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Certificate of Insurance for Contractors in Berks County

What a certificate of insurance is, who issues it, the workers' comp rule and sole-proprietor exclusion, which Berks permit offices ask for one and at what limits, what county and city bids require, and how to brief your agent.

Berks Connect Blog|Published September 3, 2026
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Somebody just asked you for a COI, a certificate of insurance. Maybe it was the code office in West Reading, maybe a general contractor texting at 6 a.m. This page is for the Berks County contractor holding that request and not sure what the paper is.

Here is what is inside, pulled from the forms and agency pages on September 2, 2026:

  • What a certificate of insurance is, in the form publisher's own words, and who issues it.
  • Certificate holder versus additional insured, the distinction behind most callbacks.
  • The Pennsylvania workers' comp rule and the exclusions for owners who work alone.
  • Which Berks permit offices ask for a certificate, and what their pages say they want.
  • What a county bid, a City of Reading bid and a PennDOT contract ask for, and how to brief your agent.

While the agent works on it, one more piece of paperwork that costs nothing: claim or add your free business page on BerksConnect, so the next person searching for a Berks tradesperson can find you.

What a certificate of insurance is, and what it is not.

ACORD, the organization that publishes the form, defines a certificate of insurance as "a document that provides information about insurance policies." The liability certificate contractors carry is ACORD 25, the Certificate of Liability Insurance. The current edition is ACORD 25 (2025/12), which replaced the 2016 edition.

You do not fill it out yourself. ACORD forms are issued by licensed agents, brokers or the insurer, and ACORD tells a policyholder who needs one to "contact your broker or agent."

The top of ACORD 25 says the certificate "is issued as a matter of information only and confers no rights upon the certificate holder." ACORD's FAQ puts it plainly: a certificate "is NOT an insurance policy," and only a change to the policy itself, such as an endorsement, can change coverage.

What it costs and how fast it comes. ACORD's certificates FAQ says nothing about a fee. Two insurers do, each speaking for its own process:

  • The Hartford: "There's no cost to get a certificate of insurance," and a policyholder using its online account gets one "in most cases" instantly.
  • Progressive Commercial: "COIs are provided to policyholders for free," and "you can usually get a COI from your insurer within a day or two."

Certificate holder versus additional insured.

The certificate holder is the party who asked for proof. An additional insured has been added to your policy.

Role What it means Where it shows on ACORD 25
Certificate holder Progressive Commercial: "the business or entity that requested your proof of insurance. They don't have any rights to make claims under your policy." The Certificate Holder box near the bottom, with a name and address.
Additional insured Progressive Commercial: "someone who's been added to the insurance policy, often as part of a contractual agreement, and is covered for certain liabilities under it." The ADDL INSD column in the coverage grid, backed by the policy or an endorsement.

The form's own IMPORTANT note reads: "If the certificate holder is an ADDITIONAL INSURED, the policy(ies) must have ADDITIONAL INSURED provisions or be endorsed." Typing a name on the certificate does not do it.

Progressive's example: a general contractor asks a subcontractor to name the GC as an additional insured before the job starts. Some Berks permit offices want the other thing, the municipality's name in the certificate holder box; the table below says which.

The four named coverage rows on a contractor's certificate.

ACORD 25 carries four named coverage rows and a blank row for anything else.

  • Commercial general liability. Each occurrence and general aggregate are the two figures the county and city bids below quote. For home improvement work, Pennsylvania's HICPA sets the floor at $50,000 for personal injury and $50,000 for property damage, under Section 517.4(a)(ix).
  • Workers' compensation and employers' liability. Marked "per statute," with employers' liability dollar limits alongside.
  • Automobile liability. A combined single limit per accident.
  • Umbrella or excess liability. Each occurrence and aggregate, sitting over the policies underneath.

The certificate is also how you prove the HICPA floor. The Attorney General's registration instructions say "a valid Certificate of Insurance must be submitted along with your application," and the online portal lists proof of that coverage under required documentation.

The registration itself, from the Attorney General's pages:

  • contractors performing at least $5,000 of home improvements a year must register, at $100 every two years;
  • changes to your insurance information must be reported within 30 days.

Workers' comp in Pennsylvania, the part that trips sole proprietors.

