Tree Service Certificate of Insurance. The proof-of-coverage document, decoded.
A certificate of insurance is the document customers, property managers, utilities, and contracting parties require before tree work can begin. This page walks through what's on it, what each line means, the standard endorsements that typically come with it, and the most common reasons COIs get rejected at delivery.
A Snapshot of Coverage — Not the Coverage Itself
A Certificate of Insurance (COI) is a one-page summary document — almost always issued on the standard ACORD 25 form — that confirms which insurance policies a contractor has in place, the coverage limits, and the policy effective and expiration dates. It's evidence that coverage exists. It is not the policy.
For tree services, the COI is the document a customer requires before letting a crew on the property. Property managers, HOA boards, facilities directors, utilities, municipalities, and contracting parties all rely on COIs as the standard evidence of vendor coverage. Many of them won't even let work be scheduled until the COI is in their file.
The COI is generated by your insurance broker or carrier and delivered to the customer (the "certificate holder") on request. The accuracy of the COI depends on accurate information at request time — the certificate holder name, the address, the required additional insureds, the required endorsements. Errors at request time become rejected COIs at delivery.
What a Tree Service COI Actually Looks Like
Below is a representative sample of an ACORD 25 certificate as it would appear for a tree service contractor. The values shown are placeholders — the structure is the standard form. Annotations beneath explain what each section actually means.
Certificate of Liability Insurance
Form ACORD 25 · Representative1234 Specialty Brokerage Lane
Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 212-2800
[Business Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
| Letter | Insurer Name | NAIC # |
|---|---|---|
| A | [Specialty Tree Service GL Carrier] | [NAIC] |
| B | [Commercial Auto Carrier] | [NAIC] |
| C | [Workers Comp Carrier] | [NAIC] |
| D | [Umbrella / Excess Carrier] | [NAIC] |
| Insr | Type of Insurance | Policy Number | Eff. Date | Exp. Date | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | General Liability (Occurrence) | [Policy #] | [MM/DD/YY] | [MM/DD/YY] | [Per Occurrence] / [Aggregate] |
| B | Commercial Auto (Owned, Hired, Non-Owned) | [Policy #] | [MM/DD/YY] | [MM/DD/YY] | [Combined Single Limit] |
| C | Workers Comp & Employers Liability | [Policy #] | [MM/DD/YY] | [MM/DD/YY] | Statutory / [E.L. Limits] |
| D | Umbrella / Excess Liability | [Policy #] | [MM/DD/YY] | [MM/DD/YY] | [Each Occurrence / Aggregate] |
[Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
Producer Block
The broker that issued the COI. The customer's first call when there's a question about coverage.
Insured Block
The tree service. Legal entity name and address. Has to match the customer's records exactly.
Insurers / NAIC #s
The carriers writing each policy. Customers with strong vendor programs check carrier ratings here.
Coverages Table
Each policy line — GL, Auto, WC, Umbrella — with policy numbers, effective and expiration dates, and limits.
Description Block
Where additional insured language, primary & non-contributory, waiver of subrogation, and contract-specific notes go.
Certificate Holder
The party requesting the COI — the customer, property manager, utility, or contracting party. Has to match exactly.
The Add-Ons That Typically Come With a Tree Service COI
Additional Insured
FORMCG 20 10 / CG 20 37Names the customer (and often their parent, affiliates, property manager, lender) as additional insureds on the contractor's GL policy. The customer becomes a named beneficiary of the contractor's coverage for the contractor's operations.
Required by virtually every commercial customer, utility MSA, municipal contract, and HOA agreement.
Primary & Non-Contributory
FORMCG 20 01Primary means the contractor's policy pays first, before any policy held by the customer. Non-contributory means the contractor's carrier doesn't try to share the loss with the customer's carrier.
Standard requirement on commercial contracts, MSAs, and procurement-driven vendor programs.
Waiver of Subrogation
FORMCG 24 04 / WC 00 03 13The contractor's carrier waives its right to subrogate against the customer after paying a claim. Customer can't be sued by the contractor's insurer for reimbursement after a covered loss.
Required on GL, Workers Comp, and often Auto. Standard contract language across commercial and utility work.
Blanket vs. Scheduled AI
FORMBlanket / ScheduleBlanket additional insured covers any party the contractor agrees in writing to add. Scheduled additional insured only covers parties specifically named on the endorsement schedule.
Blanket is typically simpler for tree services with multiple commercial customers. Some contracts specifically require scheduled.
Notice of Cancellation
FORMPer Policy ProvisionsSpecifies notice period the carrier provides if a policy is cancelled or non-renewed. Often a contract-specified 30-day or longer advance notice requirement.
The COI itself is informational on cancellation — the binding language is in the actual policy provisions, not the certificate.
Per-Project / Per-Location Aggregate
FORMCG 25 03 / CG 25 04Resets the policy aggregate limit on a per-project or per-location basis instead of one shared aggregate across all jobs. Keeps a large claim on one project from eroding limits available to other projects.
Specifically required by some commercial customers, HOAs, and utility MSAs running multiple concurrent projects.
The COI Is the First Document Customers Check
Before crews ever set foot on a property, the COI is what gives a customer the confidence to schedule the work. Get it right the first time and the engagement moves smoothly. Get it wrong — missing endorsements, expired dates, mismatched names — and the work stalls until the document is corrected.
How a Certificate Request Actually Moves
The COI request, generation, delivery, and renewal cycle follows a predictable path. Knowing the steps means knowing what to have ready when a customer asks for one — and how to keep the process from stalling.
