Need a Certificate of Insurance?
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What is a Certificate of Insurance, and Why Businesses in Kansas and Missouri Need Them?
- What do Certificates of Insurance contain?
- Who can issue a Certificate of Insurance?
- Why do I need to provide a Certificate of Insurance?
- How can I get a Certificate of Insurance?
- What is the difference between an insurance policy and an insurance certificate?
- What are COI requirements?
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A Certificate of Insurance (COI) is a formal document that verifies and summarizes certain insurance coverages during a specified period. It does not detail all insurance coverages. The document is provided, upon request, to those who need to confirm that the policyholder has obtained proper insurance coverages needed to meet a defined contractual or regulatory obligation.
Certificates of Insurance are typically presented on a standardized and commonly accepted form developed by the Association for Operations Research and Development (ACORD). ACORD is a non-profit developer of standards for the insurance industry. Their standards and forms are widely used by most participants within the insurance industry including insurance agencies, carriers, regulatory bodies and courts. Their products allow for the easy exchange of information between those varied participants.
Those requesting Certificates of Insurance are typically the opposite party in a contractual or regulatory agreement seeking confirmation the other party has the needed insurance coverages required in their mutual agreement. Because Certificates of Insurance summarize specific insurance coverages, they eliminate the need for the requestor to read through an entire insurance policy searching for those coverages germane to the contractual or regulatory obligations imposed upon the policyholder.
While Certificates of Insurance will identify certain policy coverages and exclusions, these documents never outline the entire policy. For that reason, a Certificate of Insurance cannot be a substitute for or supersede the actual insurance policy. Those who seek to verify complete policy coverages, terms, conditions and exclusions should request a copy of the actual policy.
To safeguard against misinterpretation, Certificates of Insurance contain the following language:
"This certificate is issued as a matter of information only and confers no rights on the certificate holder.
This certificate does not amend, extend or alter the coverage reported by the policies described below.”
Certificates of Insurance should only be issued, with the policyholder's approval, by the insurance agent or insurance carrier.
Important Notice Regarding Certificate of Insurance Requests.
Upon request, we will issue certificates of insurance on our insureds' behalf. Our agency and staff are prohibited from acting as legal advisors or providing legal guidance. Certificates of insurance we issue will only exhibit the expressly stated insurance limits within our insureds' current policies. State licensing prevents us from interpreting contracts to identify obligations and/or liabilities.
Certificates of insurance are subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions, regulations, laws, and other provisions of the designated policies they stand for.
The communities we serve include the following counties and cities within the greater Kansas City area.
Kansas Counties & Cities:
Douglas County including Baldwin City, Eudora, Lawrence, Lecompton.
Franklin County including Lane, Ottawa, Pomona, Princeton, Rantoul, Richmond, Wellsville, Williamsburg.
Jefferson County including McLouth, Meriden, Nortonville, Oskaloosa, Ozawkie, Perry, Valley Falls, Winchester.
Johnson County including De Soto, Edgerton, Gardner, Leawood, Lenexa, Mission, New Century, Olathe, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Shawnee, Spring Hill, Stilwell.
Leavenworth County including Basehor, Bonner Springs, De Soto, Easton, Kansas City, Lansing, Leavenworth, Linwood, Tonganoxie.
Linn County including Blue Mound, La Cygne, Linn Valley, Mound City, Parker, Pleasanton, Prescott.
Miami County including Fontana, Louisburg, Osawatomie, Paola, Spring Hill.
Shawnee County including Auburn, Rossville, Silver Lake, Topeka, Willard.
Wyandotte County including Bonner Springs, Edwardsville, Kansas City Kansas, Lake Quivira.
Missouri Counties & Cities:
Cass County including Archie, Belton, Cleveland, Creighton, Drexel, East Lynne, Freeman, Garden City, Harrisonville, Kansas City, Lake Annette, Lake Winnebago, Lee’s Summit, Peculiar, Pleasant Hill, Raymore, Strasburg.
Clay County including Avondale, Brimingham, Claycomo, Ectonville, Excelsior Estates, Excelsior Springs, Gladstone, Glenaire, Holt, Kansas City, Kearney, Lawson, Liberty, Missouri City, Mosby, North Kansas City, Oaks, Oakview, Oakwood, Oakwood Park, Pleasant Valley, Prathersville, Randolph, Smithville, Sugar Creek.
Jackson County including Blue Springs, Buckner, Grain Valley, Grandview, Greenwood, Independence, Kansas City, Lake Lotawana, Lake Tapawingo, Lee’s Summit, Levasy, Lone Jack, Oak Grove, Sugar Creek.
Platte County including Camden Point, Dearborn, edgerton, Houston Lake, Kansas City, Lake Waukomis, Northmoor, Parkville, Platte City, Platte Woods, Riverside, Smithville, Tracy, Weatherby Lake Weston.