Chicago contractor bonds.
From $100.
Also known as the Chicago, Illinois General Contractor License Bond.
The City of Chicago's General Contractor License (Municipal Code Chapter 4-36) primarily runs on class-based commercial general liability insurance, not a citywide surety bond. This bond is for a specific permit, subcontractor listing or department request that asks for one. Premiums cost 0.5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
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How much does a Chicago contractor bond cost?
0.5% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No long underwriting queue for the standard contractor bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the City. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your company details, the bond amount your filing requires, and the effective date — that is the application.
Approved
No credit check up to $100,000, and most applications approve instantly. Larger bond amounts may get a brief underwriter review.
File with the City
Submit the executed bond with the specific City of Chicago filing that requested it. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What this bond covers, and what it does not replace
Chicago's Department of Buildings licenses general contractors in five value-based classes — Class A (unlimited project value) down to Class E ($500,000 cap) — under Municipal Code Chapter 4-36. The primary financial-responsibility requirement for that license is commercial general liability insurance, scaled by class from roughly $1 million per occurrence at Class E up to $5 million at Class A; the chapter does not impose a flat, standalone Department of Buildings surety bond on every applicant.
This bond exists for the narrower cases — a specific department filing, a subcontractor registration, or a project condition — where a contractor is separately asked to post a surety bond alongside the standard license and insurance package. It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of Chicago (the obligee), protecting the City and the public if a covered obligation the bond secures is not met.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety, and it does not substitute for the commercial general liability coverage your license class requires. Before you apply, confirm with the Department of Buildings (or the office that requested the bond) exactly which filing needs it and what amount to enter — we size and price it from a $100 minimum either way.
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 the City. Submit the executed bond with the specific City of Chicago filing that requested it. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 0.5% of the bond amount, $100 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, then a fast decision.
Submit the application with the bond amount your City of Chicago filing requires. No credit check up to $100,000, and most applications approve instantly.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get your Chicago contractor bond filed today.
From $100, no credit check up to $100,000. Enter the amount your City filing requires and apply the same day. Free until issued.