District of Columbia health club bonds.
$250 flat.
A health club or health spa operating in the District — including a gym franchise location — must post a surety bond with DLCP before making membership sales, under D.C. Code § 28-3817. A club that limits membership sales to 100 persons or fewer files at the $25,000 tier; ours is $250 flat, and the price you see is the checkout price.
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How much does a District of Columbia health club bond cost?
$250 at the $25,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
A health club filing is one of the simpler consumer-protection bonds. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details, membership-sales cap, and an effective date. That's the application.
Pay & e-sign
Bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. Issued when you pay. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
File with DLCP
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection ahead of your first membership sale. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
D.C. Code § 28-3817 is the District's consumer-protection statute for health spa sales — cash or credit sales where a health club or spa agrees to provide goods or services for more than 30 days. Before making such a sale, the operator must file a surety bond (or an equivalent letter of credit or cash) with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP).
The statute sets two tiers: $50,000 for a standard health spa, and a reduced $25,000 for an operator that states in writing it will limit membership sales to 100 persons or fewer. This filing is written at the $25,000 tier. It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and DLCP (the obligee), with members who prepaid dues as the protected party if the club closes or fails to deliver.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a member claim, you repay the surety. DLCP requires evidence the bond remains in force filed annually, so we track your renewal and notify you well ahead of the date.
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 $25,000 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 DLCP. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection ahead of your first membership sale. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $250 at the $25,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — the application includes a standard soft-pull credit consent, common to most bonds at this tier.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other District of Columbia bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Finish your DLCP filing today.
$250 flat, soft-pull credit consent only, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.