District of Columbia public space / ROW permit bonds.
From $125.
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When you occupy, dig or build in the public right-of-way, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) can require a bond on your public space permit to guarantee you restore the space to District standards. DDOT sets the amount. The premium is 1% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, with a $125 minimum.
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How much does a District of Columbia public space / ROW permit bond cost?
1% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, from $125. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard public space bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with DDOT. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your business details, the bond amount DDOT required, and the effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
Most applicants are issued as soon as they pay — no waiting.
File with your DDOT permit
Submit the executed bond with your public space / right-of-way permit application in TOPS. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever DDOT insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the public space bond actually covers
Anything you do between the property lines of a District street — occupy the sidewalk, open a roadway cut, set a dumpster or scaffold, install a vault or driveway — needs a public space permit from DDOT's Public Space Regulation office. On work that disturbs the right-of-way, DDOT can require a bond as a condition of the permit.
The bond is a performance and restoration guarantee: it backs your obligation to restore the public space to DDOT standards and to cover the permit deposits. DDOT's bond instructions are explicit that the amount is set to cover the entire cost of the deposits, with no partial credits.
If you fail to restore the space or leave the District out-of-pocket, DDOT can recover against the bond — and if the surety pays, you repay the surety. We issue the amount DDOT set.
You need this bond if you are
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 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.
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 your DDOT permit. Submit the executed bond with your public space / right-of-way permit application in TOPS. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever DDOT insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, $125 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $100,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with the bond amount DDOT set — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file with your permit.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other District of Columbia bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Public space bond, issued today.
Pricing from $125. Enter the amount DDOT required and file the same day.