DC sidewalk & public-space bonds.
From $100. Enter your amount.
Work that occupies or disturbs DC public space — sidewalks, curbs, the area between the property line and the curb — needs a public space permit from the District Department of Transportation, and DDOT can require a surety bond as security for restoring the public space. The premium is 0.5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — priced by the amount your permit requires, not a credit tier — and your exact price appears at the application.
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Apply to filed in 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 the permit requires, and the effective date — that is the entire application.
Issued on the spot
The application collects no credit information, and most applicants are approved and issued as soon as they pay. Larger amounts may get a quick review.
File with DDOT
Submit the executed bond with your public space permit application in TOPS, DDOT's online permitting system. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the office insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the public-space bond actually covers
When a contractor occupies, excavates, or builds in District public space — the sidewalk, curb, tree space, or roadway between the property line and the street — DC requires a public space permit from the District Department of Transportation. The standards for that work live in Title 24 of the DC Municipal Regulations (Public Space and Safety).
DDOT can condition the permit on a surety bond as security that you will restore the public space to its proper condition and complete the permitted work to District standards. If you walk away from a torn-up sidewalk or leave the right-of-way unsafe, the District can recover against the bond to make the repairs.
Because the bond is sized to the scope of work, there is no single statutory amount — DDOT sets it per permit. Enter the figure your permit names; the premium is 0.5% of that amount, $100 minimum, and the application collects no credit information — most applicants approve instantly. If the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety; contractors who restore public space cleanly treat the bond as a permit formality.
You need this bond if you are
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with the bond amount your DDOT permit requires — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other District of Columbia bonds.
Public-space bond, issued today.
Pricing from $100. Enter the amount your DDOT permit requires and file the same day.