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Subcontractor insurance requirements generator

Choose the trade’s risk and the subcontract size to get common insurance limits, ready-to-paste requirements wording for your subcontract, and an email to send your sub.

Free · No signup · Runs in your browser

Trade risk

Subcontract value

GL each occ / agg

$1M / $2M

Auto CSL

$1M

Employers’ liability

$500k

Umbrella

$1M
Insurance requirements exhibit
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS — [Project]

Before starting work and until all work is complete, Subcontractor shall maintain, at its own expense, the following insurance with insurers acceptable to [Contractor]:

1. Commercial General Liability (occurrence form): $1,000,000 each occurrence; $2,000,000 general aggregate (per project); $2,000,000 products–completed operations aggregate.
2. Commercial Automobile Liability: $1,000,000 combined single limit, covering any auto (or owned, hired and non-owned autos).
3. Workers’ Compensation: statutory limits as required by the state where work is performed. Employers’ Liability: $500,000 each accident / $500,000 disease–each employee / $500,000 disease–policy limit.
4. Umbrella / Excess Liability: $1,000,000 each occurrence and aggregate, following form over General Liability, Auto and Employers’ Liability.

Additional requirements:
• [Contractor] and [Owner] shall be named as additional insureds on the General Liability, Auto and Umbrella policies for ongoing operations and completed operations, by endorsement.
• Coverage for additional insureds shall be primary and non-contributory with any insurance they carry.
• Waiver of subrogation in favor of [Contractor] and [Owner] on all required policies, where permitted by law.
• Subcontractor shall provide a certificate of insurance (ACORD 25 or equivalent) and the additional insured and waiver endorsements before starting work, and a renewal certificate before any policy expires.
• Subcontractor shall require the same insurance from its own sub-subcontractors.
COI request email to your sub
Subject: Certificate of insurance needed — [Project]

Hi,

Before you start on [Project], we need a current certificate of insurance showing:

• General liability $1,000,000 / $2,000,000
• Auto liability $1,000,000
• Workers’ comp (statutory) with employers’ liability $500,000
• Umbrella $1,000,000
• [Contractor] and [Owner] as additional insured (ongoing and completed operations), with waiver of subrogation

Please forward this list to your insurance agent and ask them to send the certificate and endorsements to us.

Thanks,
[Contractor]

Common starting points only. Your owner contract’s insurance requirements usually flow down to subs and take priority — have your broker or attorney review before use.

The insurance most subcontracts require

  • Commercial general liability — injuries and property damage from the sub’s work, including after it’s finished (completed operations).
  • Commercial auto liability — when the sub drives vehicles to or on your site.
  • Workers’ compensation and employers’ liability — the sub’s own employees. Missing coverage here can end up on your workers’ comp audit.
  • Umbrella or excess liability — extra limits for higher-risk trades and bigger contracts.

The wording that protects you

Limits are only half of it. Strong subcontract insurance clauses also require:

  • Additional insured status for you and the owner, for ongoing and completed operations — see additional insured vs certificate holder.
  • Primary and non-contributory coverage, so their policy pays before yours.
  • Waiver of subrogation — how it works.
  • Certificates and endorsements before work starts, and renewals before anything expires.
  • The same requirements for any sub-subcontractors.

From requirements to compliance

Writing requirements into the subcontract is step one. The hard part is checking every certificate against them and catching renewals all year. Try the free certificate of insurance checker on the next COI you receive.

FAQ

Common questions.

  1. 01

    What insurance should a subcontractor have?

    At minimum, most GCs require commercial general liability, commercial auto (if the sub drives to the site), workers’ compensation with employers’ liability, and often umbrella or excess liability for higher-risk trades or larger contracts.

  2. 02

    What are typical general liability limits for subcontractors?

    $1,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate is the most common starting point. Higher-risk trades and larger projects often require higher limits or an umbrella policy on top.

  3. 03

    What does “primary and non-contributory” mean?

    The sub’s policy pays first for claims covered under the additional insured endorsement, without asking your own insurance to share the loss. It keeps claims from your sub’s work off your policy.

  4. 04

    Do my owner contract requirements affect my subs?

    Usually, yes. Owner contracts often require the GC to “flow down” the same or similar insurance requirements to subcontractors. Start from your owner contract, then use this generator to fill gaps.

  5. 05

    How do I collect proof from subs?

    Send the requirements to each sub and ask their agent for a certificate of insurance plus the additional insured and waiver endorsements. Track every policy’s expiration date and collect renewals before they lapse.

More free tools

Free ACORD 25 checker

Upload a COI — AI reads it and tells you if it meets your requirements.

Waiver of subrogation explainer

Toggle the waiver on and off and watch who pays when a sub’s worker gets hurt.

Additional insured vs certificate holder

Four questions to identify documents and coverage terms to confirm with your broker.

Load these requirements and let Certy check every COI.

Set your limits once. Every sub gets an upload link, every certificate is checked, every renewal is chased. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Start with Certy

These free tools are general information, not legal or insurance advice. Requirements and rules vary by contract, carrier and state — confirm with your broker or attorney.