Labor & Industry's rule is short. Coverage is "mandatory for all employers who have one or more employees, whether they're part-time or full-time, including family members." Your kid on Saturdays counts.

Labor & Industry lists the owners who are excluded:

  • a sole proprietor or general partners with no other employees;
  • an LLC whose only workers are its members;
  • executive officers who have been granted an exclusion by the department;
  • persons granted a religious exemption by the department.

The state's SWIF application page says it directly: "Sole Proprietors and Partners are automatically excluded from coverage," and an officer exemption form "is only necessary for Corporations." For a corporation, eligible officers file forms LIBC-509 and LIBC-513 with the carrier, or with the Bureau of Workers' Compensation if there is no policy.

The penalties, as Labor & Industry states them. A misdemeanor conviction can bring a $2,500 fine and up to one year in prison for each day in violation. A felony conviction for intentional violation can bring $15,000 and up to seven years for each day.

Where to buy it. Labor & Industry lists four routes, from an agent or broker through to the State Workers' Insurance Fund, SWIF, at 570-963-4635, which it says "is required to provide coverage to all businesses." Coverage begins the day after SWIF receives a completed application, form SWIF-429, with the premium check.

If SWIF is your carrier, its request form, SWIF-411, says its certificates are SWIF-specific rather than ACORD forms, and that they cannot carry additional insured or waiver of subrogation wording.

The affidavit for owners without employees. There is no statewide affidavit on the Labor & Industry pages we read. Four of the offices in the table below use their own, and three of those want it notarized, as their rows say.

Which Berks County permit offices ask for a certificate, and what they want.

Offices whose forms we could not read are not listed, so call before you apply.

Checked September 2, 2026.

Office What its pages ask for Limits stated Forms named
West Reading Borough (Code Enforcement, 500 Chestnut Street, 610-374-8273) "A Certificate of Insurance is required prior to issuance of a permit for any contractor performing work within the Borough." Its workers' comp form asks that any attached certificate list the municipality as certificate holder, or that a sole proprietor without employees sign the exemption with each application. None on the pages we read. Building Permit Application; Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Insurance Coverage Information Form.
Kutztown Borough (Community Development Office, 324 West Main Street, 610-683-3290) Electrical and plumbing licensing: a current certificate showing general liability and workers' comp, Borough as certificate holder. General contractors: a workers' comp certificate, Borough as holder. $300,000 per occurrence general liability for electrical and plumbing licensing. Plumbing ordinance § 163-3.C(3): $300,000 per occurrence and aggregate, 30 days' notice to the Borough before cancellation. Application for License; Contractor Affidavit (notarized, if no employees).
Exeter Township (Engineering Department, 4975 DeMoss Road, 610-779-5702) Building contractors include "a copy of their certificate of insurance with their building permit application." The miscellaneous permit checklist asks for proof of workers' comp. None stated. Building Permit Information Sheet; Building Permit (Miscellaneous) application.
Muhlenberg Township (210 George Street) A "Certificate of Insurance Attached: Yes / No" line on the electrical and residential building permit applications. None stated. Electrical Permit Application; Residential Building Permit Application.
Wyomissing Borough (22 Reading Boulevard) UCC commercial building permit: "A Certificate of Workman's Compensation Insurance must be submitted with this application." None stated. UCC Commercial Building Permit Application.
Bern Township (permits through LTL Consultants, 610-987-9290) Residential building permit checklist: "Submit workers compensation insurance for each contractor," or the packet's sworn exemption signed before a notary. None stated. Bern Building Permit Packet.
Lower Heidelberg Township (permits through Kraft Municipal Group, 610-777-1311) "Proof of contractor workers' compensation insurance or notarized exemption form." Attach the certificate "listing the municipality in which the work will be performed as a certificate holder." None stated. Kraft Municipal Group Permit Application packet.
City of Reading (Building and Trades Division) Permits conditioned on a City trade license and business privilege license for each trade business. No certificate language on the pages we read. None stated. Building and Trades Permit Application; trade license applications.

What a county bid, a City of Reading bid or a PennDOT contract asks for.

A permit asks for a piece of paper; public work asks for a specification. Berks County's bid for the Berkley Road Bridge repairs, issued May 24, 2024, shows the step up.