Customer Request
Customer specifies the certificate holder, address, required additional insureds, required endorsements.
Broker Generates
Broker pulls active policies, builds the COI on ACORD 25, applies required endorsements and language.
Internal Review
Confirm the certificate matches contract requirements before sending. Catches errors before the customer sees them.
Delivery
COI emailed directly to customer or uploaded to a vendor compliance platform — whichever the customer requires.
Renewal Cycle
At policy renewal, updated COIs go to all active certificate holders. Continuous compliance.
Different Customers Want Different Things on the COI
Not every customer asks for the same COI. The matrix below shows what's typically requested by the most common customer types tree services serve.
Why a Customer Sends a COI Back
A rejected COI is the most common reason work gets delayed at the start of a job. The list to the right covers the rejections we see most often — almost all of them traceable to the request itself, not the underlying coverage.
The fix is usually a single corrected COI, not new coverage. But it costs time, and if the work was supposed to start today, that's a problem.
-
Missing Required Additional Insured
Customer required parent, affiliates, or property manager as AI — only one party was named.
-
Missing Primary & Non-Contributory Language
Contract required P&NC; the COI didn't include it in the description block.
-
Missing Waiver of Subrogation
Required on GL, Auto, or WC; not noted on the certificate.
-
Limits Below Contract Minimum
The required per-occurrence, aggregate, or umbrella limit isn't met by the policy on the COI.
-
Mismatched Certificate Holder
Customer name on COI doesn't match the customer's legal name in their records or contract.
-
Expired Policy Dates
Customer received a COI showing a policy that's already past its expiration date.
-
Wrong Form Format
Customer requires the COI uploaded to a specific compliance platform in a specific format.
-
Carrier Rating Below Threshold
Customer's vendor program requires A.M. Best A- or better; the COI shows a non-rated or sub-threshold carrier.
The COI is just one page.
But it's the page that opens the gate to the work.
Get it right, and the job starts. Miss a line, and it doesn't.
Whether you're picking up a new commercial customer, renewing a utility MSA, or onboarding to an HOA's vendor list, the COI is what stands between the contract and the start date. Build the program right, and the certificates that follow take care of themselves.
Need a COI From a Real Tree Service Program?
If you don't have coverage in place yet, the COI starts with the program. Send your operations, contracts driving the AI requirements, and the limits the customers demand. We build the program so the COIs that come from it satisfy the contracts on first delivery.
Start the Intake Form →Search the Kelly Insurance Group Site
Other Tree Service Coverages We Place
By Operation Type
Cost, Quotes & Buyer Resources
Hard-to-Place & Problem Risk Pages
Other KIG Resources
Tree Service Certificate of Insurance Questions Answered
What is a Certificate of Insurance, exactly?
A one-page summary document — almost always issued on the standard ACORD 25 form — that confirms which insurance policies a contractor has in place, the coverage limits, and the policy effective and expiration dates. It's evidence of coverage. It's not the policy itself, and it doesn't change or extend coverage.
How do I request a COI?
Send your broker the certificate holder name, address, required additional insureds, and any specific endorsement or language requirements from the contract. The cleaner and more complete the request, the faster the COI gets generated and the less likely it gets rejected at delivery.
How long does it take to get a COI?
If coverage is already in place, COI turnaround is typically same-day or within hours for routine requests. Custom endorsements, scheduled additional insureds, or compliance-platform uploads can add time. If coverage isn't in place yet, the COI follows the placement — see our Same Day Tree Service Insurance page.
What's the difference between additional insured and certificate holder?
Certificate holder is the party receiving the COI as evidence of coverage — but holding a certificate doesn't make them a covered party. Additional insured is a separate endorsement that actually extends the contractor's coverage to the named party for the contractor's operations. Most commercial contracts require both.
What does "primary & non-contributory" mean on a COI?
It means the contractor's policy pays first (primary) and doesn't try to share the loss with the customer's policy (non-contributory). It requires a specific endorsement on the contractor's GL policy and has to be properly indicated on the COI. See our Primary & Non-Contributory page.
What is a waiver of subrogation?
A clause where the contractor's carrier waives its right to subrogate (seek reimbursement from a third party) against the customer after paying a claim. Common contract requirement, especially on commercial and utility contracts. Required on GL, Workers Comp, and often Auto.
Why does my customer keep rejecting my COI?
Most common reasons: missing required additional insureds, missing primary & non-contributory language, missing waiver of subrogation, limits below contract minimum, mismatched certificate holder name, expired policy dates, or COI not uploaded to the customer's required compliance platform. The rejection-reasons section above covers them.
My COI was rejected — do I need new coverage?
Almost always no. Most rejections are about how the COI was filled out, not about the underlying coverage. The fix is usually a corrected COI delivered the same business day. Only when contract requirements actually exceed what the policy provides does the conversation shift to coverage changes or a new placement.
Do I need a separate COI for every job?
You need a COI for every customer that requires one — but not necessarily every job, depending on how the customer manages their vendor program. Many commercial customers maintain one COI per vendor on file, updated at policy renewal. Others request a fresh COI per project.
Where do I start?
If you need a COI on existing coverage, contact your broker directly. If you need to put coverage in place first, start with the intake form — and reach out via the contact page or (412) 212-2800.
The Right Program, The Right Certificates.
If your tree service needs COIs that satisfy commercial customers, utility MSAs, municipal contracts, or HOA vendor programs — the program behind them has to be built right first. Send your operations, contracts, and limit demands and we'll build it.
Start the Intake Form → Contact Kelly Insurance Group →