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Pikorua Security

Roofing subcontractors

Roofing subcontractor COI requirements

Roofing has the highest first-review defect rate of any trade in Pikorua Security's benchmark. Roofers buy insurance in a hard market, so their policies arrive loaded with restrictions: hot work and torch-down exclusions, height limits, residential exclusions and endorsements that quietly remove the completed operations coverage a GC needs when a roof leaks two winters later.

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Roofing audit

Ridgeline Roofing Inc.

Riverside Commons Phase 2

Deficient
CGL policy
GL 7741-0093-22
AM Best
A- VII
Carrier
Prairie States Indemnity Co.
  • DeficientCG 20 37

    Completed operations AI not attached. Only CG 20 10 04 13 on file.

  • DeficientManuscript

    Torch-down exclusion (RF 104) conflicts with spec section 07 52 00.

  • DeficientHeight

    Three-story limitation on a five-story building.

14 rules checked, 3 deficient. Scanned Oct 15, 2026, 2:18 PM ET. Notice sent to sub and broker.
of roofing subcontractor COI packets are deficient on first review
84%
of roofing subcontractor COI packets are deficient on first review
Pikorua Security 2026 Benchmark
trade rank by defect rate, 13 points above the all-trade average
1 of 14
trade rank by defect rate, 13 points above the all-trade average
Pikorua Security 2026 Benchmark
of subcontractor and vendor COIs contain material coverage deficiencies or missing endorsements on first review
71%
of subcontractor and vendor COIs contain material coverage deficiencies or missing endorsements on first review
AGC Risk Committee Audit
of COIs claiming additional insured status fail to attach the CG 20 37 completed operations endorsement
64%
of COIs claiming additional insured status fail to attach the CG 20 37 completed operations endorsement
IRMI Construction Risk Survey

Typical exhibit

Typical roofing insurance requirements

The limits Pikorua Security's roofing rule template starts from. Your subcontract exhibit controls; set it once per project and every roofing certificate is checked against it.
Rules in template
14
Hazard tier
Severe
Typical insurance requirements for roofing subcontractors
CoverageTypical limitWhat to check
Commercial general liability (CG 00 01, occurrence)$1,000,000 each occurrence / $2,000,000 general aggregateReject claims-made CGL forms for roofing; a leak that appears after the policy lapses would find no coverage.
Products-completed operations aggregate$2,000,000Water intrusion and wind uplift claims arrive after turnover. Completed operations is the coverage that actually pays on most roofing losses.
Business auto liability$1,000,000 combined single limitCovers crew trucks and trailers hauling kettles and materials. Hired and non-owned autos must be included.
Umbrella / excess liability$10,000,000 each occurrence and aggregateFall severity and fire exposure push roofing to the top umbrella tier on most GC exhibits. Must follow form, including over completed operations.
Workers compensation / employer's liabilityStatutory / $1,000,000 each accident, $1,000,000 disease each employee, $1,000,000 disease policy limitRoofing WC is among the most expensive class codes, which is why some roofers lean on uninsured sub-tier crews. Ask for the sub-tier's WC too.
Inland marine (contractor's equipment)Actual cash value of kettles, hoists and torchesProtects the sub's equipment so a theft or fire on your site does not become a dispute over your builder's risk.

Endorsement checklist

Forms to see attached, not just checked

A Y in the ADDL INSD column is not an endorsement. Ask for each form below by number and edition, and read the roofing sub's schedule of forms against it.

Exclusion watchlist

Exclusions that void roofing coverage

These never appear on an ACORD 25. They sit in the declarations schedule of forms and the endorsement pages, which is where Pikorua Security reads.
  • Red flag

    Hot work / torch-down roofing exclusion

    Carrier manuscript forms that exclude fire and property damage from torches, kettles and heat-welded membranes, sometimes extending into completed operations. If the spec calls for modified bitumen or built-up roofing, this exclusion removes the very exposure you are transferring. Some versions restore coverage only when a fire watch and post-work monitoring are documented.

  • Red flag

    Height limitation exclusion

    Excludes work above a stated number of stories or feet. A sub with a three-story limit on a five-story building is uninsured for the whole scope even though the COI shows full limits.

  • Red flag

    Residential, condominium or tract housing exclusion

    Common on roofing policies. On mixed-use or condominium projects the residential portion may be excluded outright, which a certificate will never show.

  • Red flag

    CG 21 86 Exclusion, Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems

    Roofers who flash into EIFS parapets or install adjacent cladding can trigger this exclusion. Water damage behind EIFS is one of the costliest defect claims in construction.

  • Red flag

    CG 22 94 Exclusion, Damage to Work Performed by Subcontractors on Your Behalf

    Roofers often sub out sheet metal and flashing. With CG 22 94 attached, damage to the roof caused by the sheet metal sub-tier is not covered.

    Read the CG 22 94 guide

Why roofing COIs fail more than any other trade

Roofing is the trade where the certificate and the policy are furthest apart. Carriers that write roofers price for falls, fire and water, and they control that risk with endorsements rather than premium alone. The ACORD 25 shows the limits and a Y in the ADDL INSD column; it does not show a torch-down exclusion, a three-story height limit or a residential exclusion. In Pikorua Security's benchmark, roofing packets fail first review more often than any other trade.