That bid required, at minimum:

  • General liability, occurrence basis: $1,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate.
  • Automobile liability: $1,000,000 each occurrence.
  • Workers' compensation at statutory limits, with employers' liability of $500,000 each accident, $500,000 disease policy limit and $500,000 disease each employee.
  • Umbrella excess liability: $2,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate.
  • Contractor's pollution liability: $1,000,000 each loss and $1,000,000 aggregate.

The same section spelled out the wording:

  • the County named as additional insured "through endorsement to the policy," by ISO endorsements CG 20 10 04 13 and CG 20 37 04 13 or their equivalent, for ongoing and completed operations for three years after final payment;
  • the contractor's policies "primary and non-contributory";
  • a waiver of subrogation, with the County reserving the right to waive it for SWIF comp policies;
  • at least ten days' prior written notice of cancellation, by certified mail;
  • the certificate noting the project and issued to County of Berks, Attn: Contract Coordinator, 633 Court Street, 13th Floor Services Center, Reading, PA 19601.

One City of Reading construction bid follows the same shape. Its May 2022 Public Works Building ADA Improvements spec asked for:

  • general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 annual aggregate, and automobile liability with a $1,000,000 combined single limit;
  • the City named as additional insured under general liability, with thirty days' notice before a policy is modified or cancelled;
  • the certificate issued to City of Reading, 815 Washington Street.

PennDOT's Publication 408 (Change 11, effective October 10, 2025) states no dollar limits. Section 103.05 asks, within 10 days of notification of award, for a certificate that:

  • lists the project number and names the State as an additional insured and saved harmless;
  • shows occurrence-based coverage with a per-project general aggregate, and 30 days' cancellation notice (15 for non-payment);
  • goes to certificateofinsurance@pa.gov or by fax to 717-265-7206.

How to ask your agent so the certificate arrives right the first time.

One Pennsylvania agency's online request form asks for:

  • the holder's name and address;
  • a job reference number;
  • a copy of the contract's insurance requirements;
  • whether waiver-of-subrogation or primary-wording endorsements are needed.

Bring these to the call or the email:

  • The certificate holder's exact legal name and mailing address. SWIF issues only to a physical address, never a job site.
  • Whether the requester must be an additional insured, and on which policies.
  • The limits the document requires, quoted from the document.
  • The project, permit or bid number.
  • Where to send it, taken from the requester's own page.
  • The date it is due. The County allowed ten calendar days from contract; PennDOT allows 10 days after notification.
  • A copy of the requester's insurance page itself, attached.

Progressive Commercial's guidance is to request new ones at renewal and after any change to the policy.

If you are still choosing an agent, our post on independent vs captive insurance agents in Berks County walks through how each works. Two Berks independents whose own sites say they write contractor coverage:

  • Trego Insurance Agency LLC in Wyomissing, whose general liability page speaks to contractors and whose service menu includes a certificate of insurance request.
  • Stubbs Insurance Associates, Inc., with a Sportsman Road address in Wernersville, whose home page lists Contractors under business insurance and also carries a certificate request link.

And once the certificate is in the township's file, claim or add your free BerksConnect business page so the homeowners in that township can find you too.

Frequently asked questions.

Does a certificate of insurance cost anything?

ACORD's certificates FAQ says nothing about a fee. The Hartford says "There's no cost to get a certificate of insurance," and Progressive Commercial says certificates "are provided to policyholders for free."

Can I be the certificate holder on my own policy?

Progressive Commercial defines the holder as "the business or entity that requested your proof of insurance," and SWIF's request form states that certificates are not issued blank or in the policyholder's name.

Do I need workers' comp if I work alone?

Labor & Industry excludes a sole proprietor or general partners with no other employees, and an LLC whose only workers are its members. Add one employee, part-time or family, and coverage becomes mandatory. Four of the offices in the table above describe a signed affidavit of exemption in place of the certificate; the other four's pages do not address it.

What limits does a Berks township want on the certificate?

Only Kutztown put a number on the pages we read: $300,000 per occurrence general liability for electrical and plumbing licensing, and $300,000 per occurrence and aggregate in its plumbing ordinance. The other offices in the table state no dollar figure.

Sources