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 routine paperwork 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: drywall and taping contractors who need proof of insurance for a builder or a store install program.
The short version
- Your broker or insurance company issues the certificate. A standard one should not cost you anything.
- Morrow drywall clients make their own certificates online in about a minute, day or night.
- Builders want general liability, workers comp, and auto shown, with the builder added to your liability policy.
- Drywall problems show up months later, so builders check that your cover keeps running after the job.
- Adding a name to the policy itself is a change, not a certificate. Ask early.
Who asks a drywall contractor for proof of insurance?
More people than most trades. Drywall crews run a lot of jobs, and nearly all want paper before the first sheet.
| Who asks | What they want | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Production builder | One per building company, often one per community, with the builder named on your policy | Every year, plus a fresh copy at renewal |
| General contractor | Proof before you start, and the endorsement pages behind it | Once per contract |
| Store install program | Exact limits, loaded into a system that checks you automatically | Every year, and again the day it expires |
| Lift or scaffold rental | Auto and equipment coverage before they release it | Each rental |
If you upload to a vendor system, read how those portals check certificates first.
What does a drywall certificate need to show?
These are the limits most builders ask a drywall sub to carry. Your contract wins if it differs.
| Policy | Common requirement | Why it matters for drywall |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | $1,000,000 for one incident and $2,000,000 for the year | A screw through a water line or wire, scratched floors and windows, and dust in finished space, though dust claims are often limited |
| Cover after the job ends | The builder stays protected on your policy after you leave | Cracks and nail pops show up long after final payment |
| Workers comp | What your state requires, plus the part that pays if an employee 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 | Lifting board, stilts, and rolling towers make this your priciest policy |
| Commercial auto | $1,000,000 combined | Box trucks hauling board, plus vehicles you rent or your crew drives |
| Umbrella | $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 on larger jobs | A second layer above those policies, common on apartment work |
Three notes. Mold is not part of the after the job wording, because almost every contractor policy excludes mold on its own page. Sanding board makes silica dust, and a silica or pollution exclusion often limits dust claims. And in North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming, workers comp comes from a state fund that pays nothing when an employee sues, so ask about stop gap coverage there.
Want the fields explained line by line? See how to read a certificate.
Why do drywall contractors need so many certificates?
Volume is the problem. A busy shop hangs for six or eight builders a year, and each runs communities under different company names. Each name is its own request, so you may issue fifty a year. When a superintendent asks at 5:30 Friday for a Monday start, the office is shut. Issuing it yourself takes a minute.
What can I issue myself, and what needs my broker?
| You can do this in a minute | This needs your broker first |
|---|---|
| Add a new certificate holder name and address | Adding a builder to your liability policy so they can use it if they are sued over your work |
| Type the lot number or job name in the description box | Making that protection continue after the job is finished |
| Send a copy to a new superintendent | Your insurer agreeing not to chase your customer for money it paid |
| Reissue at renewal for a builder you already work for | Raising a limit or adding an umbrella policy |
The left column copies what your policy already says. The right column changes it, so allow one to three business days.
The left column copies what your policy says. The right column changes it, so allow one to three business days.
Nothing, in almost every case. The changes behind one can cost money. These figures are illustrative for a small drywall shop with clean claims.
Nothing, in almost every case. The changes behind one can cost money. These figures are illustrative for a small shop with clean claims.
More on the money side: does a certificate cost money.
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 five person drywall crew in New Jersey hangs for three builders. At 5:40 Friday the superintendent emails that Monday's start needs a certificate naming a new company.
What went wrong: His broker's office closed at 5:00 and reopens Monday at 9:00. The certificate lands at 11:20, and the builder has pushed the hang date to Wednesday.
What it cost: Two lost days for five people, roughly $3,600 in idle wages, plus a rush charge from the finisher booked for Thursday.
The fix: Nothing here needed a policy change. The new name only had to be typed on a form. A client who issues his own handles that call in a minute.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How can I get a free, instant certificate of insurance for my drywall business?
Only the broker or insurance company that sold you the policy can issue it. With online access you type the builder's name and address and download it in about a minute. Morrow clients do this at no charge, at any hour.
Q: Can I just fill out a blank certificate form myself?
No. The form has to come from the broker or insurance company, and a builder who checks will spot one that did not. Filling one out yourself can be treated as fraud.
Q: How fast can I get one for a builder that needs it tonight?
With online access, about a minute at any hour. Through a broker office, usually the same business day, and Monday if you ask on Friday night.
Q: My builder wants to be added to my policy. Is that the same thing as a certificate?
No, and mixing up the two is the top reason a drywall certificate is rejected. Adding the builder changes your policy and takes one to three business days. The certificate only reports it.
Q: Why does my builder care about coverage after the job is finished?
Because drywall complaints arrive late. Cracks and nail pops surface a year or two after closing, and builders check that your policy still protects them then. Mold is the exception, because almost every contractor policy excludes it on its own page.
Q: What do I do if the builder rejects the certificate I sent?
Ask for the reason in writing and check it against the insurance section of your contract. Most rejections are a missing name, a missing page, or a low limit. Fix that item and reissue.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Drywall crews lose start dates over a name that has to be typed on a certificate after hours, and that is exactly what we take off your plate.
- 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.