The single most expensive gap is completed operations. Roofing claims are overwhelmingly post-completion: a membrane seam fails, a drain backs up, flashing lets go in a windstorm. If the GC is named only on CG 20 10 04 13 (ongoing operations), it has no additional insured status when the leak claim arrives. Require CG 20 37 alongside CG 20 10, and require the sub to keep completed operations coverage in force for the period your subcontract specifies.

Reading a roofing endorsement packet

Ask for the full forms and endorsement schedule, not just the AI pages. Pikorua Security parses the schedule of forms on the declarations and matches each form number and edition against your roofing rule template, which runs 14 checks. The checks that catch the most roofing deficiencies are below.

  • Hot work or heat-application exclusions, and whether any safety warranty (fire watch, CERTA-trained torch applicators) is attached as a condition.
  • Height or story limitations compared against the project's building height.
  • Residential, condominium or tract housing exclusions on mixed-use projects.
  • CG 20 37 present, edition matched to CG 20 10, and not limited to a schedule that omits your project.
  • CG 22 94 or CG 21 39 attached, which gut coverage for sub-tier work and contractual indemnity.

Setting a roofing exhibit that holds up at tender

Write the roofing exhibit as a higher tier than your standard sub requirements: a larger umbrella, explicit completed operations duration, and a prohibition on hot work exclusions when the spec includes torch-applied or kettle work. Put the rule in the exhibit rather than in an email; a carrier evaluating a tender will read the subcontract, not the correspondence.

In Pikorua Security, the roofing template sets these rules once per project. When a roofer's packet comes in with a torch-down exclusion, the deficiency notice goes to the roofer and its broker with the clause cited, and the Procore commitment stays on payment hold until a compliant endorsement arrives.

How to verify a roofing sub's COI

A manual review of one COI and its endorsement packet takes 25 to 40 min (CFMA Time Study). These are the six checks, in the order Pikorua Security runs them.

  1. 1

    Match the named insured to the subcontract

    Compare the named insured on the ACORD 25 with the legal entity that signed the roofing subcontract, including the LLC or Inc. suffix. A trade name or DBA is not the contracting entity, and additional insured coverage follows the policy's named insured.

  2. 2

    Check limits against your roofing exhibit

    Confirm commercial general liability of $1,000,000 each occurrence / $2,000,000 general aggregate, an umbrella of $10,000,000 that follows form over CGL, auto and employer's liability, and statutory workers compensation. Then confirm inland marine is evidenced, because it does not appear on a standard ACORD 25.

  3. 3

    Read the endorsement pages, not the checkboxes

    A Y in the ADDL INSD or SUBR WVD column is not an endorsement. Confirm CG 20 10, CG 20 37, CG 20 01, CG 24 04, WC 00 03 13, CA 20 48 and CG 25 03 are attached as forms, and that the ongoing and completed operations forms share the same edition date.

  4. 4

    Scan the schedule of forms for roofing exclusions

    Look for hot work / torch-down roofing exclusion, height limitation exclusion, residential, condominium or tract housing exclusion, CG 21 86 Exclusion, Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems and CG 22 94 Exclusion, Damage to Work Performed by Subcontractors on Your Behalf. None of these appear on the certificate; they sit in the declarations schedule of forms and the endorsement pages.

  5. 5

    Check carrier ratings and policy dates

    Confirm each carrier is rated A- VII or better by AM Best and that no policy expires before the roofing scope and its completed operations period are finished. Set renewal reminders at 60, 30, 15 and 0 days.

  6. 6

    Hold payment and site access until resolved

    Keep the roofing sub's pay applications and jobsite badges on hold until every finding is resolved, then file the verified packet so it is ready if you ever need to tender a claim.

Try it

Is this roofing COI compliant?

Toggle what Ridgeline Roofing Inc.'s packet shows. The verdict updates the way Pikorua Security's roofing template scores it.

What the packet from Ridgeline Roofing Inc. shows

  • 04 13 or later edition

  • Edition matches CG 20 10

  • On a torch-applied spec. Red flag if present.

  • Story or feet limitation. Red flag if present.

  • Follows form over completed ops

  • Both GL and WC

Switch on = present in the packet. Switch off = missing.

Deficient: 2 findings

  • CG 20 37 for completed operations

    No AI status when the roof leaks after turnover.

  • Hot work or torch-down exclusion

    Fire from torch work is excluded.

Pikorua Security would send a deficiency notice to the sub and its broker citing each item, and hold payment until a corrected endorsement arrives.

Related trades

All 14 trade guides

Questions

Roofing COI questions

Why does roofing have the highest COI defect rate?
Roofing carriers control fall, fire and water exposure with restrictive endorsements: hot work exclusions, height limits, residential exclusions and completed operations restrictions. None of those appear on the ACORD 25, so a certificate can look compliant while the policy behind it excludes the work. Pikorua Security's 2026 benchmark puts roofing at 84% of packets deficient on first review.
Do I need CG 20 37 from a roofing subcontractor?
Yes. Most roofing claims (leaks, wind uplift, failed flashing) happen after the work is complete. CG 20 10 on the 04 13 edition covers ongoing operations only, so without CG 20 37 or an equivalent completed operations endorsement the GC has no additional insured status when a post-completion leak claim arrives.
What is a hot work exclusion on a roofing policy?
It is a carrier endorsement that removes coverage for fire or damage arising from torches, kettles, hot air welders or other heat-applied roofing methods. Some versions exclude the work entirely; others restore coverage only if conditions such as a fire watch are met. If your spec calls for torch-applied or hot-mopped roofing, treat a hot work exclusion as a deficiency.

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