Guides
Certificate of insurance guides
Practical guides on collecting, verifying, and renewing subcontractor certificates of insurance — written for small general contractors.
What Is an ACORD 25? The Certificate of Liability Insurance, Explained
A box-by-box walkthrough of the ACORD 25 certificate of liability insurance — what each section means, which parts matter, and what the form cannot tell you.
Updated August 12, 2026
How to Track Subcontractor Certificates of Insurance
A practical process for collecting, verifying, and renewing your subcontractors' certificates of insurance — what to require, what to check, and how to keep it from falling apart.
Updated August 10, 2026
Additional Insured vs. Certificate Holder
Being listed as the certificate holder gives you no coverage. Additional insured status does. Here is the difference, and how to tell which one you actually have.
Updated August 10, 2026
Why the Certificate Isn't Enough
Certificates report endorsements; they don't create them. How conditional wording and referenced-but-not-attached endorsements leave gaps in an otherwise clean-looking COI.
Updated August 10, 2026
Free template
Free COI tracking spreadsheet
A subcontractor certificate tracker for Excel or Google Sheets. Enter each policy's expiration date and the sheet flags what is expired, expiring within 30 days, or current. No signup.
Get the templateFree tool
Washington contractor license lookup
Search the Washington State L&I public contractor registration record by business name or license number — status, license type, and expiration.
Open the lookup