TxDOT Form 1560, Certificate of Insurance: Filing and Renewal

TxDOT Form 1560 is the Certificate of Insurance that any business holding a Texas Department of Transportation contract must have on file before the contract is executed and must keep current for the life of the work. Your insurance agent completes and signs it, not you, but you are the one responsible for making sure it reaches TxDOT on time with the right information. A standard ACORD certificate is not a substitute; only TxDOT’s own Form 1560 counts as proof of insurance for department contracts.¹²

Who Has to File It

Any business contracting with TxDOT for road construction, bridge maintenance, professional engineering services, or similar work must provide a completed Form 1560 before the contract can be executed.¹ It applies to prime contractors and, in many cases, to subcontractors whose work falls under the prime’s TxDOT agreement.

One quick boundary. If you hold a motor carrier registration with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles rather than a TxDOT contract, Form 1560 is not your form. Motor carriers prove liability and cargo coverage through separate electronic filings (Form E, H, and I) in the TxDMV system.³

Coverage the Form Must Show

Form 1560 documents three types of insurance. The minimums printed on the form are a baseline, and your specific contract may require higher amounts.

Workers’ Compensation

Statutory Texas workers’ compensation coverage is required, with one non-negotiable condition: the policy must carry a waiver of subrogation endorsement in favor of TxDOT before the form is submitted. The form’s instructions tell agents not to complete the certificate unless that endorsement is already on the policy.² Adding the waiver to an existing policy can take a few days at the carrier, so handle it early.

Commercial General Liability

The form accepts CGL limits in either of two formats, whichever matches your policy:

Split limits of $500,000 bodily injury per occurrence, $100,000 property damage per occurrence, and $100,000 aggregate.
Combined single limit of $600,000 per occurrence.

Construction and maintenance contracts under TxDOT’s 2024 Standard Specifications require a minimum of $600,000 per occurrence, which lines up with the combined single limit option.⁴ Check your contract documents before telling your agent what to enter.

Business Automobile Liability

The form’s baseline auto limits are $250,000 per person, $500,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, and $100,000 per occurrence for property damage.² Construction contracts under the Standard Specifications require $600,000 combined single limit on the business auto policy.⁴ When a construction contract calls for a higher amount, the contract overrides the form’s printed baseline.

If your contract involves a building or facility, an additional all-risk builder’s risk policy covering 100% of the contract price is required, with TxDOT named under the loss-payable clause.⁴ That coverage goes on the form in addition to the three standard types.

What to Give Your Agent Before They Start

Your agent fills in the form, but the agent needs several pieces of information only you can supply. Pull these together before you call:

Your 11-digit Vendor Identification Number. This is your nine-digit FEIN plus two digits assigned by TxDOT, and it appears on your TxDOT vendor profile. It is what links the certificate to your contract.
Your insured name and address, matching your prequalified name in TxDOT’s records exactly. An ampersand in place of “and,” a missing “Inc.,” or a DBA instead of a legal name can all cause a rejection.
The type of contract: construction, maintenance, or professional services. Coverage minimums differ.

Carrier names, addresses, phone numbers, policy numbers, effective dates, and expiration dates for each coverage type come from your agent’s own records.²

How the Agent Completes It

Your agent enters the insured information at the top, works through the three coverage sections (workers’ compensation, commercial general liability, business auto) with carrier details, policy numbers, dates, and limits, and signs and dates the form at the bottom. An unsigned form will be rejected. Make sure the version used is the current one, Form 1560-CS, since TxDOT updates it periodically and an outdated version may not be accepted.

One situation catches contractors regularly. If different agents handle different coverage types, say one writes your workers’ comp and another handles your auto and general liability, each agent must issue a complete Form 1560 covering the policies they manage.² One agent cannot fill out half and send it to the other to finish. Both agents produce their own full certificate, and both go to TxDOT. Coordinate ahead of time.

How to Submit It

Once the agent signs the form, it can go to TxDOT by:

Email to CST_Insurance@txdot.gov
Fax to (512) 416-2536
Mail to the address printed on page one of the form

There is a catch with fax. A faxed form must be followed up with the originally signed hard copy mailed to TxDOT.² Email is the cleanest option for most agents, delivering a complete signed document in one step.

The certificate must be on file before TxDOT will execute your contract. No certificate, no signed contract, no work. Plan the submission so TxDOT receives it well before your anticipated start date.

Keeping the Certificate Current

Coverage has to stay active for the entire life of the contract.⁴ When a policy approaches expiration, your agent needs to submit an updated Form 1560 reflecting the renewed policy, and it must reach TxDOT at least one business day before the current policy expires.²

If coverage lapses mid-contract, TxDOT will issue a cease-work notice.¹ All work stops until an updated certificate shows active coverage. That means crews sitting idle, schedule slippage, and potentially liquidated damages depending on your contract terms. A calendar reminder 30 days before each policy expiration gives your agent room to renew, confirm the waiver of subrogation is in place, and submit the new form on time.

Common Reasons the Form Gets Rejected

Most rejections come down to a short list of avoidable errors:

No waiver of subrogation on the workers’ comp policy at the time of submission. Adding it later does not fix a form already sent.
Insured name does not match the prequalified name in TxDOT’s system. Abbreviations, punctuation, or a DBA in place of the legal name will all do it.⁴
Vendor ID shown as the nine-digit FEIN instead of the full 11 digits, leaving TxDOT unable to link the certificate to the contract.
An ACORD certificate submitted in place of Form 1560. Not accepted.¹
Two agents, one incomplete form. Each agent must send a full certificate for the policies they handle.
Limits that meet the form’s printed minimums but fall short of what the contract specifications require.

If you are unsure which version of the form to use, or whether your contract calls for coverage beyond the standard three types, contact the TxDOT district office handling your project or email CST_Insurance@txdot.gov.

1
Texas Department of Transportation. Certificate of Insurance Forms
2
Texas Department of Transportation. Certificate of Insurance
3
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Motor Carrier Handbook
4
Texas Department of Transportation. 2024 Standard Specifications for Construction and Maintenance of Highways, Streets, and Bridges