CG 20 37 is the ISO endorsement that adds a person or organization named in its schedule, typically a project owner or general contractor, as an additional insured on your general liability policy for the products-completed operations hazard. It is the after-the-work-is-finished counterpart to CG 20 10, and construction contracts that know what they are asking for require the two forms together.
If a contract names this form, the other party wants protection under your policy for claims that surface after your crews have packed up and the work is in use. This page explains what the endorsement does, how it differs from its ongoing operations sibling, and why contracts often require you to keep it in force for years after the project closes out.
What does CG 20 37 do?
The endorsement modifies the Who Is An Insured section of your CGL policy to include the person or organization shown in its schedule. That party becomes an additional insured for bodily injury or property damage caused, in whole or in part, by your work at the location designated in the schedule and performed for that party, when the injury or damage falls within the products-completed operations hazard.
In plain terms, if the deck you built collapses two years later or the wiring you installed starts a fire after the certificate of occupancy, the owner or general contractor who hired you can tender that claim to your insurer instead of paying from its own policy.
The scheduled version of the form does not itself demand a written contract, since naming a party in the schedule is a deliberate act. Many carriers issue blanket completed operations wording instead, and blanket versions do hinge on an executed written agreement, so the paperwork has to exist before the loss. Our overview of additional insured endorsements explains how scheduled and blanket approaches differ across the whole endorsement family.
What is the products-completed operations hazard?
The products-completed operations hazard is the slice of your liability exposure that begins when your work is finished and put to its intended use. During construction, a claim from a dropped ladder or a trench collapse belongs to your ongoing operations, which is CG 20 10 territory for the additional insured.
Once you have completed your scope and the owner occupies the space, claims arising from that work shift into the completed operations hazard, and only CG 20 37 extends the additional insured's protection there. Construction defect claims are the classic example, because water intrusion, settlement, and component failures typically reveal themselves months or years after final payment.
This timing is exactly why the two endorsements travel together. A contract that requires only ongoing operations coverage leaves the owner unprotected for the riskiest years of a project's life, so sophisticated contracts specify both forms and often the edition dates too:
| Question | CG 20 10 | CG 20 37 |
|---|---|---|
| When does it protect the additional insured? | While your work is in progress | After your work is complete and in use |
| Typical claim | A jobsite injury during construction | A component failure discovered after occupancy |
| Who asks for it? | Owners and GCs on active projects | The same parties, for the years after closeout |
| Contract pairing | Required alongside CG 20 37 | Required alongside CG 20 10 |
How long do you have to maintain it?
Additional insured status under CG 20 37 exists only while the endorsement is attached to a live policy, and completed operations claims arrive late by nature. Contracts therefore commonly obligate you to keep the endorsement in force for two or three years after project completion, and some tie the obligation to the state's statute of repose, which is the outer legal deadline for construction defect suits. That means the contract you signed in one policy year quietly constrains your insurance purchasing for several renewal cycles.
The coverage the endorsement grants is also capped in the modern editions. Protection extends only to the extent permitted by law, goes no broader than the written contract requires, and pays the lesser of the amount the contract demands or your available limits of insurance. Providing a certificate at project close does not end the obligation either, since the promise runs with the contract rather than the paper, and our certificate of insurance guide covers why certificates confer no coverage on their own.
What should you check before agreeing to provide it?
Contract insurance requirements are commitments your policy either can or cannot keep, and the time to find out is before signature. Confirm with your broker that your carrier will issue CG 20 37 or blanket wording that matches it, since some insurers exclude or surcharge completed operations additional insured status in defect-prone classes.
Read the maintenance clause and price the obligation, because two or three years of continued endorsements is a real cost that belongs in your bid.
Check the edition date the contract demands, as the 10 01, 07 04, 04 13, and 12 19 editions parallel the CG 20 10 series and the 04 13 and later versions cap coverage at what the contract requires and state law permits. Finally, make sure the paired CG 20 10 requirement is satisfied on the same policy, and that any primary and noncontributory clause is backed by CG 20 01 or equivalent wording.
Where can you see the actual form?
Menlo does not host ISO forms because they are copyrighted by Insurance Services Office, Inc. You can read the real text through your own policy, which attaches every endorsement issued on it, or by asking your broker for the specimen your carrier files. Regulator-approved filings are also publicly viewable through SERFF Filing Access, the state filing system, though the forms there remain copyrighted and are for reading, not copying.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CG 20 37 and CG 20 10?
CG 20 10 covers the additional insured for liability arising from your ongoing operations, meaning work in progress. CG 20 37 covers the same party for the products-completed operations hazard, meaning claims that arise after the work is finished and in use. Construction contracts typically require both so protection continues past completion.
How long does CG 20 37 coverage last after a project ends?
Only as long as the endorsement stays attached to an active policy. Because completed operations claims surface late, contracts commonly require you to maintain the endorsement for two or three years after completion, or for the period the state statute of repose allows construction defect suits.
Does CG 20 37 require a written contract?
The scheduled version does not, since the carrier deliberately names the additional insured in the schedule. Blanket versions of the coverage do require an executed written agreement, so if your policy uses blanket wording, sign the contract before the work and before any loss.
Does CG 20 37 cover the additional insured's own negligence?
No. Coverage applies to injury or damage caused in whole or in part by your work performed for the additional insured. The modern editions also limit protection to what the law permits and what the written contract requires, and they pay no more than the lesser of the contract amount or your limits.
This guide is for educational purposes and summarizes standard ISO policy language in Menlo's own words. Form numbers and titles are cited for identification only, and Menlo Insurance Services is not affiliated with Insurance Services Office, Inc. Your policy's specific terms, conditions, and endorsements control. Talk to a licensed broker about your actual exposures.