ACORD publishes over 800 standardized forms for the insurance industry. Only a fraction apply to construction, but knowing which ones you need and when to collect them separates a well-protected GC from one carrying hidden risk. A 2024 Zurich construction risk report showed that 29% of coverage disputes trace back to collecting the wrong form or missing a form entirely.

This guide lists every ACORD form relevant to your construction projects, explains what each one does, and tells you exactly when to collect it.

1. ACORD 25: Certificate of Liability Insurance

What it covers: General liability, automobile liability, umbrella/excess liability, and workers compensation in a single summary document.

When you need it: Every subcontractor, every project, no exceptions.

The ACORD 25 is your primary compliance document. It confirms that a sub carries active coverage and lists the limits, carriers, and policy dates for their main liability policies. The current version (2016/03 revision) includes space for up to five insurance carriers and dedicated rows for each coverage type.

Collect this form before any sub mobilizes to your jobsite. Re-collect it whenever a policy renewal occurs during the project.

The ACORD 25 also contains the description of operations field where additional insured status and waiver of subrogation endorsements should be referenced. About 72% of GC compliance reviews start and end with this single form.

2. ACORD 27: Evidence of Property Insurance

What it covers: Personal property insurance on specific assets like equipment, tools, and materials.

When you need it: Subcontractors bringing high-value owned or leased equipment to your jobsite.

If a mechanical sub brings a $220,000 pipe-welding rig to your site, the ACORD 27 confirms it is insured. Without this form, equipment damage or theft could trigger a claim against your builder's risk policy or leave the sub seeking reimbursement from you.

Collect the ACORD 27 when the equipment value exceeds your threshold. Most GCs set that threshold between $25,000 and $50,000 per piece of equipment.

Key fields to verify: property description, valuation method (actual cash value vs. replacement cost), covered perils, and deductible amount. A high deductible on the sub's equipment policy can mean they skip filing smaller claims and come to you instead.

3. ACORD 28: Evidence of Commercial Property Insurance

What it covers: Commercial property insurance including building coverage, business personal property, and business income protection.

When you need it: Subcontractors responsible for insuring a structure, building component, or portion of the project.

The ACORD 28 is broader than the ACORD 27. It covers real property (buildings, structures) in addition to personal property. You see this form most often on design-build projects where subs carry their own property coverage on installed work, or when a sub leases a project-adjacent structure for staging.

This form includes fields for coinsurance percentage, agreed value options, and business income coverage. If a sub carries business income coverage tied to your project, their carrier could seek recovery from you if project delays cause the sub's income loss.

4. ACORD 75: Insurance Binder

What it covers: Temporary proof of coverage before a formal policy is issued.

When you need it: New subcontractors starting work before their policy paperwork finalizes.

A binder is a temporary agreement from a carrier that coverage is in effect. Binders typically last 30-90 days while the carrier completes underwriting and issues the policy. The ACORD 75 documents this temporary coverage.

Accept binders only in time-sensitive situations. Always set a follow-up date to collect the permanent ACORD 25 once the policy issues. Never allow a binder to replace a full certificate for more than 60 days.

About 8% of binders fail to convert to policies due to underwriting issues discovered after binding. If a binder does not convert, the sub loses coverage retroactively.

5. ACORD 101: Additional Remarks Schedule

What it covers: Supplemental information that does not fit in the description of operations field on other ACORD forms.

When you need it: Complex projects requiring detailed endorsement descriptions, multiple additional insured listings, or extended coverage notes.

The ACORD 25's description of operations field is limited in size. When you need to document multiple project addresses, list several additional insured parties, or describe non-standard endorsements, the ACORD 101 serves as the overflow page.

On a $100M hospital project with 15 additional insured entities (owner, architect, CM, lenders, joint venture partners), a single ACORD 25 cannot list them all. The ACORD 101 attached to the certificate handles the complete listing.

Verify that the ACORD 101 references the ACORD 25 certificate number it supplements. An ACORD 101 without a linked certificate has no context and no compliance value.

6. ACORD 126: Commercial General Liability Section

What it covers: Detailed breakdown of GL coverage terms beyond what the ACORD 25 summarizes.

When you need it: When the ACORD 25 GL section needs expansion, particularly for specialty coverages.

The ACORD 126 details GL coverage components that the ACORD 25 only summarizes. This includes products-completed operations aggregate, personal and advertising injury limits, damage to rented premises limits, and medical expense limits.

You should collect the ACORD 126 when dealing with subs performing work that carries elevated products-completed operations risk. Waterproofing contractors, fire protection installers, and structural steel fabricators all fall into this category.

The form also breaks out whether the GL policy includes independent contractors coverage, contractual liability coverage, and explosion/collapse/underground (XCU) coverage. For demolition and excavation subs, XCU confirmation is non-negotiable.

7. ACORD 855: Section II - Workers Compensation and Employers Liability

What it covers: Detailed workers compensation and employers liability information beyond the WC row on the ACORD 25.

