DC home improvement contractor bonds.
$438 flat.
The District requires a $25,000 home improvement contractor bond, filed with DLCP under 16 DCMR § 800 et seq., before you can be licensed to do residential improvement work. We write it at a flat $438 with one soft credit pull — same price for every contractor.
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Three steps to licensed.
Your DLCP home improvement license is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date. The only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Reviewed & approved
Most of these clear quickly; if underwriting needs anything, you hear from an underwriter within 48 hours. The soft credit pull never affects your score.
E-sign & file with DLCP
Pay online and receive the executed $25,000 bond ready to file with your home improvement contractor license. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever DLCP insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The District requires anyone performing home improvement work — repairs, alterations, or improvements to residential property — to be a licensed home improvement contractor through DLCP, and to post a $25,000 surety bond under the home improvement regulations at 16 DCMR § 800 et seq.
The bond is a consumer-protection guarantee for homeowners. Under 16 DCMR § 802, the bond can be used to pay a homeowner who has obtained a judgment against the licensed contractor for a violation of the licensing laws that caused a monetary loss. It is a three-party arrangement — you, the surety, and the District for the benefit of your customers.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a homeowner's claim, you repay the surety. We run a single soft credit pull to set up the bond; it never affects your score, and the price is $438 flat either way — credit affects whether we approve the bond, never what it costs.
You need this bond if you're
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other District of Columbia bonds.
DLCP is waiting on one document.
$438 flat for the $25,000 bond, short application, e-signed in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.