CE-200 Form in New York: Who Can Use It and How to Get One

A CE-200 is New York’s Certificate of Attestation of Exemption. It tells a government agency that the person or business applying for a permit, license, or contract is not required to carry workers’ compensation, disability, or Paid Family Leave insurance. You get it online through New York Business Express, and each certificate is good for one specific permit, license, or contract (New York State Workers’ Compensation Board).

The short version:

• The CE-200 is mainly for New York businesses with no employees, and for out-of-state businesses whose work is done entirely outside New York.
• Certain homeowners acting as their own general contractor can also use it for a building permit.
• It is only for government agencies. A private client, a general contractor, or an insurance company does not have to accept it.
• You need a new CE-200 for every building permit. One certificate cannot be reused.
• Apply at businessexpress.ny.gov; the certificate arrives by email, and you print and sign it.

This is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Whether you need coverage depends on your business and who works for it; the Board’s own pages decide the question.

What the CE-200 is for

New York agencies cannot issue most permits, licenses, or contracts until the applicant shows either proof of insurance or proof that insurance is not required. The CE-200 is the second kind of proof. It is an attestation: you state, under your own signature, why the law does not require you to carry coverage.

The Board is specific about what the form cannot do. It can only be used to attest to a government entity. It cannot be used to answer the Board about a period without coverage or a penalty, and it cannot be used to show another business, or that business’s insurer, that you do not need a policy.

That last limit surprises a lot of sole proprietors. A town building department will take your CE-200. The general contractor who hired you is free to refuse it and ask for a certificate of insurance instead.

Who can get a CE-200

In a November 2026 bulletin, the Board listed the kinds of applicant that can generally obtain the certificate:

“No employees” is stricter than it sounds. For a sole proprietor, the Board counts part-time employees, borrowed and leased employees, family members, and volunteers as employees who trigger the coverage requirement. If anyone like that works in the business, you need a policy, not a CE-200.

Which business owners do not need coverage

Whether you can truthfully sign a CE-200 depends on how the business is set up:

• Sole proprietors. Coverage is not required for a sole proprietor with no employees, though you can choose to cover yourself.
• Partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs. Coverage is not required when there are no employees.
• One- or two-person corporations. Coverage is not required when those one or two people own all of the stock and hold all of the offices, and there are no employees.
• Larger corporations. Coverage is required when there are more than two officers or more than two shareholders, or when the one or two officers do not own all the shares.

How to apply online

The application is on New York Business Express. The Board’s step-by-step guide covers the whole process; in outline:

1. Go to businessexpress.ny.gov and log in. You need a NY.gov business account. If you do not have one, register, activate it from the email you are sent, set your security questions, and create a password.
2. On the home page, choose Certificate of Attestation of Exemption under Top Requests, or search the A–Z index for CE-200.
3. Under How to Apply, pick Apply as a Business or Apply as a Homeowner. The homeowner route is for people getting permits to work on their own residence.
4. Fill in the application screens. Have the details of the permit, license, or contract ready, including the agency that will issue it, because the certificate is tied to that one filing.
5. Review the summary, attest, and submit.
6. Wait for the email saying the certificate has been issued, then open it from the email or from your dashboard.
7. Print it, sign it, and hand it to the agency with your permit, license, or contract paperwork.

If the system gives you trouble, the New York Business Express contact center is on (518) 485-5000. The Board’s exemption pages list no application fee.

Use exactly the same name on the CE-200 as on the permit application. The agency checks the certificate against its own paperwork, and a mismatch is an easy reason to send you back.

One certificate per permit

Certificates are valid only for the specific license, permit, or contract they name. The Board adds that building permits are job-specific, so a separate certificate is needed for each one. A roofer who pulls ten permits in a season files ten CE-200s.

There is no annual “blanket” exemption in New York. If you have seen that idea, it comes from other states: Florida issues a two-year exemption certificate to company officers, and Tennessee keeps a two-year exemption registry for construction owners. New York’s form works filing by filing.

How agencies verify a CE-200

Every certificate carries a unique number. An agency, or anyone else, can look it up in the Board’s online verification search by the person’s name, the business name, the federal employer ID number, or the certificate number. The result shows the certificate number, the name, the location and permit type, the issuing agency, and the issue date.

The same page tells people what to do if a business holding a CE-200 turns out to have employees: report it on the Board’s employer whistleblower form. Signing a CE-200 while people are working for you is a false statement to the state, and it leaves those workers uninsured.

When a CE-200 is not enough

• You hire someone. The exemption rests on having no employees. Once you take on a worker, including a part-timer or a relative, you need a workers’ comp policy, and the next permit needs a certificate of insurance from your insurer instead.
• A private client wants proof of insurance. The CE-200 is not meant for them. Many general contractors require every subcontractor to carry a policy, because uninsured subs can end up on the contractor’s own audit. The Board’s page on independent contractors notes that many sole proprietors, partnerships, and one- or two-person corporations with no employees, who are not otherwise legally required to have a policy, end up being required to purchase one.
• The Board has written to you. A CE-200 does not answer a notice about missing coverage or a penalty. Respond to the Board directly.

If a client insists on a certificate and you have no employees, the usual answer is a minimum-premium policy. Our guide to the ghost policy explains what that covers and what it does not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the CE-200 form free?

The Workers’ Compensation Board’s exemption pages do not list a fee for the certificate. You apply through New York Business Express with a NY.gov business account.

How long is a CE-200 valid?

It has no fixed term. It is valid only for the license, permit, or contract named on it, and a new permit needs a new certificate.

Can I use one CE-200 for several building permits?

No. The Board treats building permits as job-specific, so each permit needs its own certificate.

Can a homeowner get a CE-200?

Yes, in some cases. A homeowner acting as general contractor on a primary or secondary owner-occupied residence can apply as a homeowner if they meet the Board’s criteria.

Will a general contractor accept my CE-200?

They do not have to. The form is for government agencies. A contractor or its insurer can still ask you for a certificate of workers’ comp insurance.

Can an LLC with no employees get a CE-200?

Yes. Workers’ comp coverage is not required for a partnership, LLC, or LLP with no employees, so the business can attest to that on a CE-200.

Where to go from here

Check which of the Board’s categories fits your business before you sign anything, and apply for the certificate only when you have the permit details in hand. If you are about to hire, read how workers’ compensation insurance for small business is priced, and how the rules treat independent contractors and 1099 workers. Arhox is an independent publication, not an insurer, broker, or law firm; our editorial policy and disclaimer explain how these guides are prepared.