Arizona law now says a certificate of insurance is not a policy and cannot change your coverage. It also bars anyone from preparing, issuing, requesting or requiring a certificate that is misleading, alters coverage, or claims your policy complies with a contract. For a mover, that changes what you can sign for apartments, HOAs and buildings, and why your endorsements matter more than the certificate.
This guide is for Arizona moving companies, from local residential movers to office and commercial relocation crews, who are routinely asked to send a certificate of insurance (COI) before a building will let the truck in. It is general education, not legal advice.
Three terms matter for everything below:
- Certificate of insurance (COI) is a summary document from an agent or insurer that shows who is insured, the policies, limits and dates. It is evidence of insurance, not the insurance contract.
- Additional insured is a person or business, such as a building owner or manager, that an endorsement adds to your liability policy so it can be protected for claims tied to your work.
- Waiver of subrogation is an agreement, added by endorsement, that stops your insurer from suing a named party to recover what it paid on your claim.
What does Arizona’s new certificate of insurance law say?
House Bill 2996 added A.R.S. § 20-443.03 (Laws 2026, Chapter 122). The governor approved it June 4, 2026. The legislature adjourned June 13, and the general effective date for 2026 Arizona laws was September 12, 2026. The bill’s legislative summary shows no emergency clause, so the law should now be in effect. The act applies to contracts and addenda entered into on or after its effective date, so older vendor agreements may be treated differently.
A “certificate of insurance” in the statute is any document, form, template, questionnaire or other instrument, whatever it is titled, that describes or evidences property or casualty coverage and is prepared by an insurer or producer. Policies, binders, endorsements and auto ID cards are expressly not certificates.
| The statute | Plain meaning for a mover |
|---|---|
| A certificate is not a policy and does not amend, extend or alter coverage or add rights beyond the policy (subsection A) | A COI listing a building as an additional insured does not make it one. The endorsement on the policy does. |
| No person may prepare, issue, request or require a certificate that is false or misleading, alters coverage, or claims the policy complies with a contract’s insurance or indemnification requirements (B) | A building’s form cannot require a certificate stating that your policy “meets all requirements of the vendor agreement,” and your agent should not issue one. |
| A non-policyholder gets notice of cancellation, nonrenewal or a material change only if the policy or an endorsement gives it that right (C) | A building cannot demand cancellation notice through the COI alone. It must be written into the policy. |
| The director can issue cease-and-desist orders and assess up to $1,000 per violation (D) | Enforcement sits with the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, not with you as the insured. |
| Applies to property and casualty risks located in Arizona, wherever the policyholder, insurer or producer is (G) | A van line or out-of-state client sending paperwork for an Arizona move is covered too. |
| A certificate or related document prepared, issued, requested or required in violation is void (H) | A noncompliant COI may carry no weight, which is a reason not to rely on it. |
The statute does not list what a certificate may say, and the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions may adopt rules under subsection F. Watch for them. Texas regulators publish a similar rule set in their certificate of insurance FAQ, which shows how other states read the same idea: a certificate may not say more than the policy.
Where do Arizona movers actually get asked for COIs?
Requirements differ by building and customer, so read each document. Common sources include:
- Apartment communities and condo or HOA associations that require vendors to send a certificate before elevator or loading-dock reservations.
- Office buildings and property managers that set insurance requirements for after-hours commercial moves. See insurance for office relocations.
- Storage facilities, van lines and corporate relocation clients that put insurance terms into a vendor or agent agreement.
Most of these ask for the same few items: auto liability, general liability, workers’ compensation and sometimes cargo or umbrella limits, plus a request to be named as additional insured. What counts is whether your policy can honor each item, not how the certificate is worded. For the base coverage stack, see insurance for Arizona moving companies.
What can you honestly promise in a building’s vendor requirements?
Use this as a way to separate what the certificate can show from what the policy must contain. Endorsement form names are examples; carriers use their own versions, so check the actual edition on your policy.
| Building asks for | What the policy must have | Ask your agent |
|---|---|---|
| Additional insured status for the building or manager | An additional insured endorsement, such as CG 20 26 (a named person or organization) or a carrier blanket form. Coverage generally tracks your operations, is often limited to ongoing work, and shares your limits. | Is the building named or covered by a blanket form? Which edition? Does it include completed operations if the contract requires it? |
| Your insurance is primary and noncontributory | An endorsement such as CG 20 01, which applies when you agreed in a written contract and does not itself grant additional insured status. | Is it on the general liability policy? Does the contract date and wording match? |
| Waiver of subrogation | A waiver endorsement such as CG 24 04, usually for named parties and tied to a written agreement made before the loss. It can affect premium. | Does the same waiver apply to auto and workers’ compensation, or only general liability? |
| Minimum limits (for example $1,000,000 per occurrence) | Limits shown on the declarations. Additional insureds share them; they do not add to them. | Do auto, general liability and umbrella limits match the contract on the move date? |
| Notice of cancellation to the building | A policy provision or endorsement naming the building. A certificate cannot create the right. | Does the policy give notice rights to certificate holders, and to whom? |
| A statement that your insurance “meets the contract” | Not a certificate item under § 20-443.03(B)(3). The building should compare the policy documents to its own requirements. | Can you send the declarations and endorsement pages so the building can verify? |
| Cargo coverage for a customer’s belongings | A motor truck cargo or warehouse legal liability policy. General liability usually does not cover goods in your care, custody or control. | Do cargo limits and exclusions fit the building’s expectations? See cargo insurance and claims. |
Hypothetical: a condo association’s new vendor addendum
This example is hypothetical and simplified. A Phoenix-area residential mover is asked to sign an updated vendor addendum for a condo association in late October 2026. The addendum asks for a certificate showing general liability, auto and workers’ compensation limits, a request to name the association as additional insured, and a line stating the mover’s insurance “complies with all requirements of this addendum.”
