How to Read a Certificate of Insurance (COI)

Why Reading a COI Correctly Matters in Construction

Construction projects involve multiple companies, locations, contracts, and insurance requirements. A general contractor may need to review certificates from subcontractors before they begin work and continue monitoring the information as policies approach expiration or project requirements change.

A careful COI review helps the project team compare the named insured, policy dates, coverage types, limits, project details, certificate holder, and any additional insured or waiver indicators with the project requirements.

A COI is evidence to review—not the insurance policy itself—and a COI on file does not automatically establish that contractual insurance requirements have been satisfied. For foundational information, see what a certificate of insurance is.

Start with the Basic Information on the COI

Begin at the top of the certificate. The basic information identifies the parties connected to the certificate and helps establish whose insurance information is being reported.

Producer / Insurance Agent

The producer is generally the insurance agency, broker, or agent that issued or prepared the certificate. Check that the producer information is present and that an appropriate contact is identified if questions arise.

Named Insured

The named insured is the person or organization whose insurance information is listed. Compare it with the subcontractor name in the contract, purchase order, vendor record, or onboarding documentation. Review legal entity names, doing-business-as names, related companies, and incomplete or inconsistent names.

Insurers / Carriers

The insurers or carriers section identifies the insurance companies associated with the listed coverage lines. Check that carrier information is populated for the coverage types being reviewed and compare any required carrier qualification with the contract and supporting documentation.

How to Read the Coverages Section

The coverages section is usually presented as a grid. It may identify the type of insurance, policy number, effective date, expiration date, insurer letter, and selected limits. Compare the listed information with the project’s actual requirements rather than treating every populated row as automatically sufficient.

General Liability

Review whether general liability is listed, whether the dates cover the work period, and whether the limits appear to match the contract. Consider general aggregate, products-completed operations, each occurrence, and any project-specific requirements.

Automobile Liability

Automobile liability may matter when a subcontractor uses vehicles for project work. Review the listed coverage against actual operations, including company, hired, or non-owned vehicles. When symbols or scope matter, compare them with the applicable policy information.

Umbrella / Excess Liability

Check whether umbrella or excess coverage is required, whether its dates align with the project period, and whether the listed limit appears to meet the requirement. Underlying coverage, scope, and endorsements may require additional documentation.

Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability

Review workers’ compensation and employers’ liability in the context of the subcontractor’s workforce, applicable state requirements, and contract terms. Pay attention to employers’ liability limits when the project specifies them and note any workforce arrangement that may require follow-up.

How to Read Policy Numbers and Effective / Expiration Dates

Policy numbers help identify the listed policies. Effective and expiration dates show the period reported for each coverage line. Compare the dates with the expected start of work, scheduled completion, renewal timing, and contract requirements.

• Look for policies that expire before the subcontractor’s work is complete.
• Check for gaps between renewal dates or different dates across coverage types.
• Confirm that coverage begins before scheduled work starts.
• Record upcoming renewals and request updated documentation as needed.

Our guide to tracking COI expiration dates covers practical ways to organize renewal monitoring.

How to Read Coverage Limits

Coverage limits are the dollar amounts shown for the listed coverage categories. Compare each relevant limit with the corresponding contract requirement rather than relying on a single total.

• Each occurrence and general aggregate.
• Products-completed operations aggregate.
• Automobile liability combined single limit.
• Employers’ liability limits.
• Umbrella or excess liability.

Also check whether the contract includes requirements about per-project aggregate treatment, completed operations, self-insured retentions, deductibles, or other policy terms that may not be established by the limits grid.

How to Read the Description of Operations

The description of operations may contain project-specific information, location details, contract references, scheduled operations, or statements about additional insured status and waivers.

Review whether it identifies the relevant project, jobsite, subcontractor operations, interested parties, or special onboarding requirements. Use it as a cross-check against the contract and project records.

