Plumber Contract Checklist

Business: ________________ Contact: ________________ Project or client: ________________ Contract type: ________________ Certificate holder: ________________ Contract limit wording: ________________ Required contract terms: ________________ Certificate due date: ________________

Use this checklist to prepare a focused request for your insurance agent or carrier before signing the plumbing contract. The contract controls the final requirements, so attach the insurance exhibit or relevant pages when you send your request.

• General liability limits: Ask the agent to compare the contract wording against your current policy limits. A real subcontractor requirement example used not less than $1,000,000 liability wording, but project requirements vary.

• Additional insured for ongoing operations: If the contract asks to add the GC, owner, landlord, or municipality while plumbing work is underway, ask whether CG 20 10 or equivalent wording is available.

• Additional insured for completed operations: If the contract requires coverage after the plumbing work is done, ask whether CG 20 37 or equivalent completed operations wording is available. Do not assume CG 20 10 alone satisfies completed operations wording.

• Primary and noncontributory: If required, ask whether the carrier can provide a primary and noncontributory endorsement or policy wording. A certificate note alone may not change policy terms.

• Waiver of subrogation: If required, ask which policies need the waiver, such as general liability, commercial auto, or workers compensation. Workers compensation waivers can follow different rules and costs than GL waivers.

• Umbrella or excess: If the contract requires limits above the primary policies, ask whether umbrella or excess liability can sit over GL, auto, and employers liability. Many GC and municipal contracts use higher-limit wording, but your project contract controls.

• Certificate holder: Confirm the certificate holder name and address exactly match the contract: ________________.

• Endorsement copies: If the contract requests actual endorsements, ask for form copies or carrier wording instead of relying only on the certificate of insurance.

• Plumbing-specific restrictions: Ask whether any residential, multifamily, condo, mold, water-damage, underground, sewer, or completed-operations restrictions could affect this job.

Subject: Plumbing contract insurance review for ________________

Hi,

I am reviewing insurance requirements for ________________ on ________________. The certificate holder should read: ________________

The contract lists these insurance requirements or limits: ________________

The contract also appears to require these terms: ________________

Please review whether our current policies can satisfy the contract requirements. In particular, please confirm whether the carrier can provide additional insured wording for ongoing operations, additional insured wording for completed operations, primary and noncontributory wording, waiver of subrogation, and any umbrella or excess requirements that apply.

If specific forms are needed, please confirm whether CG 20 10, CG 20 37, or equivalent carrier forms are available, and send copies if the contract requires endorsements rather than only a certificate. Also flag any exclusions or restrictions that could affect plumbing work, water damage, underground work, sewer work, or completed operations on this project.

The certificate is needed by ________________.

Thank you, ________________

Questions to resolve before signing:

1. Does the contract require additional insured status for both ongoing operations and completed operations?

2. Does the certificate holder field match the exact legal name and address in the contract?

3. Are primary and noncontributory wording and waiver of subrogation required by endorsement, policy wording, or certificate language?

4. Are the required limits satisfied by current GL, auto, employers liability, and umbrella or excess policies?

5. Does the plumbing scope include sewer, trench, underground utility, municipal, multifamily, water well, septic, mold, bacteria, or pollution-adjacent work that should be reviewed separately?

6. If you hire subcontractors, does the upstream contract require matching insurance, additional insured wording, waiver wording, or certificates from those subs before work starts?