- The limits, policy numbers and dates are facts the policy supports. The mover’s agent can show them.
- Additional insured status depends on an endorsement. If the policy lacks one, the mover asks the agent whether one can be added before the move date, because a certificate alone will not do it.
- The “complies with all requirements” line is the kind of statement subsection B(3) bars a certificate from making. The mover can ask the association to remove it and to review the endorsement pages instead.
- The outcome turns on the actual policy, the addendum and the law. Ask an attorney if the language is in dispute.
What does the law not change?
- Your coverage. The statute governs certificates, not the terms of your policy. A claim is still decided by the policy wording, endorsements and facts.
- Your contractual promises. An indemnity or insurance clause you sign can still bind you. See additional insured vs. waiver of subrogation and the general liability claims guide for movers.
- Older agreements. The act applies to contracts or addenda entered into from the effective date, so a vendor agreement signed earlier may be governed differently until it is renewed or amended.
What should you check before you sign a building’s insurance requirements?
- Date of the contract or addendum. Is it new, or an amendment of an older agreement?
- Every insurance sentence. Which items are limits you carry, and which are promises about endorsements?
- Additional insured wording on your policy: form, edition, who is covered and whether completed operations are included.
- Primary and noncontributory and waiver of subrogation endorsements, and the lines they apply to (general liability, auto, workers’ compensation).
- Whether the contract asks for a certificate that says your policy “complies,” and whether to ask the building to delete that wording.
- Limits on the move date for auto, general liability and any umbrella, and any cargo requirement.
- Who gets notice of cancellation, and whether the policy actually provides it.
Want your mover policy checked against a building’s requirements?
Request a coverage conversation with PrimeRisk Insurance Solutions, an independent agency in Queen Creek, Arizona, that works with moving companies. Tell us how to reach you, then we can compare your endorsements and limits with the vendor requirements you have been sent.
No policy upload is needed to start. Keep your declarations pages, endorsement list and the building’s insurance requirements handy.
After you submit, we follow up by email, or by phone if you ask for a call. Starting a conversation does not commit you to changing policies.
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Prefer to talk? Book a call with Kody Houk, Founder & Principal. Learn more about insurance for Arizona moving companies.
This is a review inquiry, not a claim-reporting channel. Report a loss promptly using your insurer’s instructions. Submitting this form does not bind or change coverage, and it does not issue a certificate of insurance.Frequently asked questions
Does a certificate of insurance make a building an additional insured?
No. Under A.R.S. § 20-443.03(A), a certificate is not a policy and does not amend, extend or alter coverage. Additional insured status comes from an endorsement on the policy, so the policy itself has to name or include the building.
Can an Arizona apartment or HOA require my COI to say my policy meets its contract?
Not under the statute. A.R.S. § 20-443.03(B) bars preparing, issuing, requesting or requiring a certificate that claims the policy complies with a contract’s insurance or indemnification requirements. Ask the building to review your declarations and endorsements instead.
When did Arizona’s certificate of insurance law take effect?
Arizona’s general effective date for 2026 laws was September 12, 2026, and the bill’s summary shows no emergency clause. The act applies to contracts and addenda entered into on or after the effective date. Confirm the current status with your agent or attorney.
Does a certificate holder get notice if my policy is cancelled?
Only if the policy or an endorsement gives that right. Under § 20-443.03(C), a person other than the policyholder is entitled to notice of cancellation, nonrenewal or a material change only if the policy or an endorsement affords it.
Who can I contact about insurance for an Arizona moving company?
Contact PrimeRisk Insurance Solutions in Queen Creek, Arizona, or book a conversation with Kody Houk, Founder & Principal. Start with the review form above, then share your declarations pages, endorsements and the building’s insurance requirements. A coverage review is not a claim decision or a guarantee of coverage.
Request a moving company coverage review with your contact details and choice of a call or email.
Coverage descriptions are general education. Actual coverage depends on policy wording, endorsements, facts and applicable law. This article is not legal advice; Arizona statutes are summarized as of October 8, 2026, and the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions may adopt implementing rules.