District of Columbia refrigeration & A/C contractor bonds.
$200 flat.
DC conditions a refrigeration and air conditioning contractor license on a $5,000 trade bond filed with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Our carrier's rate book prices this bond at a flat $200. The bond issues the moment you pay — no credit check.
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How much does a District of Columbia refrigeration & A/C contractor bond cost?
$200 at the $5,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
Trade license bonds are about the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. No financials, no credit check, no follow-up scavenger hunt.
Pay & e-sign
Small fixed-amount trade bonds like this are among the bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with DLCP
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with your DLCP refrigeration/A/C contractor license. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The District licenses construction trades — including refrigeration and air conditioning — through the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) and its Board of Industrial Trades. The license is conditioned on a $5,000 surety bond standing behind your compliance with the District's licensing and trade regulations.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the District of Columbia (the obligee), with the public as the protected party. If a contractor violates the trade regulations and someone is harmed, they can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a valid claim, you repay the surety. The bond runs on a fixed statutory cycle (DC refrigeration/A/C bonds generally expire September 30), and it must stay continuous for your license to stay valid; we send 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 $5,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The bond runs to September 30 whatever day you buy; the premium covers the period to that date.
Renewal falls on the statutory date, September 30, in the year your term ends.
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 arrives by email, ready to file with your DLCP refrigeration/A/C contractor license. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $200 at the $5,000 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 District of Columbia bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
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$200 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.