Use a broker who lets you issue your own certificates online, instead of emailing a request and waiting. A certificate of insurance is a one page summary of your policies, limits, and dates, and a builder's portal wants one before it releases a start. Morrow clients log in and send one in about a minute, any hour, any day, at no charge. Changes to the policy itself still go through your broker. Who this is for: framing contractors who need proof of insurance before a start is released.
The short version
- A framing certificate usually shows general liability, workers comp, auto, and an umbrella of $2,000,000 or more.
- Home builders, developers, and general contractors ask, almost always through a vendor portal.
- Morrow clients make their own certificates online in about a minute, day or night, at no charge.
- Framing is a tough trade to insure, so leave time when a builder asks for something you do not carry.
What does a framing certificate have to show?
Four policies, and limits run higher than most trades see on apartments and tract work.
| Policy | What it covers | Limit builders usually ask for |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | Injury and damage from your framing, including defect claims found later | $1,000,000 for one incident and $2,000,000 for the year |
| Workers comp | Falls from walls and staging, plus nail gun injuries | Whatever your state requires, plus three limits for employee suits, commonly $100,000 each accident, $500,000 for disease in a policy year, and $100,000 for disease per employee. Contracts often ask for all three at $500,000 or $1,000,000 |
| Commercial auto | Trucks and trailers hauling lumber | $1,000,000 for each accident |
| Umbrella | A second layer above your liability and auto limits | $2,000,000 on most builder programs, $5,000,000 on apartments |
In North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming, workers comp comes from the state fund, and fund policies pay nothing when an employee sues. Ask for stop gap cover, which fills the hole.
Who asks a framer for a certificate?
- Home builders, before they release a start.
- General contractors, on apartments and hotels.
- Developers and their banks, on larger projects.
- Vendor portals, which check dates with nobody reading.
Why do builders read a framer's paperwork so hard?
Two reasons. Working at height is where the serious injuries happen, so nobody wants a framing crew on site with stale workers comp. And framing sits behind the drywall, so when a house has a problem five years later the suit names the builder, and the builder names the framer.
So builders want protection that keeps running after you finish, and many want your yearly limit to start over for each community. Both are changes to the liability policy, and no umbrella supplies the fresh yearly limit. See a yearly limit that starts over for each project.
What extra wording do framing contracts ask for?
| What the contract asks for | What it means | How it gets there |
|---|---|---|
| Additional insured | The builder can use your liability policy if they are sued because of your work | Blanket wording (CG 20 33) adds the customer you signed the contract with, for work in progress, when the contract required it in writing before the loss. It does not reach the owner, the lender, or the architect above your customer. A broader blanket form (CG 20 38) can reach them, but it leaves out coverage after the job is finished |
| Coverage after the job ends | It keeps going after the work is done, when defect claims arrive | A scheduled change (CG 20 37). Carriers make blanket versions by typing that wording into its schedule, or on their own form |
| Your policy pays first | Your policy pays first and the builder's does not chip in | Its own added line (CG 20 01), not a line inside the form above |
| No claim against the builder | Your insurer agrees not to go after the builder for its money back | One change on liability (CG 24 04) and another on workers comp (WC 00 03 13) |
| A fresh yearly limit for this job | Your yearly total starts over for that community | A named project change (CG 25 03). No umbrella supplies it, and not every insurer will add it |
Typing extra names into the description box adds nobody to your policy. The change goes on the policy first.
How do I issue one myself in about a minute?
- Log in from the truck.
- Pick the policies the builder lists.
- Type the builder's legal name exactly as the contract spells it.
- Add the community or lot number.
- Email it, or upload it to the portal yourself.
No charge, and no wait for Monday, because a portal does not care that your broker went home. See getting a certificate instantly.
What still has to go through my broker?
Anything that changes the policy. That list is longer in framing, because many policies for this trade cap how high you can work or leave out condominiums.
- Naming a builder your policy does not already pick up.
- Raising a limit or adding an umbrella.
- Adding a waiver on workers comp, which costs more here.
- Asking for a yearly limit that starts over for each community.
You get a reply usually within the hour on business days. Insurers almost never backdate. A change added today does nothing for something that already went wrong, and a customer saying you can start does not create coverage for the gap.
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 framing contractor in Texas is picked up by a production builder for 18 house starts at roughly $19,000 of labor each. The portal wants $1,000,000 of liability, a $2,000,000 umbrella, protection that lasts after the job, and a yearly limit that starts over for each community.
What went wrong: The certificate goes up showing the right limits. The portal still rejects it, because the policy has neither the wording that protects the builder after the job ends nor the fresh yearly limit.
What it cost: Twelve framers stood down for four days, about $16,300 in wages, and six of the 18 starts went to another crew, roughly $114,000 of labor.
The fix: The packet arrived three weeks before the first start. A broker reading it that week could have had both changes on the policy in time.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How can I get a free, instant certificate of insurance for my framing business?
Use a broker whose clients issue their own. Morrow clients log in, pick the builder, and send one in about a minute, at no charge.
Q: Why is insurance so hard to buy for framing?
Because falls and later defect claims make it expensive for insurers, so fewer want the work. Many framing policies come from specialty insurers a broker reaches for you, and they take longer to arrange.
Q: My builder wants my yearly limit to start over on each community. Can I do that?
Sometimes. It is a change to your liability policy, not something an umbrella provides, and not every insurer offers it. Ask your broker early, because it cannot be added the morning of a start.
Q: Does my policy limit how high I can frame?
It might. Policies for this trade often cap the number of stories or leave out condominium work, and the certificate shows none of that. Read the policy before you take a taller job.
Q: Does a certificate of insurance cost money?
It should not. Brokers issue them at no charge as part of servicing your policy.
Q: The builder says I can start while my broker adds the missing wording. Am I covered?
Not for the gap. Insurers almost never backdate, so wording added next week does nothing for an accident this week. A builder telling you to start does not create coverage.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Framers live and die by builder vendor portals, and our clients issue their own certificates for every community and every start.
- 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.