When you need it: Every sub with employees on your jobsite, particularly on multi-state projects.

The ACORD 25 includes a single WC row. The ACORD 855 expands that into a full breakdown showing statutory WC coverage by state, employers liability limits (each accident, disease-policy, disease-each employee), and managed care information.

On multi-state projects, the ACORD 855 is where you confirm that the sub's WC policy covers the states where your project is located. A sub headquartered in Georgia working on your Texas project must have Texas listed on their WC policy. The ACORD 855 makes this verification straightforward.

Collect this form from every sub with employees. For sole proprietors who are exempt from WC in their state, collect a signed WC waiver instead.

Which ACORD Forms to Collect From Every Sub vs. Project-Specific

Form	Collect From Every Sub	Project-Specific	Condition
ACORD 25	Yes	-	Always required
ACORD 855	Yes (if they have employees)	-	Sole proprietors exempt in some states
ACORD 27	No	Yes	Equipment value over $25K-$50K
ACORD 28	No	Yes	Sub insuring structures or property
ACORD 75	No	Yes	Temporary, replace with ACORD 25
ACORD 101	No	Yes	Complex additional insured listings
ACORD 126	No	Yes	High products-completed ops risk

Setting Up Your ACORD Collection Process

A reliable ACORD collection process has three tiers.

Tier 1: Universal collection. ACORD 25 and ACORD 855 from every sub before mobilization. No certificate, no work. This is non-negotiable.

Tier 2: Risk-based collection. ACORD 27, 28, 126 based on trade category, equipment value, and scope risk. Define triggers in your insurance requirements matrix so project managers know when these are needed.

Tier 3: Situational collection. ACORD 75 for temporary coverage, ACORD 101 for complex projects. These should be exceptions, not routine.

Track collection status for every sub on a project-level dashboard. The data we see across our platform shows that GCs who track at the project level achieve 94% initial compliance rates compared to 71% for those who track at the company level.

Managing ACORD Forms Across Multiple Projects

When you run 10 or more concurrent projects, ACORD management becomes a volume problem. A sub working on three of your projects needs separate ACORD 25 forms for each project if you require project-specific descriptions of operations.

Build your process around the sub, not the project. Maintain a master file for each sub that includes their base coverage information. Then layer project-specific requirements on top. This way, when a sub's GL policy renews, you update the base record and push renewal requests to every project where that sub is active.

The math gets large quickly. A GC with 200 active subs across 15 projects manages roughly 3,000 active certificate records at any given time. Manual tracking with spreadsheets breaks down around the 500-record mark based on error rates we observe.

Common ACORD Handling Mistakes

Collecting only the ACORD 25. The certificate of liability insurance does not cover property, detailed WC, or specialty GL needs. Relying on a single form creates blind spots.

Accepting expired binders. A 60-day-old ACORD 75 with no follow-up ACORD 25 means the sub may not have active coverage. Binder follow-up should be calendared on the day you accept it.

Ignoring the ACORD 101. When a broker attaches an ACORD 101 to a certificate, it contains information that did not fit on the main form. Skipping the supplemental page means missing endorsement details that affect your coverage.

Filing forms without reading them. About 16% of certificates in our system flagged a compliance issue on first review. Filing without review means accepting risk you do not understand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to collect ACORD forms from suppliers who only deliver materials? If the supplier's employees enter your jobsite (drivers unloading materials, for example), collect at least an ACORD 25 and verify auto liability and WC coverage. If materials are delivered to a staging area outside your controlled site, collection is optional but recommended for high-value deliveries.

Can one ACORD 25 cover multiple projects for the same sub? Technically yes, but it weakens your compliance position. The description of operations field should reference each project specifically. A generic certificate covering "all projects" does not confirm project-specific endorsements and may not hold up in an additional insured dispute.

What is the difference between ACORD 25 and ACORD 24? The ACORD 24 is a certificate of property insurance used primarily for real estate and lending transactions. The ACORD 25 covers liability insurance. In construction, you use the ACORD 25 for liability and the ACORD 27 or 28 for property. The ACORD 24 rarely applies.

How do I handle ACORD forms from out-of-state subcontractors? Verify that their carriers are licensed in your project's state and that their WC policy lists your project state. The ACORD 855 is where state-specific WC coverage appears. Also confirm that the producer who issued the certificate is licensed in your state.

Should I request ACORD forms from owner-operators with no employees? Yes. Owner-operators still need GL and auto coverage. They may be exempt from WC in many states, but collect a WC waiver to document their exempt status. If they get injured on your site without WC coverage, workers compensation laws in many states presume they are your employee.

What happens if a sub's broker refuses to issue a project-specific ACORD 25? Some brokers resist project-specific certificates because they require more work. Your subcontract should require project-specific documentation. If the broker will not comply, the sub needs to either push back on their broker or find one who will. Do not lower your requirements because of broker resistance.

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