Colorado commodity handler bonds.
From $125.
Before the Colorado Department of Agriculture licenses a commodity handler, you must file a surety bond conditioned on the honest handling of commodities. The amount is sized to your purchase volume — $10,000 minimum, up to $1,000,000 — and the premium is 1% of that amount plus a $25 fee, $125 minimum.
Trusted by industry leaders
How much does a Colorado commodity handler bond cost?
1% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, from $125. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard commodity bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the Department of Agriculture. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your business details, the bond amount your license requires, and the effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
No credit check up to $25,000. Above $25,000, a soft pull may add a short review.
File with the Department of Agriculture
Submit the executed bond with your commodity handler license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the department insists on them.
What it is and who needs it.
What the commodity bond actually covers
Colorado regulates commodity handlers through the Department of Agriculture under the Commodities Handlers and Farm Products law, now codified at C.R.S. 35-36-201 et seq. A commodity handler buys agricultural commodities from producers, and the state requires a bond before licensing so producers have recourse if a handler fails to pay.
The bond is conditioned on compliance with the law and the faithful and honest handling of commodities, and it covers inspection fees owed the department plus the costs of any suit on the bond. It is payable for the benefit of the producers and others the handler does business with.
The amount is set by the commissioner — generally about 2% of your prior calendar year's Colorado commodity purchases, with a floor of $10,000 and a cap of $1,000,000, and the premium — from $125 — scales with it. As a candid note: a surety bond may not fully cover every producer's loss if a handler fails, which the statute itself acknowledges. No credit check up to $25,000, and most applications approve instantly. Enter your required amount to see your exact price.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the Department of Agriculture. Submit the executed bond with your commodity handler license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the department insists on them.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, $125 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $25,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
No credit check up to $25,000. The executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file with the Department of Agriculture.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Colorado bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Commodity handler bond, issued today.
Premiums from $125. Enter the amount the commissioner set and file with the Department of Agriculture the same day.