How to send a certificate of insurance to a customer (irrigation contractor)

Updated 2026-10-08

Short answer: a certificate of insurance is issued by your insurance agent or carrier, not by you. When a customer, property manager or HOA asks for one, ask your agent to issue a certificate naming them if they require that, then send it with your current license. Keep the expiration dates of each document in one place so you never send an expired one.

What is usually asked for

A certificate showing your general liability coverage, and workers' compensation if you have employees.
A copy of your contractor license, where one is required.
Sometimes: being named as a certificate holder or additional insured on the policy. That is a request to your insurer, and your agent will say what your policy allows. We cannot tell you what a particular customer's contract requires.

The routine

Keep a document list: policy type, carrier, policy number, expiration date, license number and expiration.
Check dates before you send. An expired policy represented as current is a problem for you and your customer. Renew first.
Reply with a file, not a description. A PDF attachment or a secure download link is what a property manager files. "We are fully insured" in an email body is not.
Log what you sent and when, so a second request does not start from zero.
Set renewal reminders at 60 and 30 days. These are a suggested working default, not a rule.

Sending a new certificate holder request

If a customer requires their own name on the certificate, the delay is your agent's turnaround. Ask early, especially at the start of a busy season when every property manager asks at once.

The faster way, honestly scoped

Sprinklerly keeps your general liability, workers' comp and license documents with their expiration dates, and sends a customer a packet in one click, generated as a real PDF and delivered as a secure download link (insurance and license management is on the Growing Crews plan). Any expired document is automatically left out of what is represented as current, though it stays logged in your records. Sprinklerly does not issue insurance certificates and does not replace your agent: you upload the documents your carrier gave you. Sprinklerly is free during early access for contractors who sign up by December 31, 2026 (no credit card). Planned prices at general availability are $79, $149 and $249 per month, locked in for early-access accounts.

Start free Free during early access for sign-ups by December 31, 2026, no credit card required.

Common questions

Who issues a certificate of insurance?

Your insurance agent or carrier issues it. A contractor stores and sends it.

Can I send an expired certificate of insurance?

No. Renew the policy and send the current certificate; an expired document should not be represented as current coverage.

Sprinklerly is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any utility, agency, manufacturer or publisher linked on this page. Names are used only to identify the sources. Rules for backflow testing, licensing and insurance differ by state, utility and customer, so confirm with your own authority; this page is practical guidance, not legal advice. The Sprinklerly features described are those currently shipped in the product.