Denver excavation contractor bonds.
$250 flat.
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 bond issues the moment you pay — no credit check.
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How much does a Denver excavation contractor bond cost?
$250 at the $50,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
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 is the application. No credit check. Most applicants approve instantly.
Pay & e-sign
Municipal license bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
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
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 $50,000 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; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
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 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 sets the price
The premium is fixed at $250 at the $50,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Colorado bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
DOTI is waiting on one document.
$250 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.