Certificate of Insurance (COI) Requirements for Ohio Contractors

A Certificate of Insurance (COI) is a document your insurer issues proving you carry specific coverage at specific limits, issued on request, usually within a day. Ohio contractors are asked for one constantly: before a permit, before a subcontract, before a lease, before a general contractor lets you on a job site.

What does a COI actually prove?

A COI confirms three things to whoever's requesting it: that a policy exists, what it covers, and the dollar limits it carries, as of the date issued. It's a snapshot, not a guarantee the policy stays active, which is why many GCs and property owners ask for a fresh one before each new job rather than relying on one from months earlier.

Do Ohio cities have their own COI requirements?

Yes, and they genuinely differ by city rather than following one statewide standard. Ohio has no general statewide contractor license (only electricians, HVAC/hydronics, and a handful of other trades are state-licensed), so cities set their own permit-level insurance requirements.

• Columbus requires general contractors to carry at least $300,000 per person / $500,000 per occurrence in general liability, with the city named as certificate holder.
• Cleveland requires $200,000-$300,000 in coverage, with the city named as an additional insured, not just certificate holder, a meaningfully different and broader requirement.
• Other Ohio municipalities set their own limits, so a COI built for one city's permit office won't automatically satisfy another's.

What's the difference between "certificate holder" and "additional insured"?

This distinction trips up a lot of contractors. Being named certificate holder just means that party receives a copy of the certificate, informational only. Being named additional insured actually extends your liability coverage to protect that party too, a real coverage change, not paperwork, and it typically requires a policy endorsement, not just a note on the certificate.

Designation	What it actually does
Certificate holder	Receives a copy of the COI, no coverage change
Additional insured	Extends real liability protection to that party, requires a policy endorsement

How do I know if a contractor's certificate is actually real coverage?

Check three things on any COI you're handed: the policy effective and expiration dates (make sure the job falls inside them), the coverage limits against what you actually require, and whether the endorsement you need (like additional insured) is actually reflected, not just implied. A COI with the right numbers but no additional-insured endorsement doesn't give you the protection you think it does.

How fast can I get a COI when a job requires one?

Most insurers issue a COI same-day or within one business day once you have an active policy, request through your agent, not directly through the carrier, and specify exactly who needs to be named and at what limits before the request goes out, which avoids a second round-trip when the first version comes back wrong.

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