The City of Newark requires a $50,000 surety bond for a limited sub-contractor license — filed with the Department of Planning and Development before you pull permits inside city limits. Ours is $1,500 flat, which is 3% of the bond amount, identical for every contractor. The application is five minutes, with no credit check on this bond.
















City contractor bonds are about the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Business details and an effective date. That's the application — no financials, no credit check section, no follow-up scavenger hunt.
License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your Newark contractor license application or renewal. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
$50,000 bond × 3% = $1,500, one-time per term. Fixed amount, fixed price, multi-year if you want it.
The City of Newark licenses contractors through its Department of Planning and Development (Code Enforcement), and conditions a limited sub-contractor license on a $50,000 surety bond. The bond is a code-compliance and public-protection guarantee: it stands behind your compliance with Newark's construction codes and the conditions of your license.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier standing behind you, and the City of Newark (the obligee), with the City and harmed parties protected. If a contractor violates the City's construction codes or the terms of the license, the City or a harmed party can recover against the bond.
The bond must stay active for the life of your license. Let it lapse and the City can suspend your authority to pull permits — so we track it and notify you 60 and 30 days out, keeping your $50,000 filing continuous.
These are the actual issuing fields — no credit check section, because this bond doesn't have one.
Start the application →If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
$1,500 flat, five-minute application, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.