added to your policy, which takes a few days.
Q: Why do owners want cover that continues after the pour?
Because concrete complaints are slow. Settling, cracking, and drainage problems surface years later, and owners want your policy to still respond then.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Concrete crews get held up by limits and names on a certificate, and matching the paper to a commercial insurance section is what we do all day.
- Free contract review. Send us the contract or bid documents and we mark up the insurance section in plain English, whether or not you buy anything from us.
- Free, instant certificates. Clients issue their own certificates of insurance online in about a minute, any hour, any day, at no charge.
- Markets you cannot reach online. One application, shopped across many insurance companies for general liability, workers comp, auto, umbrella, and pollution coverage.
One more thing. This article is general information and is not legal advice or a statement of coverage. Your contract and your policy wording control in every case. Requirements vary by customer, by state, and by insurance company, so have a licensed advisor review your own contract and your own policy before relying on any of it.
Last updated: Reviewed by the Morrow commercial lines team. Last updated September 2026.