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: sitework contractors who need proof of insurance for a developer, a general contractor, or a town.
The short version
- Only your broker or insurance company can issue it, and a standard one should be free.
- Morrow sitework clients issue their own online in about a minute, day or night.
- One site package can need five or six certificates, each naming a different party.
- Public and utility work asks for high limits, coverage for runoff, and often a bond.
- You are first on site and last off, so plan for a fresh copy when your policy renews.
How many certificates does one sitework job need?
More than owners realize. You work for the developer, under a general contractor, in a town right of way, and beside a utility. Each is a separate name on a separate form.
| Who needs a copy | What they usually want named |
|---|---|
| General contractor | The contractor, often the owner and lender too |
| Developer or owner | The project company that holds the land, not the parent firm |
| Town or state agency | Its exact legal name for road and drainage permits |
| Utility company | The utility, before you tie in water, sewer, or gas |
| Design engineer | The engineering firm, when the contract lists them |
| Equipment rental yard | Auto coverage plus cover for the rented machine |
That is a lot of typing, and none of it changes your policy. Waiting on an office for every copy wastes the week.
What does a sitework certificate need to show?
Sitework contracts read closer to heavy civil work than to house building.
| Policy | Common requirement | Why it matters on a site package |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 for one incident, $2,000,000 to $4,000,000 for the year | Damaged roads and curbs, a struck utility, flooding a neighbor after a grade change |
| Umbrella | $2,000,000 to $10,000,000 on public and commercial work | Public agencies set one high number for every bidder |
| Coverage for spills and runoff | $1,000,000 or more, shown as its own line | Silt leaving the site, or soil you hauled that turned out to be dirty |
| Commercial auto | $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 combined | Dump trucks, water trucks, and lowboys moving machines |
| Workers comp | What your state requires, 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 | Trenches, traffic, and heavy iron around your crew |
Two notes on that table. On a policy for spills and runoff, unlike your liability policy, the lawyer's bill comes out of the limit, so $1,000,000 is $1,000,000 for defense and payment together. Most are written on an occurrence basis, so the policy in place when the spill happens answers. And the state funds in North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming pay nothing when a worker sues, so you need stop gap coverage there. See pollution insurance for excavation and sitework.
Why does my certificate expire in the middle of the job?
Because sitework runs long. You start before the building and come back to pave after it tops out, so a twelve month policy renews mid job. The contractor's software flags the old date and can hold a payment.
The fix is a fresh copy on renewal day, a copy job, not a policy change. See renewal certificates in the middle of a project, and collect new copies from your paving and striping subs, since their gaps become yours.
What can I issue myself, and what needs my broker?
| You can do this in a minute | This needs your broker first |
|---|---|
| Issue a copy for each party above | Adding those parties to your policy so they can use it if they are sued |
| Type the phase or permit in the description box | Adding a policy for spills and runoff |
| Reissue every holder at renewal | Raising a limit or adding a bigger umbrella |
| Send a copy to a rental yard | A yearly limit that resets for each job (CG 25 03) |
One note on that last row. No umbrella supplies a yearly limit that resets for each job. It has to be added to the liability policy itself, and not every insurer will do it.
What does a sitework certificate cost?
Nothing, in almost every case. The coverage behind it is where the money is. These figures are illustrative for a small sitework contractor.
- Adding an owner, town, or utility to your liability policy: often free with automatic wording, otherwise roughly $50 to $300 each.
- A $1,000,000 policy for spills and runoff: roughly $2,500 to $8,000 a year.
- A $5,000,000 umbrella: roughly $6,000 to $15,000 a year for a site contractor.
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 sitework contractor in Texas is nine months into a retail center. He graded and set utilities in spring and comes back in winter to pave. His policy renewed in October.
What went wrong: Nobody sent updated certificates to the general contractor, the owner, or the town. The payment system held his November invoice, and the town would not sign the road opening.
What it cost: A $96,000 progress payment sat for eleven days, and the paving crew moved to another job for a week, which pushed the opening date.
The fix: One renewal date means every holder needs a new copy. That is minutes of work if you issue them yourself, and a week of chasing if you cannot.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How can I get a free, instant certificate of insurance for my sitework business?
Only the broker or insurance company that holds your policy can issue one. With online access you type in each party's name and download the forms yourself. Morrow clients do this at no charge.
Q: Should a sitework contractor ever pay for one?
No, not for a standard certificate. It is routine service on a policy you already bought, and you may need dozens in a year. A per copy fee is a reason to shop.
Q: The developer set up a separate company just for this project. Whose name goes on the certificate?
That project company, exactly as the contract spells it, not the parent firm. Ask for the exact legal name in writing, because a copy made out to the parent gets rejected.
Q: My payment got held for expired paper. How fast can I clear it?
If your policy already renewed, about a minute per holder with online access. Through an office it is usually the same business day. Payments release once the new copy is on file.
Q: Do I need coverage for runoff even if I am not hauling dirty soil?
Many contracts say yes, because silt leaving a site is the common claim, not buried waste. Most liability policies exclude it.
Q: The owner wants the lender named too. Can my policy do that?
Often yes, but not automatically. Some policies only add the party you signed with, so a lender or a town may need a specific change. Ask your broker to check the wording.
Q: Is a bond the same as insurance on a public site job?
No. A bond promises the agency you will finish the work, and insurance pays for damage and injury. Public jobs usually want both.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. A sitework job can need a certificate for six different parties and a fresh set every renewal, and that is the grind we take off your desk.
- 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.