Denver excavation contractor bonds.
$1,500 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 $1,500 flat, which is 3% of the bond. The application is five minutes, and no credit check on this bond.

Required by Denver DOTI for excavation in the right-of-way — streets, alleys, and sidewalks
Fixed amount, fixed price — $50,000 bond, $1,500, no quote process
Multi-year terms available — set it once for up to 3 years
A-ratedA.M. Best carriersFastoften same purchase1–3 yrterms available
Trusted by industry leaders
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
How it works

Three steps. One sitting.

Denver won't issue your excavation permit without this on file. Here's the entire process:

NOW · 5 MINUTES

Apply online

Business details and an effective date. That's the application — no financials, no credit check section, no follow-up scavenger hunt.

MINUTES, USUALLY

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.

SAME DAY

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.

The whole pricing page.

$50,000 bond × 3% = $1,500, one-time per term. Fixed amount, fixed price, multi-year if you want it.

1-year term
$1,500
2-year term
$3,000
3-year term
$4,500
About this bond

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.

Denver DOTI — right-of-way contractor licensingThe City and County of Denver requires a $50,000 surety bond as a condition of an excavation right-of-way license, conditioned to comply with all requirements, specifications, and instructions of the manager of transportation and infrastructure and the city Code and ordinances. The bond is administered through Denver Contractor Licensing and the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI); confirm the current amount and form on your DOTI application.

You need this bond if you're

Applying for a Denver excavation right-of-way license through DOTI / Contractor Licensing
Renewing your Denver license and your current bond is expiring or non-renewing
A utility or site contractor cutting into Denver streets, alleys, or sidewalks
Bidding Denver public work that conditions the permit on a $50,000 bond

Five minutes. The whole thing.

These are the actual issuing fields — no credit check section, because this bond doesn't have one.

Start the application →
FAQs

Common questions.

If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.

How much is the Denver excavation contractor bond? +
The premium is $1,500 — a flat 3% of the fixed $50,000 bond amount, the same for every contractor. Denver sets the $50,000, so there is no quote process.
Do I pay the $50,000? +
No. You pay $1,500. The $50,000 is the surety's maximum liability to the City and County of Denver if a valid claim is made against the bond — not a deposit, and nobody holds your money.
Who requires this bond? +
The City and County of Denver's Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI) requires it as a condition of an excavation right-of-way license. No active bond, no permit to cut into the right-of-way.
Is there a credit check? +
Not on this bond — the application has no credit section at all. Fixed-amount municipal license bonds like this one don't need one.
When does it renew? +
The bond must stay active for as long as your Denver license is active. You can buy a 1, 2, or 3-year term; we send renewal notices 60 and 30 days out, with autopay available, so your license never lapses over a missed email.
Related bonds

Other New York bonds.

DOTI is waiting on one document.

$1,500 flat, five-minute application, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.

Your premium @ 3%$1,500
Apply now →