Certificate of Insurance
A client or GC is asking for your certificate of insurance. Here's what it is, what it needs to show — including completed operations language mechanical jobs often require — and how to get one fast.
A certificate of insurance (COI) is a one-page document that summarizes your insurance coverage. It shows the name of your insurance company, your policy numbers, coverage types and limits, policy effective dates, and who's named on the policy. It's not a policy itself — it's proof that a policy exists.
For HVAC contractors specifically, the COI often has to do more work than it does for other trades. Because the exposure includes combustion, gas lines, and refrigerant, the people asking for it — GCs, property managers, permitting offices — tend to scrutinize it more closely than they would for a lighter trade.
Any job that touches a gas line — a new furnace hookup, a boiler replacement, a gas line extension — often needs a mechanical or gas permit from the local building department before you can start. Some municipalities ask for proof of insurance as part of that permit application, separate from any COI a GC or homeowner might request. This is a step painters, cleaners, and most other trades never encounter, and it's worth confirming with your local permitting office before you assume your standard client-facing COI is all you need. If a permit office asks for specific language or limits, tell us — we can tailor a certificate for that submission.
Some COI requesters — particularly commercial mechanical GCs, national retailers with install programs, and larger property management companies — go a step further than most GL requests and ask for confirmation that technicians on the job hold current EPA Section 608 certification. This usually isn't shown on the insurance certificate itself, but it's frequently requested alongside it as a separate document. Keep your techs' certifications current and easy to produce; a COI that shows up without it can still hold up a job if the certification isn't ready to go with it.
Getting into a building's mechanical room or onto its roof to service a rooftop unit isn't like walking into an open job site. Building engineers and property managers often gate that access behind their own insurance requirements — sometimes higher limits than a standard residential job, sometimes a waiver of subrogation or primary and non-contributory language specifically because a mistake in a mechanical room can affect the whole building's operations, not just the unit you're working on. If a property manager is slow-walking roof or mechanical room access, an outdated or generic COI is a common reason why. We can turn around an updated certificate the same day.
What gets asked of you varies a lot depending on the job. On new construction, you're typically working as a sub under a GC, and they'll want the full package before you're allowed on site: additional insured, waiver of subrogation, often $2M/$4M limits, and completed operations specifically called out given how long an install failure can take to surface. On a one-off residential service call, a homeowner usually won't ask for a COI at all — but a property manager handling a rental will, and increasingly so will HOA-managed communities. The safest approach is having a current COI ready to send at any time rather than scrambling when a job suddenly requires one.
Once you're bound with us, your certificate of insurance is issued instantly — ready to download and send to your client, GC, or permitting office the same day. If you need coverage urgently for a job starting tomorrow or even today, same-day coverage is typically available. Fill out the quote form and our agents work quickly to get you covered.
General contractors and property managers typically require HVAC subcontractors to provide:
Once you're a client, requesting a COI is simple — contact us with the name and address of the certificate holder and any specific language required, whether that's a GC's standard sub package, a property manager's mechanical-room access requirements, or a municipal permit office's submission format. We issue certificates quickly so you can get to work without delays.
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FAQ
Some municipalities ask for it as part of the mechanical or gas permit application, separate from any COI your GC or client requests. Check with your local permitting office, and tell us if they need specific language — we can tailor a certificate for that submission.
Usually not on the certificate itself, but larger GCs, retailers with install programs, and property management companies often ask for it as a separate document alongside your COI. Keep your techs' certifications current and ready to produce.
Mechanical room and rooftop access often comes with its own insurance requirements — higher limits, waiver of subrogation, or primary and non-contributory language — because a mistake there can affect the whole building. We can turn around an updated certificate the same day.
A one-off homeowner call usually won't require one, but property managers and HOA-managed communities increasingly do. New construction under a GC almost always requires the full package. Keeping a current COI on hand means you're never scrambling when one's suddenly requested.
Yes. Once you bind coverage, your COI is issued instantly. Same-day coverage is typically available, so you can often get a policy and COI the same day a job requires it.
Licensed agents build your custom quote — typically same business day. Review, enroll, and get your COI instantly.