Wording in the description does not create coverage or amend the policy. A statement about additional insured status, a waiver, or a project should be verified against the actual policy or endorsement documentation when required.

How to Read Additional Insured and Waiver of Subrogation Indicators

Additional insured and waiver of subrogation requirements are important in construction contracts, but they should not be inferred solely from a certificate holder name or a checkbox on a COI.

Treat a notation, checkbox, or statement as an indicator to investigate, not as the endorsement itself. Check whether the status applies to the correct party, coverage, project, location, operations, and contract, and whether supporting documentation is required.

The actual endorsement, policy language, or other documentation may need to be reviewed. Text printed on the certificate is not itself an endorsement and does not expand the policy. A waiver of subrogation notation likewise does not by itself establish the scope of the waiver.

How to Read the Certificate Holder Section

The certificate holder section identifies the person or organization to whom the certificate is issued. Compare the name and address with the party specified by the contract, project instructions, or onboarding process. For a focused explanation of the role, see who the certificate holder is.

Being listed as the certificate holder generally means the party receives the certificate. It does not automatically make that party an additional insured or confirm that project insurance requirements have been met. Review the holder and additional insured questions separately.

How to Read the Cancellation / Notice Section

The cancellation section commonly includes a statement about notice if a listed policy is cancelled before its expiration date. Read the wording carefully and compare it with the contract’s requirements.

Do not assume that the presence of cancellation language means the certificate holder will always receive advance notice of every policy change. Continue tracking expiration dates, renewal documents, and changes reported by the subcontractor.

Reading a COI Is Not the Same as Confirming Compliance

A COI is evidence to review. It is not the insurance policy itself, an endorsement, a complete statement of all coverage terms, or legal advice.

Reading a COI can help a construction team identify apparent gaps, mismatches, missing information, approaching expirations, and questions for follow-up. It cannot, by itself, establish that a subcontractor meets every contractual, statutory, project, or insurance requirement.

A complete review may require comparing the certificate with the subcontract, project requirements, actual policy forms and endorsements, additional insured and waiver documentation, broker or carrier confirmation, and applicable professional advice. For a broader workflow, see construction compliance best practices.

Common Mistakes When Reading a COI

Treating the COI as the policy

A COI summarizes reported information. It does not replace the policy, endorsements, schedules, exclusions, or other insurance documents.

Assuming a certificate holder is an additional insured

The certificate holder receives the certificate. Additional insured status is a separate issue that may depend on policy language and an endorsement.

Checking only the expiration date

A date that has not passed does not prove that the coverage type, limit, scope, or policy status meets the contract.

Ignoring the description of operations

Project, location, operations, and special-condition language may reveal a question that is not visible from the coverage grid alone.

Treating an organized file as a compliant file

Having a certificate in a folder or tracking system improves organization, but it does not prove that contractual requirements have been met. See more examples in common COI compliance mistakes.

A Simple COI Review Checklist for Construction Teams

Use this checklist as an organizational starting point when reviewing a subcontractor’s COI:

• Named insured: Does it match the subcontractor or legal entity performing the work?
• Producer: Is the producer or insurance agent identified?
• Policy dates: Do the dates cover the relevant work period, and are renewals recorded?
• Coverage types: Are the required lines listed?
• Limits: Do the listed limits appear to match project requirements?
• Policy numbers and carriers: Are the identifiers populated and consistent?
• Additional insured and waiver indicators: Is supporting documentation required?
• Description of operations: Does it identify the relevant project, location, or operations?
• Certificate holder: Is the correct holder named and distinguished from an additional insured?
• Cancellation language: Does it raise a question under the contract?
• Follow-up: Have gaps and questions been recorded and assigned?
• Ongoing monitoring: Is there a process for updated certificates and preserved review history?

The checklist helps organize what to look at. It does not determine whether a subcontractor is legally or contractually compliant. Teams can use the free Certificate of Insurance tracking template to organize records and follow-up.

Frequently Asked Questions