Is a lost policy release the same as an ACORD 35?

It is one use of it. The ACORD 35 is titled Cancellation Request / Policy Release. The policy release box, with the signed statement that the policy is lost, destroyed or being retained, is what agencies call a lost policy release.

Does sending an ACORD 175 change the policy?

No. The form describes itself as an acknowledgement of a request and says the company’s records will be adjusted upon approval. Treat the change as made only when the insurer confirms it.

Who signs an ACORD 35?

The named insured, with a witness line beside each signature. The form also has signature lines for an additional interest such as a mortgagee or loss payee, and for the producer.

ACORD 175ACORD 35

ACORD 175 or ACORD 35: which form for a policy change, and which for a cancellation or lost policy release?

By the Rayon research desk · Last reviewed October 7, 2026

ACORD 175, Commercial Policy Change Request, asks the insurer to add, change or delete something on a commercial policy from a stated effective date. ACORD 35, Cancellation Request / Policy Release, asks the insurer to cancel, and its policy release section is the signed statement used when the policy is not being returned. The named insured signs the ACORD 35, and the ACORD 175 says any deletion or reduction in coverage requires the insured’s signature.

How do the two forms compare?

	ACORD 175 (2016/03)	ACORD 35 (2017/05)
Title on the form	Commercial Policy Change Request	Cancellation Request / Policy Release
Asks the insurer to	Add, change or delete an item on a policy that stays in force	Cancel the policy from a stated date and time
Key dates	Effective date of change, policy inception and expiration	Cancellation date and hour, policy term
What it identifies	Agency, carrier, policy number, policy type, named insured, and the item changed	Producer, company, insured, policy number and policy type
Signature lines	Producer and insured. “Any deletion or reduction in coverage requires the Insured’s signature”	Named insured, with a witness line. An additional interest such as a mortgagee or loss payee also has a signature line. Producer signs at the foot
Agency or company section	A short description of changes, with an ACORD 101 for overflow	Reason for cancellation, method (flat, short rate or pro rata), and return premium

What does an ACORD 175 need?

The top of the form takes the agency, carrier, policy number, the effective date of the change, the policy dates and a tick for the policy type: property, auto, workers compensation, inland marine, truckers, umbrella, motor carriers, general liability or business owners. Below that is a short description of the changes.

The rest is a set of sections, each with add, change and delete boxes: premises, nature of business, vehicles, drivers, workers compensation rating information, property and inland marine, a general liability schedule of hazards, and additional interests. Fill in only the sections that are changing.

The form carries its own caution: “This is an acknowledgement of your request. Upon approval, the company’s records will be adjusted accordingly, and if a premium adjustment is required, it will be done at premium audit or by endorsement.” Sending the form does not change the policy. The change is in force when the insurer confirms it. Vertafore’s help pages show the form generated from an endorsement transaction in the management system, which keeps the request and the policy record together.

What does an ACORD 35 need, and what is a lost policy release?

The form has two tick-boxes. “Cancellation request (Policy attached)” is for a policy being returned. “Policy release” is for one that is not, and it is what people mean by a lost policy release. Ticking it brings in the statement that the undersigned agrees: the policy “is lost, destroyed or being retained”; “No claims of any type will be made against the Insurance Company, its agents or its representatives, under this policy for losses which occur after the date of cancellation shown above”; and any premium adjustment will follow the policy’s terms.

The signature lines are for the named insured, with a witness beside each. Separate lines take the authorized signature and title of an additional interest: a lienholder, mortgagee, loss payee or lender’s loss payable. The 2017/05 edition marks those lines not applicable in New Hampshire.

The lower half is for agency or company use: the reason (not taken, requested by insured, rewritten, or other), the method of cancellation, the premium figures, a distribution list and the producer’s signature. If the policy was rewritten, the form asks for the new company, policy number and effective date.

What should be checked before either form is sent?

The date, and on the ACORD 35 the hour. The insured is agreeing to make no claim for losses after that moment, so a wrong date is not a clerical matter.
Replacement coverage. Before sending a cancellation for a rewritten policy, confirm the new policy is bound and its effective date matches.
Signatures. The named insured on the ACORD 35, and the insured on any ACORD 175 that deletes or reduces coverage. Ask the insurer what it accepts if the form cannot be signed in the usual way.
Additional interests. A mortgagee, loss payee or lienholder on the policy may need to sign or be told.
Certificates. List holders who were sent proof of the coverage being cancelled or reduced.
The method of cancellation, which affects the return premium. Confirm it with the insurer and do not promise the insured a figure.
Afterwards: keep the request open until the insurer’s endorsement or cancellation confirmation arrives and has been read against what was asked.

Sources

General information, not legal advice or an interpretation of your policy. Policy forms and endorsements control. Form numbers are © Insurance Services Office, Inc. and are cited for reference.