Chicago drainlayer bonds.
$250 flat.
Chicago requires every applicant for a drain layer's license to file a $50,000 surety bond, payable to the City of Chicago, under Municipal Code § 4-28-070 — processed through the sewer permit section of the Department of Buildings. Ours is $250 flat, and the price you see is the checkout price.
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How much does a Chicago drainlayer bond cost?
$250 at the $50,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
Drain layer license bonds are about the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with the Department of Buildings
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your drain layer license application through the sewer permit section. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Chicago Municipal Code § 4-28-070 conditions a drain layer's license on a $50,000 surety bond, filed with the Department and payable to the City of Chicago. The bond is conditioned to indemnify the City for any loss, damage, cost, expense, or liability it may incur from the licensee's acts, omissions, negligence, improper work, or failure to observe the drain layer chapter of the code while performing licensed work.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Chicago (the obligee). If a licensed drain layer's work causes covered loss or damage the City must absorb, the City can look to the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The bond must stay in full force for the duration of the license period, with 30 days' advance notice to the Commissioner required before cancellation, so we track your term and send renewal notices before it lapses.
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 $50,000 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 December 31 whatever day you buy; the premium covers the period to that date.
Renewal falls on the statutory date, December 31, 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 the Department of Buildings. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your drain layer license application through the sewer permit section. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $250 at the $50,000 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 Illinois bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Finish your Chicago drain layer license today.
$250 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.