Denver excavation contractor bonds.
$250 flat. Five minutes.
The City and County of Denver requires a $50,000 bond before you excavate in the public right-of-way — its streets, alleys, and sidewalks. The Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI) sets the amount; ours is $250 flat, set by our carrier for this bond. The application is five minutes, and the form collects no credit information.
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Three steps. One sitting.
Denver won't issue your excavation permit without this on file. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That's the application — no credit section, no follow-up scavenger hunt. Most applicants approve instantly; if a check ever runs, it's a soft pull that won't touch your score.
Pay & e-sign
Municipal license bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.
File with DOTI
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with Denver Contractor Licensing and your DOTI excavation permit. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
When you cut into a Denver street, alley, or sidewalk, the city wants a financial backstop that you'll restore the public right-of-way to its standards afterward. The City and County of Denver Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI) conditions your right-of-way license and excavation permit on a $50,000 surety bond.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier standing behind you, and the City and County of Denver (the obligee). If you fail to comply with DOTI's requirements, specifications, and instructions — or leave the right-of-way unrestored — the city can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Contractors who backfill, compact, and repave to Denver's standards treat the bond as a licensing formality, and we keep your $50,000 filing continuous with renewal notices 60 and 30 days out.
You need this bond if you're
Five minutes. The whole thing.
These are the actual issuing fields — the application collects no credit information.
Start the application →Common questions.
If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
How much is the Denver excavation contractor bond? ▾
Do I pay the $50,000? ▾
Who requires this bond? ▾
Is there a credit check? ▾
When does it renew? ▾
Other Colorado bonds.
DOTI is waiting on one document.
$250 flat, five-minute application, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.