The venue wants a certificate.

Los Angeles permits: whose rules say what

In Los Angeles, the insurance terms come from whoever controls the property, and they differ. Two published examples:

City Recreation and Parks: the Cheviot Hills sheets

• The Cheviot Hills Recreation Center's insurance sheets ask for $1,000,000 in commercial general liability, occurrence-based (not claims-made), covering every date on your Application for Facility Use. Other City facilities may post their own sheet, so ask your permit coordinator which one applies.
• The certificate is an ACORD 25 with an additional insured endorsement naming “City of Los Angeles and its Agencies, Boards and Depts.,” 200 North Main Street, City Hall East, Room 1240. A blanket or automatic endorsement has to be stated on the certificate.
• Your broker uploads the certificate at KwikComply. Once it's approved, you get a Certificate Approval Number (CA#) to hand the permit coordinator. The ball diamond and grass field sheet wants it approved at least two weeks before the event.
• The sheet adds $1,000,000 in sexual misconduct coverage when minors will be present, a vendor is involved, or an organized youth group runs the activity.

County of Los Angeles property: SELIP

• County Risk Management says sponsors using County facilities must indemnify the County and carry general liability. The Special Events Liability Insurance Program (SELIP) guide it links, with pages dated September 2023, lists $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate, and the County is automatically an additional insured.
• The guide's exclusions include assault and battery, abuse and sexual molestation, pyrotechnics, amusement devices, athletic participants and independent contractors. Any event with daily attendance over 5,000 is a Class IV risk that goes to the carrier for approval.
• Its host liquor applies only when “No Liquor is Sold or Included in the Ticket Price.” Events that sell liquor or include it in admission need liquor liability.
• County facilities run by concessionaires, such as Raging Waters, can't use SELIP, and beach activities other than weddings aren't approved SELIP activities.

If those exclusions touch your event, send me the permit's insurance wording and I'll shop a standalone event liability policy against it.

Vendors and exhibitors: what organizers collect

A useful model for vendor certificates is the insurance requirements the California Fair Services Authority (CFSA) sets for fair contracts, revised effective January 1, 2022:

• The additional insured wording covers the fair parties “but only insofar as the operations under this contract are concerned.”
• For an individual event, the certificate lists the event dates plus all set-up and tear-down dates.
• General liability is occurrence-based and at least as broad as ISO form CG 00 01. Most contracts need $1,000,000 per occurrence. Concerts over 5,000 attendees, and swap meets or flea markets held two or more times a calendar year, need $2,000,000. Carnival rides need $5,000,000.
• Contracts involving alcohol sales need $1,000,000 in liquor liability. Contractor vehicles on the fairgrounds need $1,000,000 combined single limit auto liability.
• The certificate lists exclusions and sublimits that apply to the vendor's work, plus any deductible or self-insured retention of $100,000 or more. The vendor's coverage is primary.
• For hazardous participant events, such as athletic, rodeo, motorized or wheeled events, the contractor collects a signed release and waiver from each participant.

The LA County program above lists independent contractors among its exclusions, one more reason to have each vendor's own certificate in hand before move-in day. If you're the exhibitor, IRMI describes exhibitor insurance as general liability, property on exhibit (including in transit to and from shows) and cancellation insurance. If you run the space, see event venue insurance.

Official sources

• City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks, Cheviot Hills Recreation Center: Insurance Requirements
• City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks, Cheviot Hills Recreation Center: Insurance Requirements, Ball Diamonds & Grass Fields
• County of Los Angeles Risk Management: Insurance Programs (SELIP)
• County of Los Angeles: Special Events Liability Insurance Program guide (pages dated September 2023)
• California ABC: Daily Licenses
• California ABC: ABC-221 Instructions (Revised 09/23)
• California ABC: Form ABC-221, Daily License Application (Rev. 11/2023)
• California Fair Services Authority: Insurance Requirements (revised effective January 1, 2022)
• IRMI Glossary: Exhibitor Insurance